Bio
I was born in Italy, in a small fishing village on the coast of the Ionian Sea (which supposedly means my ancestors came from Sparta. Which might be where I get my temper). On a trip in Paris in my teens, I discovered the world of French comic books and, in the Musée d'Orsay, became enchanted by the beautiful impressionist paintings. I decided to spend my life painting and drawing.
Back in Italy, I enrolled in Rome's School of Comics, and later in the Academy of Fine of Arts, where I studied Painting and, some years later, graduated with Honors. I entered the world of work as an inker, graphic designer and colourist for various publishers (listed below). Then when I was 21, I started a blog that became - four years later - my first novel: "Elenoir" .
Since then, I've spent my life inventing characters, illustrating comics, writing books (many of which are available in several languages on Amazon) and exploring as much of the world as I can. I've travelled and lived in Belgium, France, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Palestine, Portugal, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, Great Britain, Morocco, Japan and Germany (where I now live. They have pretzels. I love them a lot ). And Spain, where I spent a whole month marching from the very south of France across the north of Spain on the Camino de Santiago, where I met wonderful people, saw amazing things and really hurt my feet.
In my free time, I love to continue exploring the world, visiting exhibitions, practising yoga, and running. I've also developed a strange new obsession with learning ancient skills like pottery, basket weaving, and making bread. You never know, they might come in useful one day.
Back in Italy, I enrolled in Rome's School of Comics, and later in the Academy of Fine of Arts, where I studied Painting and, some years later, graduated with Honors. I entered the world of work as an inker, graphic designer and colourist for various publishers (listed below). Then when I was 21, I started a blog that became - four years later - my first novel: "Elenoir" .
Since then, I've spent my life inventing characters, illustrating comics, writing books (many of which are available in several languages on Amazon) and exploring as much of the world as I can. I've travelled and lived in Belgium, France, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Palestine, Portugal, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, Great Britain, Morocco, Japan and Germany (where I now live. They have pretzels. I love them a lot ). And Spain, where I spent a whole month marching from the very south of France across the north of Spain on the Camino de Santiago, where I met wonderful people, saw amazing things and really hurt my feet.
In my free time, I love to continue exploring the world, visiting exhibitions, practising yoga, and running. I've also developed a strange new obsession with learning ancient skills like pottery, basket weaving, and making bread. You never know, they might come in useful one day.
Books
• A Fine Withering (also available in English and German)
• Avventure sulla Via de la Plata
• Elsie's Perfect Day (comic book - only in English language)
• Christine nelle luci del Nord
• Elsie presenta: Ricette e Segreti per un perfetto Afternoon Tea (also available in English)
• Un anno per cambiare la tua vita
• 10 buone ragioni per (non) fare l'Artista
• The Blank Room
• Storia dei miei piedi
• Avventure sul Cammino di Santiago
• La Luna (children's book - also available in English)
• Piccola guida per il Cammino di Santiago (also available in English and German)
• Elenoir (series)
• I racconti di Poe (comic book)
• Closed (written by Orazio Guarino)
• Vortix (written by Orazio Guarino)
• Forest
• Somnium (also available in English and French)
• Avventure sulla Via de la Plata
• Elsie's Perfect Day (comic book - only in English language)
• Christine nelle luci del Nord
• Elsie presenta: Ricette e Segreti per un perfetto Afternoon Tea (also available in English)
• Un anno per cambiare la tua vita
• 10 buone ragioni per (non) fare l'Artista
• The Blank Room
• Storia dei miei piedi
