Accade che sovente vi è grande differenza tra questi primi tentativi e il lavoro finale; nei primi esiste spesso una vitalità e leggerezza che non sempre si ritrovano nella tavola finale.

A volte quest’ultima perde di qualità, non riesce a trasmettere quell’amore che la portò a essere forma tangibile;
così sono necessarie altre prove per poter arrivare ad un immagine che sia in qualche modo soddisfacente.

Accade che sui primi schizzi, il desiderio di quelle nuove forme e gesta, emerga in maniera autentica perché come sosteneva Reiner Maria Rilke:

“ Il pittore, come qualsiasi altro artista, non deve affatto essere cosciente delle proprie illuminazioni. Le sue scoperte, enigmatiche anche per lui, evitando la lunga strada del ragionamento, devono passare nel suo lavoro tanto velocemente da non dargli il tempo di accorgersi del momento del loro passaggio. E chiunque stia in agguato in quel momento ad attenderle, a osservarle, a trattenerle, le vedrà trasformarsi,
come l’oro della favola, in ciarpame.”

Spesso ho vissuto questo dubbio così in questo articolo ho il piacere di condividere con voi alcune immagini mettendo in luce queste diverse armonie; quali tra questi disegni possiedono maggior splendore,
esprimono con più enfasi l’amore per le cose?

Buona estate

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For those who make art, the initial sketches, the urge to put on paper those dear inner feelings are fundamental to create the final artworks.

It often happens that from those first studies to the complete pieces there are big differences: quite often the sketches have an inner energy, a unique soul that does not necessarily reside in the accomplished works.

Compared to the former, the latter sometimes lose in quality and don’t managed to transmit that necessary love which was at the beginning of the creation; therefore a second or third attempts are due in order to get somehow to a satisfying result.

During the realization of the first sketches, free from the others’ people views and judgments, the desire for making that image is so strong and authentic that as the great poet R.M. Rilke said:

“A painter, like any other artist, does not have to be aware of its own awakenings. His findings, enough enigmatic for him as well, avoiding the long train of thoughts, must enter his works so quickly that does not have time to realize their passage. So at that time, whoever is lurking waiting for them, to look and hold back them – will see these intuitions be transformed from the fairy tales’s gold into rubbish.

Often I have experienced these doubts so here I am glad to share some samples of sketches and final artworks with you; which ones do they represent better the love for things?

Enjoy the summer season

Buongiorno
finalmente è arrivata l’estate ma con essa anche il caldo estenuante!

Per fortuna ci sono luoghi in città dove poter
trovare sollievo dal tepore e dalla realtà asfissiante.

A Monza, da circa un anno è nata una
casa comunitaria gestita dall’associazione Uroburo.

Per promuovere l’iniziativa, nel Maggio di quest’anno,
è stato inaugurato uno spazio espositivo nella zona sottostante la casa.

A seguito della prima mostra che si è tenuta lo scorso mese,
Sabato 13 Giugno, in compagnia di altre
quattro artiste e illustratrici residenti a Monza,
abbiamo inaugurato una seconda esposizione intitolata Sentirsi Casa.

Insieme a
Chiara, Ceylan Aran, Elena Maricone e Elizabeta Tzvetkova,
abbiamo esposto una cinquantina di opere
concentrandoci sul significato dato al titolo all’evento.

Tra le opere presenti, disegni, dipinti, stampe in monotipie
e opere di ricamo che tracciano un percorso intorno alla presenza o
mancanza di questo luogo (oltre che stato d’animo) tanto sacro quanto
– purtroppo spesso – assente o logorato.

Alla mostra ho partecipato esponendo
le tavole qui riportate più un’immagine inedita.
Le opere fanno parte di quattro progetti realizzati dal 2017 ad oggi.

Inoltre nei links evidenziati potete vedere delle foto
dell’allestimento e altri lavori delle artiste.
Buona visione!

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Hello,
finally summer has arrived but with it also the scorching heat!

Luckily in town there are places where we are able to find relief and peace
against the high temperature and the chocking reality

The last year, thanks to the commitment of Uroburo‘s association
to provide a better quality life for people with different disabilities,
a new community house has born in Monza.

In order to promote this place, from May this year,
a gallery space has opened its doors at the house’s basement.

Following the first exhibition launched in May,
on Saturday the 13^th of June
with other four Monza based artists and illustrators,
we opened a second show called Sentirsi Casa ( Feeling Home).

With Chiara, Ceylan Aran, Elena Maricone e Elizabeta Tzvetkova,
we organized this event by putting together around fifty pieces
based on the titile’s concept.

