•   Looking for the essence of things   •   I prefer abstract art, but find inspiration only in the figuration. In my work, I realize, I have been searching for ways to reach the essence of the fragments of reality that have fascinated me.    •   Collections and reiterations   •   Assembling, collecting items in some way related to each other should show the link perceived between them, the essence. But reiteration of one element is also a collection: a collection of identical elements and a way to monumentality. More subtle is a collection of things almost, but not quite, the same. This idea leads to the use of positive, negative and mirror images of an element.    •   Photography   •   Own photographs and snapshots found here and there are at the basis of most of my work. Photography has also provided the positive and negative images used. It lead to the silkscreen technique and to the making of photo-etchings. A silkscreen print, made with acid resistant ink on a zinc plate, can be used to make an etching.   •   Photogram    •   An historical alternative photographic emulsion based on iron en silver (kallitype) gives a warm brown colour to the prints. The sun was used as the light source to make photograms of some of my collections. The sun comes at an angle and produces shadows and surprising effects.   •   Monochrome, contour lines   •   Another way to reach the essence is to eliminate details, colours, shadows, to reduce an image to contour lines. Monochrome sometimes combined with a touch of a different colour directs the eye to the clue of the work. In my drawings I like to experiment: how much can I leave out and still see what is essential?    •   Graphics   •   Drawing and Graphics suit me better than other techniques. I have used silkscreen and photo-etching but at present I limit myself to dry point works. The warm, woolly quality of the line and the intensity of the ink make the print superior to an equivalent drawing.   •   Series    •   Of every theme or subject I make series: to emphasize my enthusiasm for something beautiful or to point out: 'It was about that!'    •   Triggers    •   What attracts my attention? What makes me tick?  Simple things I see around me, a drowned butterfly, pigeons and ruined houses in Venice, a weed growing against the wall of an ancient house, how two flowers, two metal pieces, two forms next to each other can suggest a moving story...