• Avventure sul Cammino di Santiago
• La Luna (children's book - also available in English)
• Piccola guida per il Cammino di Santiago (also available in English and German)
• Elenoir (series)
• I racconti di Poe (comic book)
• Closed (written by Orazio Guarino)
• Vortix (written by Orazio Guarino)
• Forest
• Somnium (also available in English and French)
Publishers
• Edizioni dei Cammini
• Nous
• Aurea
• Foschi
• Feltrinelli
• Star Comics
• 001 Edizioni
• E-servizi
• Free Books
• Nous
• Aurea
• Foschi
• Feltrinelli
• Star Comics
• 001 Edizioni
• E-servizi
• Free Books
Exhibitions
Elsie's guide to Afternoon Tea @ Tonbridge Art Festival (June 2018)
Elsie's guide to Afternoon Tea @ A.F.A. Festival, Milano (May 2018)
Elenoir’s engravings exhibition @ Belgrado, Galleria Velike (March 2018)
Elsie Tea Time Magazine @ Treviso Comic Book Festival (September 2017)
Un anno per cambiare la tua vita @ A.F.A. Festival, Milano (May 2017)
The Moon @ The Pantiles - Royal Tunbridge Wells (November 2016)
The Blank Room @ Treviso Comic Book Festival (September 2016)
La Luna @ Crack! Fumettidirompenti, Roma (June 2016)
The Surrealist Brussels Guide @ The Sketchbook Project USA Tour 2014
A Small Handbook for Santiago de Compostela @ The Sketchbook Project USA Tour 2013
Sotto Torchio @ Accademia Albertina delle Belle Arti, Torino (June 2013)
Sguardi Luminosi @ Mirafiori Motor Village Galerie, Torino (February 2013)
Art Takes Times Square @ Times Square, New York City (June 2012)
I racconti di Poe @ Crack! Fumettidirompenti, Roma (June 2010)
I racconti di Poe @ Casa Internazionale delle Donne, Roma (June 2010)
I racconti di Poe @ Palazzo Nuovo, Torino (May 2010)
Elenoir @ Pueblo Club, Torino (September 2009)
Elenoir @ Crack! Fumettidirompenti, Roma (June 2009)
Elenoir @ Odradek, Roma (June 2009)
I racconti di Poe @ International Day Against Homophobia, Torino (May 2009)
Elenoir @ Blow Club, Roma (March 2009)
Far West Story @ Teatro Brancaccio, Roma (February 2009)
Elenoir @ Mega, Forlì (February 2009)
Elenoir’s engravings exhibition @ Art Ist Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Center, Istanbul (November 2008)
Elenoir’s engravings exhibition @ Neo Art Gallery, Roma (July 2008)
Permanent engravings Collection @ Center for the Engravings and the Graphics of Art, Formello (from June 2008)
Photographic exhibition @ International Day of the Woman, Arezzo (March 2008)
Elsie's guide to Afternoon Tea @ A.F.A. Festival, Milano (May 2018)
Elenoir’s engravings exhibition @ Belgrado, Galleria Velike (March 2018)
Elsie Tea Time Magazine @ Treviso Comic Book Festival (September 2017)
Un anno per cambiare la tua vita @ A.F.A. Festival, Milano (May 2017)
The Moon @ The Pantiles - Royal Tunbridge Wells (November 2016)
The Blank Room @ Treviso Comic Book Festival (September 2016)
La Luna @ Crack! Fumettidirompenti, Roma (June 2016)
The Surrealist Brussels Guide @ The Sketchbook Project USA Tour 2014
A Small Handbook for Santiago de Compostela @ The Sketchbook Project USA Tour 2013
Sotto Torchio @ Accademia Albertina delle Belle Arti, Torino (June 2013)
Sguardi Luminosi @ Mirafiori Motor Village Galerie, Torino (February 2013)
Art Takes Times Square @ Times Square, New York City (June 2012)
I racconti di Poe @ Crack! Fumettidirompenti, Roma (June 2010)
I racconti di Poe @ Casa Internazionale delle Donne, Roma (June 2010)
I racconti di Poe @ Palazzo Nuovo, Torino (May 2010)
Elenoir @ Pueblo Club, Torino (September 2009)
Elenoir @ Crack! Fumettidirompenti, Roma (June 2009)
Elenoir @ Odradek, Roma (June 2009)
I racconti di Poe @ International Day Against Homophobia, Torino (May 2009)
Elenoir @ Blow Club, Roma (March 2009)
Far West Story @ Teatro Brancaccio, Roma (February 2009)
Elenoir @ Mega, Forlì (February 2009)
Elenoir’s engravings exhibition @ Art Ist Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Center, Istanbul (November 2008)
Elenoir’s engravings exhibition @ Neo Art Gallery, Roma (July 2008)
Permanent engravings Collection @ Center for the Engravings and the Graphics of Art, Formello (from June 2008)
Photographic exhibition @ International Day of the Woman, Arezzo (March 2008)
F.A.Q.