The artworks included drawings, paintings, monotype prints
but also sewing images with the scope of creating a narrative around
the idea of what is a home (both physically and no physically speaking),
the importance of its presence and unfortunately its too often absence.

I have taken part at the show by selecting the drawings attached above
– which are part of four different past project – plus a new piece.

Through the links included above, you can view some pics
about the show plus the other artists’ artworks;

Hope you enjoy it!

Buongiorno,
Ad Aprile, su invito della Fondazione Lighea Onlus,
ho tenuto una mostra presso uno dei loro centri
per laboratori di Milano intitolata Tra Incontri e solitudini .

Grazie alla proposta della psicologa Matilde Gregorini
e dell’arte terapeuta Alice Pagani, abbiamo selezionato
una ventina di illustrazioni presi da diversi progetti personali.

L’idea centrale della mostra era quella
di creare un ponte tra l’arte e la salute mentale.

Questa è stata la prima volta che ho portato in mostra tavole
prese da più progetti, creati nel corso degli ultimi 8 anni ed
è stato molto piacevole esporre assieme questi lavori.

Qui condivido alcune foto dell’ allestimento della mostra.

Un grazie speciale per il loro lavoro a Matilde e Alice
e a tutti coloro che sono passati,
condividendo pensieri e idee sull’utilità dell’arte.

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In April, I have been invited by Fondazione Lighea Onlus
to host an exhibition in one of their workshop space titled
Tra Incontri e solitudini ( between encounters and solitudes).

Thanks to the proposal of psychologist Matilde Gregorini
and art therapist Alice Pagani, we discussed and selected
twenty-two illustrations taken from different past projects.

The main idea was to choose some images with
the scope of creating ‘a bridge’ between art and mental health.

This was the very first time that I have shown artworks taken from different projects made during the last eight years and have enjoyed very much seeing all these works exhibited together.

Here I share some pictures of the exhibition’s display

A special thanks to Matilde and Alice, for their enthusiasm and job;
also a very special thanks to all the people who passed by at the opening
and shared thoughts and ideas about the much needed utility of art.

Buongiorno a tutt*
Buon inizio di primavera
Buona primavera che non cessa mai di sorprenderci
per la sua infinita bellezza.
Immerso tra i vari progetti,
non ho avuto granché modo di aggiornare questo blog.
Ad ogni modo sono lieto di condividere questa immagine con voi,
creata l’estate scorsa, per un concorso di disegno.
L’illustrazione riassume bene il sentire della passata stagione:
vita, vita tra l’acqua, vita nell’acqua;
e poi le danze dei sognatori, le preghiere dei fiduciosi,
le paure giovanili e le proteste di coloro
che non mancano di coraggio, esigendo più giustizia e diritti per tutti.
Io mi trovo là in mezzo ad ognuno di loro, facendo illustrazione
 tra una contemplazione, un silenzio e il Buddha che ride! 

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Good day everyone
Welcome back spring season
Lovely spring that doesn’t cease to amaze us for its never ending beauty.
While being busy with one project and another, in the past months
I have not had much time for updating this blog.
However I am glad to share this image,
made the last summer for an illustration call.
The image represents well my past seasonal feelings:
life, life between water, life inside the water;
and also the dreamers’ dancings,
the believers’ prayers, the youths’ fears and also the protests of those
that don’t lack courage while claiming
more justice and rights for everyone!
I am there among all of them,
doing illustration between one contemplation, 
one silence and the Buddha laughings!

Sito aggiornato
Buongiorno a tutt*
Spero di trovarvi bene nonostante i tempi incerti
e i mediocri che governano

Gli ultimi mesi sono stati poco produttivi
ma tutto ciò che viene sacrificato in un primo momento,
diventa terreno fertile per i progetti successivi

Nonostante ciò, in queste settimane, su consiglio di un amico,
ho aggiornato un po’ il sito, reinserendo immagini pubblicate in precedenza
e pubblicando per la prima volta, le versioni integrali di due progetti
degli ultimi anni, Firefly and People like Bridges

Inoltre ho aggiunto delle nuove sezioni sotto la voce Works,
dove potete trovare alcuni lavori più datati
creati per progetti editoriali e/o grafici

Sono ben accetti dei commenti e suggerimenti.
Intanto buona navigazione e che il 2026 sia un’anno
dove dar più spazio ai nostri sogni di pace e amore.

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January’s website updates and new entries

Good day everyoneI hope you are all well despite the uncertain times
and those fools that run the governments.

In the last few months, I did not have much time for creating,
but not despair, all the moments set aside for other commitments,
become fertile soil for the following projects.

