“All writing, all art, is an act of faith. If one tries to contribute to human understanding, how can that be called decadent? It’s like saying a declaration of love is an act of decadence. Any work of art, provided it springs from a sincere motivation to further understanding between people, is an act of faith and therefore is an act of love.”

– Truman Capote

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”

– Pablo Picasso

“Art is a line around your thoughts.”

– Gustav Klimt

“Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter’s soul.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

“When I know your soul, I will paint your eyes.”

– Amedeo Modigliani

“Bodies have their own light which they consume to live: they burn, they are not lit from the outside.”

– Egon Schiele

“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.”

– John Steinbeck

“All my art develops around ideas as the first step. I have always had many ideas. Ideas are growing in my mind every day, and there are so many of them. Sometimes it is really difficult to sort them all out and try to breathe life into them and make them concrete. Sometimes they are definite; other times they are just crazy. Sometimes they are only dreams, but, still, they fill my heart with joy.

There are times when I get overwhelmed by ideas. When my mind races more quickly than my body. It can spin like a cyclone of feelings, pushing me toward the creative process, and to exist for nothing else. It can provide an incredibly contagious energy to be productive and to make a commitment to act.

On the other hand, the soul knows dark and light, and, for every artist, it is very important not to be pulled down into the darkness.

Painting has always been a sort of therapy for me, against all the fears, against all the insecurities, against all the ghosts of the night, past and present.

Art has helped me fight loneliness and value loneliness, the moments of silence and the quietness of the nights.

When I put oil paint on a canvas, I love the smell of it and the time it takes to dry, up to a month or more if you use a lot of color. And I have always liked to use a lot of it, especially red, blue and violet, some of my favorite colors.

Painting for me has always been about expressing my feelings and emotions, when my soul was looking for an answer, for some rest and peace, for love. This passion envelopes me so completely that I enter a trance-like state when I paint. This is why I have always liked to paint or create art alone. I can’t do it if somebody is looking at me during the creative process.

Over time, I have started enjoying experimenting with different tools and materials. Instead of brushes, I often use knives to paint. I have always loved knives, their shape, how they cut, how they leave colors and sharp traces behind them. Some people think they are dangerous, but I consider them beautiful.

From time to time, I use a sponge to diffuse the color, or a piece of textile, or paper, or some gloves, a pencil which moves like a thin brush, or whatever comes to my mind and my hands at that moment.

Besides canvas, I also love plexiglass, wood, plastic, and paper.

Even though I am attracted by the black and white of photography — I found a personal intimacy with it and a connection to it — with paintings I just adore colors. I find something magical in them; they have their own energy which they can transmit and diffuse beyond the canvas.

Recently, I have also enjoyed working with whatever nature has offered, or whatever I found in the world which, for me, had a kind of meaning, allowing me to create something that would evoke awareness and launch a message to just make things better, or would help someone to navigate out of despair, or would simply evoke some emotion and happiness…”