Are you available for an interview?
Yes. Just send me an email, and we’ll arrange something.
What’s your favourite colour/food?
Ocher and all sort of soil colours, especially those from the area of Siena, in Italy.
I like to eat pizza, and lasagne. Which makes me totally unique in the world. And fries.
What else do you do in your spare time?
Most of the time I literally watch paint dry :-D. I really like staring at colour charts in DIY stores, for hours and hours. Without even speaking of the amount of time I spend in art supplies stores. I like to read books about nature and history and I watch way too many movies. I also like to walk about looking at things and ponder about unanswered human questions.
I love to cook, and am now almost as good as my dad. Oh, and I love videos with people going around cleaning stranger's gardens or pressure washing bricks. So satisfying.
Are you available for shows, book fairs/presentations/exhibitions?
Of course. Again, just send me an email and we can talk about it.
Have you got some piercings/tattoos?
Yes! I love tattoos.
Can I hire/commission you to illustrate/paint/design something for me?
From time to time I’m available for all sorts of commissions, from comics to portraits, but in general I work on my own projects most of the time so I don't have much time left. Just send me an email outlining the basics of what you want, and we can talk ideas, delivery timelines, and fees.
Please don't ask for digitally made art (I work with watercolours, pencils, crayons...and more, but I do not like to work with computers). I do not use AI. I do not want to portray violence of any kind in my art so don't ask me that either. Thank you :-)
What animal do you prefer: cats or dogs?
Deers, especially those tiny ones with dots.
What is your favourite movie/animated film?
Hmm, I would have to say “The Mummy” (by Stephen Sommers, 1999). But also “Indiana Jones” and “Howl's Moving Castle”. Or maybe “Moulin Rouge!” and “Pride and Prejudice” (by Joe Wright, 2005)? Let me think about it...
Which pencils/pens/watercolours/paper do you use?
I use a clickable artists pencil and an old nib with my favourite brown ink (Rohrer and Klingner). I generally use my handmade watercolours (that you can find in my Etsy store). I use all kinds of paper but my favorite is Arches Aquarelle.
Do you give drawing/painting/inking lessons?
I can. If you live near by. At the moment my painting studio is so tiny that I can barely fit myself in it, but maybe one day I will be able to rent a bigger place and have the space for classes. Never say never!
What kind of music do you like?
I really like classical music (especially the Cello, my favourite instrument). But I also love to thrash my head to a bit of metal or sing along to guilty-pleasure pop songs. I was actually in a band for a while. As the frontwoman. It didn’t turn out. In the past years I have become a huge fan of the Lofi Girl channel on YouTube and I basically have it on eight hours a day. Their medieval lofi radio is the best.
What cities have you visited?
Wiesbaden (where I live now). I’ve also lived in Rabat, London, Brussels, Turin, Rome and of course in the little village in Apulia where I was born. I’ve also spent time in Montevideo, Eugene, Jyväskylä, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Cancun, Paris, Berlin, Crete, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Barcelona, Santiago, Lisbon, … etc. I’ve visited a lot of cities and countries. But I still don’t feel like it’s enough!
Do you work for free/for the ideal/for the cause?
I do support charities, whenever I can. I do not support any political or religious associations.
What 3 objects would you bring with you on a deserted island?
A few years ago I would have answered "Paper, colours and a survival kit". What an optimist: having the energies to try to save myself and even paint something while in the process of building a fishing device with a paperclip and some duct tape. Now I am a realistic adult and so my answer is: a cosy blanket, a comfy pillow and my favourite lip balm.
If I end up on a deserted island the first thing I will do is to take a nap ꒰ᐢ. ̫ .ᐢ꒱
Do you prefer to work for children or adults?
“All grown-ups were children first (but few remember it)”, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said that.
What are some of the things you want to do in your life?
Go to live for a year in a tree house and make friends with the animals that live nearby;
Go to Iceland and stay there for at least a month, studying elves and trolls;
Buy a country style house and host some hens and goats (in the garden);
Build a deer sanctuary in the woods around the house;
Have one of my stories turned into a movie directed by Ridley Scott;
Have another of my stories turned into a movie directed by Wes Anderson;
And then another one into a movie directed by Robert Eggers;
Win the Nobel Prize for literature :-D
Live long and prosper.
