Valentina Damiano

What drives you to create?

I paint because it takes me away from time and space, I am drawn to the story behind everything that is represented, because I give it the possibility of becoming immortal through the image of art. I love giving a deep meaning to what I represent through symbols and evident and less evident connections, let’s say that the saying “a few words are enough for those who understand” works for me! I feel like an ancient painter from the 1500s, who leaves nothing to chance but studies every little detail to make the “pieces” of the work add up.

What inspires you?

It all stems from my strong curiosity about every gesture and experience, the desire to learn, study and find the connections between things, whether alike or opposite. Bringing innovation through tradition, this is my mood; in fact, I feel more like a daughter of the old masters than of the lively and alienating contemporary world, even though it fascinates me nonetheless.

How do you bring your works to life?

I make extensive use of what has fascinated me most in my studies, both in photography and traditional painting: from macro photography of the undergrowth I drew the pictorial inspiration for my subjects and the very low viewpoint of the ground, from woodcut engraving the incised and scratched marks to give relief to details, from intaglio printing the monotype to imprint the leaves directly onto the painting and create the imprint of the leaves, from gilding to create sacred and symbolic points of light. from Leonardo’s sfumato the glazes to create effects of spatial depth, from the preliminary lean monochrome painting the foundation of the dark and mottled painting from which to bring out the underlying points of light.