I have always been in the habit of observing things very carefully, getting absorbed in them and seeing other things in them, seeing beyond them. It is something that comes naturally to me, it’s not premeditated: the images just begin to overlap in my eyes and my mind. I seek to go beyond appearances, starting from the matter itself, and using colour as my medium. I am entirely convinced that there is nothing in nature that does not merit a second look. And I believe that every form can be read and interpreted.

As a child I was fascinated by the shapes that shadows cast against walls.

I would observe them for a long time, and I was intrigued by the way in which the object changed from a real form into an “unreal” form, from a solid to a two-dimensional presence against the wall. I used to like grouping together different objects and seeing how their likeness was transferred to the wall, creating a new form that seemed meaningless, but was actually made up of tangible, real objects.

My Stones are a bit like those forms that emerge from shadows, sliding down the wall and taking shape before me, showing me their true selves. I like to think that each one is a story, a piece of history, an authentic fragment of life, a sort of letter from nature, shaped by the sea and the wind, sculpted by time to arrive at this very point, the point where I am, where I get drawn into its story.

The relationship between me and each Stone is something that comes about instinctively, before I can give it a meaning. My eyes and my hands alight on the stone, are captured by it, and in turn capture it from nature, which has sculpted it for me. To show my gratitude I paint the story it holds, completing a work which is already partially accomplished.

Fully respecting the natural form is vitally important to me.

When I pick up a stone, I do not always have an idea of its story right away. Sometimes it is little more than a whisper… Then I place the stone on the steering wheel and the whisper becomes a clear voice, which grows louder and louder… My hands draw the design in all its details, so that nothing is lost when I begin to paint, not a single fold or bulge: the colors I apply reveal rather than cover, unveiling the story and bringing the form to life.