Yes. Just send me an email, and we’ll arrange something.
What’s your favourite colour/food?
Ocher and all sort of soil colours, especially those from the area of Siena, in Italy.
I like to eat pizza, and lasagne. Which makes me totally unique in the world. And fries.
What else do you do in your spare time?
Most of the time I literally watch paint dry :-D. I really like staring at colour charts in DIY stores, for hours and hours. Without even speaking of the amount of time I spend in art supplies stores. I like to read books about nature and history and I watch way too many movies. I also like to walk about looking at things and ponder about unanswered human questions.
I love to cook, and am now almost as good as my dad. Oh, and I love videos with people going around cleaning stranger's gardens or pressure washing bricks. So satisfying.
Are you available for shows, book fairs/presentations/exhibitions?
Of course. Again, just send me an email and we can talk about it.
Have you got some piercings/tattoos?
Yes! I love tattoos.
Can I hire/commission you to illustrate/paint/design something for me?
From time to time I’m available for all sorts of commissions, from comics to portraits, but in general I work on my own projects most of the time so I don't have much time left. Just send me an email outlining the basics of what you want, and we can talk ideas, delivery timelines, and fees.
Please don't ask for digitally made art (I work with watercolours, pencils, crayons...and more, but I do not like to work with computers). I do not use AI. I do not want to portray violence of any kind in my art so don't ask me that either. Thank you :-)
What animal do you prefer: cats or dogs?
Deers, especially those tiny ones with dots.
What is your favourite movie/animated film?
Hmm, I would have to say “The Mummy” (by Stephen Sommers, 1999). But also “Indiana Jones” and “Howl's Moving Castle”. Or maybe “Moulin Rouge!” and “Pride and Prejudice” (by Joe Wright, 2005)? Let me think about it...
Which pencils/pens/watercolours/paper do you use?
I use a clickable artists pencil and an old nib with my favourite brown ink (Rohrer and Klingner). I generally use my handmade watercolours (that you can find in my Etsy store). I use all kinds of paper but my favorite is Arches Aquarelle.
Do you give drawing/painting/inking lessons?
I can. If you live near by. At the moment my painting studio is so tiny that I can barely fit myself in it, but maybe one day I will be able to rent a bigger place and have the space for classes. Never say never!
What kind of music do you like?
I really like classical music (especially the Cello, my favourite instrument). But I also love to thrash my head to a bit of metal or sing along to guilty-pleasure pop songs. I was actually in a band for a while. As the frontwoman. It didn’t turn out. In the past years I have become a huge fan of the Lofi Girl channel on YouTube and I basically have it on eight hours a day. Their medieval lofi radio is the best.
What cities have you visited?
Wiesbaden (where I live now). I’ve also lived in Rabat, London, Brussels, Turin, Rome and of course in the little village in Apulia where I was born. I’ve also spent time in Montevideo, Eugene, Jyväskylä, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Cancun, Paris, Berlin, Crete, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Barcelona, Santiago, Lisbon, … etc. I’ve visited a lot of cities and countries. But I still don’t feel like it’s enough!
Do you work for free/for the ideal/for the cause?
I do support charities, whenever I can. I do not support any political or religious associations.
What 3 objects would you bring with you on a deserted island?
A few years ago I would have answered "Paper, colours and a survival kit". What an optimist: having the energies to try to save myself and even paint something while in the process of building a fishing device with a paperclip and some duct tape. Now I am a realistic adult and so my answer is: a cosy blanket, a comfy pillow and my favourite lip balm.
If I end up on a deserted island the first thing I will do is to take a nap ꒰ᐢ. ̫ .ᐢ꒱
Do you prefer to work for children or adults?
“All grown-ups were children first (but few remember it)”, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said that.
What are some of the things you want to do in your life?
Go to live for a year in a tree house and make friends with the animals that live nearby;
Go to Iceland and stay there for at least a month, studying elves and trolls;
Buy a country style house and host some hens and goats (in the garden);
Build a deer sanctuary in the woods around the house;
Have one of my stories turned into a movie directed by Ridley Scott;
Have another of my stories turned into a movie directed by Wes Anderson;
And then another one into a movie directed by Robert Eggers;
Win the Nobel Prize for literature :-D
Live long and prosper.