Nevertheless, in the past few weeks,
thanks to the suggestion of a friend of mine,
I had the chance to update the site,
by inserting again images previously published
as well as new body of works, like Firefly and People like Bridges.

Also I created a new section called Works where you can view,
divided into small groups,
old and less old works made for editorial or design project.

Please feel free to share an opinion or two regarding these images.

Meanwhile enjoy the browsing and let’s hope
that 2026 will be one year marked by our desire for peace and love.

Oil pastels artworks

Starting in 2020 to experiment with this new technique,
I have began working more often with oil pastels in 2025.

So far I have used these medium for an editorial commission and a group art show,
but most of these images come as personal project.
Here I am glad to share a few with you.
Also some are already being printed and available at our studio & shop
as well as during the next illustration markets which I will be taking part starting from March this year.

Different formats ranging from 20 x 30cm to 35 x 50 cm,
oil pastels and sometimes coloured pastels, 2020 – 2025

People like Bridges

People like Bridges
Made by stones paved long, long time ago
In which plants find tiny space for growing, always
(The composition’s melody)
Unnoticed actions enrich the structure while loving deeds fortify it
Artists at the service of the people
( the silence in between)
Lucky are those that carry inside themselves Nature
Full of misery are the others that became alien to the mother
(excluding themselves from life’s eternal dance)
Presidents try to destroy bridges but
Bridges cannot be destroyed
You can’t sever what our ancestors and family set at the beginning of life
And while the so-called chiefs despair in search of glory, hate and fear
Common human beings fight for their freedom
And still buy flowers and offer them to their beloved ones

Personal project consisting in around 20 illustrations,
made on different formats, from 20 x 30 to 70 x 100 cm
Coloured pastels on papers, 2022 – 2025

Estirpare – Uproot – Personal project

5 years after the creation of Roots,
after all this time while looking to be rooted,
how much of this became superfluous; how much of this is truly essential?

Most likely a very little
So here what I wish to uproot:
Blaming the others
Feeling talented or superior somehow
The ego and vanity which trick us by letting to see things with superficiality
Knowledge meant as the apex of knowing things
And finally the wrong idea that love is something for good
instead of an attitude to nurture day after day.

42 x 30 cm, coloured pastels on paper, 2025

Radici – Roots

All of a sudden, he realised that wasn’t there just as a passerby but he was part of a bigger whole.
He was strictly indispensable to the world and its people
as well as them and the world was for him.

42 x 30 cm, coloured pastels on a smooth Fabriano4 paper, 2020

Il coraggio di Aurora
A story about a small star entering children’s dreams
in order to give them the courage to persist in life, while following their lights.

Book published by TS Edizioni
Story written by Chiara Patarino; art direction Roberta Russo.
For more infos
https://www.tsedizioni.it/

Beatles in Jazz – Christian De Cicco

Illustrated album cover designed for my brother Christian De Cicco (guitar)
and his music colleagues: Valentino Finoli (sax),
Simone Daclon (piano), Alex Orciari (double bass) & Roberto Paglieri (drum)

Available on
ep/1703793071https://www.deezer.com/search/CHRISTIAN%20DE%20CICCO
https://music.apple.com/it/album/beatles-in-jazz-ep/1703793071
For more infos, please check https://www.instagram.com/christiandecicco_music/

Lucciola ( Fireflies)

A young man ventures in the woods while looking for fireflies;
on another side of the forest,
also a woman is looking for these marvels of nature.
While they are following those bright trails eventually the find each other.
Book project consisting of a brief prologue and 21 illustrations.

Each image measures 43 x 30 cm, coloured pastels on paper, 2021-22

Arts Itoya residency Japan
In summer 2023 I went to South Japan in a small city called Takeo Onsen
for taking part at one artist in residence program hosted by Arts Itoya association.
There I spent 7 weeks working on an ongoing project of mine called ‘People like Bridges’.

This project is looking at the importance of relation in our life and how these can leave a loving mark inside us, how these the can give meanings to our existence.

For more info about the residency, please check https://artsitoya.com/

Il Palazzo del Gatto – Sabinarti Art Residency

From June to September 2020, after the first national lockdown, I went to a small village found in the centre of Italy – not far from Rieti – in order to take part as a sole artist, to an art residency hosted by Associazione Sabinarti.
For the occasion, I had the pleasure to create this 7 images of different formats,
which became part of the series ‘life as a miracle’.

How beautiful to discover little villages, make acquaintance with their dwellers and mix with them.

Sizes: from 35 x 50 to 70 x 100 cm, images made on papers with coloured pastels, 2020

Agitu Ideo Gudeta

Do they still exist in this world people having very special virtues,
in other words, persons worth to be regarded as queens?

Thank you so much Agitu for having spread
and shared such abundance of beauty.

28 x 48 cm , coloured pastels on a smooth Fabriano4 paper, 2021

In Autumn: A Ferret Outside The Temple
At the beginning of autumn, upon returning to a long summer art residency in the centre of Italy,
I visited Monza Park where a beautiful small lake is found.
The Image was first drawn live and completed in studio afterwards.

While time passed, I found myself still trapped between a previous end of a story delusion
and the feeling of still having lots of love to share.

Coloured pastels on a smooth Fabriano4 paper, 64 x 44 cm, 2020

Tradition:modernity

While I used to live in the lovely Brighton town, I frequently rode by bike back and forward on the seaside cycleway. There there was a beautiful tree that due to the strong winds and the not caring of people leaving littering on the beach, was often found having plastic bags stuck among its branches. 
A kind fo new tradition

42 x 30 cm, coloured pastels and charcoal on paper, 2020

Soulhub magazine – issue 03

Soulhub magazine is a British magazine focusing on mindfulness and wellbeing
The illustration is base on the concept: “It is only when you stand still that feelings surface”
Thanks to the Carmen Rendell for the collaboration.

42 x 30 cm, coloured and soft pastels on paper, 2018

At last the Red Tree (…just before disappearing)
Following the creation of The Solitary Walker, here came the next image
21 x 21 cm, coloured pastels on paper, 2019

‘The Solitary Walker’
In 2019 I have been to Perù for a volunteer project which last three weeks.
After that period, I travelled to Machu Pichu.
The site which is reachable by walking on the rail was as good as astonishing beautiful.
An immersion of vegetations and beams of light!
Upon returning to the UK, I have drawn this picture.
28 x 42 cm, coloured pastels on paper, 2019

Hevrin Khalaf – the Goddess of Beauty
Hevrin Khalaf was a Kurdish politician who fought for defending and affirming the Kurdish minority’s cause; she was murdered in 2019 in Syria by agent affiliated to the Turkish government.
This is an homage to this just politician

41 x 24 cm, coloured pastels on paper, 2018

The Timeless Navigator

We finds reason for living when we are in support for each other
50 x 35 cm, coloured pastels on paper, 2019

Homage to Andrei Tarkovsky – Inner Rooms – Art Project

Brighton’s pastels – Art project

Homeless in Brighton – Art Project

Across the Free Land – Art Book

A selection of artworks made for foreign and italian editorial companies.

A selection of design works made with coloured pastels and acrylics for online and press projects.

Dopo 5 anni dalla creazione di Radici,
dopo tutto questo voler ritrovare un radicamento,
quanto si è accumulato inutilmente; quanto di tutto ciò è essenziale?
Probabilmente poco

Inoltre dopo l’ennesimo periodo burrascoso,
è ora giunto il momento di rilasciar andare, di estirpare
Impresa ardua quanto la prima ma ciò nonostante necessaria
Così, via, uno dopo l’altra, le erbacce cresciute, le radici marce.

Ecco cosa desidero estirpare:
il biasimare gli altri
Il sentirsi in qualche cosa arrivato
L’ego che mi fa guardare le cose con superficialità
La conoscenza intesa come emblema del sapere
Il pensare che l’amore è per sempre e non necessiti di continue attenzioni

Bisogna farlo per noi,
bisogna farlo per tornare a giocare,
per mantenere quella curiosità e senso di meraviglia
che contraddistinguono l’esser bambini,
mentre prendiamo parte a quel nascondino chiamato vita.
Auguri di Buon Natale

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5 years after the creation of Roots,
after all this time while looking to be rooted,
how much of this became superfluous; how much of this is truly essential?

Most likely a very little
Also, after another rough period, it is now time to let things go again;
it’s time to remove the bad roots
Though action indeed but nevertheless necessary
So, let’s do it, one after the another, let’s pull out the rotten grasses.

So here what I wish to uproot:
Blaming the others
Feeling talented or superior somehow
The ego which tricks us by letting to see things with superficiality
Knowledge meant as the apex of knowing things
And finally the wrong idea that love is something for good
instead of an attitude to nurture day after day

We have to do it for ourselves,
we have to do it in order to play again,
to awake one more time that sense of curiosity
and marvel that marks the infancy;
we have to do it while we play this unique type of hide and seek called life.
Merry Christmas and best wishes

The Storyteller: oil and coloured pastels on paper, 35 x 50 cm , 2025

In order: A drop of water, Among the pebbles, Resting drop & Water city, oil pastels and coloured pastels.

Nei mesi appena trascorsi, dopo una pausa dovuta dagli impegni scolastici, ho ricominciato a disegnare con piacere, riprendendo alcuni colori che silenti attendevano di ‘aprire le danze’.

Dopo i primi tentativi più o meno ‘logici’, la fantasia ha preso
il sopravvento e così segni e forme più libere ed oniriche sono emerse.

D’altronde la combinazione dei pastelli ad olio – matite colorate,
utilizzate in un ambiente nuovo quale lo studio,
innondato di una bella luce estiva di Giugno,
non lasciava tregua alla creatività.

Inoltre, per me segno acquatico, questa paletta colore
( fatta di azzurri e verdi)
suscitava fortemente uno sbalzo ed un cambiamento.

Lavorando sul tema dell’acqua mi è stato abbastanza facile perdermi
in queste linee e lasciar che la mia parte più infantile riemergesse.

Strano a dirsi, ma la mia personalità più spiritosa e spontanea
appare quando sono in compagnia dei ragazzi,
mentre grazie alla ( o per via della) mia visione dell’arte, un lavoro ‘leggero ma ‘impegnato’ 
è quello che si è figurato maggiormente in questi anni.

Ma in fin dei conti credo che se siamo onestamente motivati sulle cose,
non abbiamo modo di scegliere:
queste emergono nel modo e nei tempi ad esse idonee.

Buona giornata a tutti 

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In the past months, after a few months stop due to schools commitments,
I have started drawing again while enjoying the use of some colours
that quietly were waiting to ‘start the ball rolling’.

After the first ‘logic’ steps, fantasy prevailed,
so free and oneiric marks and then figures emerged.

Nevertheless the combination of oil and coloured pastels,
used in the new studio environment – Casa Illustrata – back in June,
filled by an enchanting light, didn’t leave truce to creativity.

Also, being a water sign, this colours palette
( made mostly of blues and greens ) made me easily longing for a change.

Sketching around the idea of water, I got easily lost among these lines
while my innermost child took over.

Strange enough but my most funny and spontaneous qualities appear
when I work with young students, while thanks to ( or because)
my idea of art and illustration, an ‘easy’ but ‘committed’ work,
is what I have mostly tried to achieve during all these years.

However, I believe that if we are honestly committed to our cause,
we don’t have a choice:
things come out in their own way and by the time suitable for them.

Have a good day

In order: Casa Illustrata studio logo, the logo painted on the front studio/shop,
inside the space, Chiara and me during the opening, June 2025

In order: Palestina Libera & Canto dall’Ucraina, oil pastels on papers, 35 x 50 cm, 2025

Wishering at the entrance, coloured pastels on paper, 2025

Da inizio anno, ho avuto il desiderio di inaugurare un blog.
Per molti questo potrebbe sembrare un mezzo
ormai superato ma per me ha duplice qualità:

. Funziona come un diario di bordo condiviso
per ‘tracciare la rotta’  sul lavoro d’illustratore

.Da la possibilità di esprimere delle idee
e coltivare un rapporto oltre l’utilizzo dei socials.

‘Tracciare la rotta’  per dare maggior risalto
a immagini e questioni, alle quali desidero porre maggiore attenzione.

Raccontarsi ‘oltre i socials’ è un argomento che mi sta particolarmente a cuore e che non mancherò di condividere in un secondo momento.

Per ora vi ringrazio per il vostro interesse e mando
Un caro saluto

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Welcome

Since the beginning of the year, I started considering
the idea of opening a blog.

For many, this medium may sounds obsolete
but for me it has double qualities:

. It works as a shared log book to set the route
about the work of illustrator

.It gives the chance to share ideas and cultivate relationships while going beyond (or away from) socials

‘Setting the route’ in order to make the stock of the situation, while shedding a light on issues particularly dears for me.

Communicating beyond socials is also a topic particular
important for me which I will explain further later on

For now I thank you for expressing your interest on this blog
and send you warm greetings
Federico

As a flash of misty light
that left me dazed and astonished
this is how I came across Andrei Tarkovsky for the very first time.
From that truly alive moment
to the next one and the next one and the other,
each time going somewhere else which I have not been before
and each time opening a locked door.
The power of art, seen as an intimate journey,
is the one that allows yourself to travel inwardly
until you reach your true nature.
Mine is the one of a child in a world of meanings and colours and for this revelation I wish to pay homage to the russian film maker and artist Andrei Tarkovsky.

Since the beginning of 2018, tired of working in the studio, I began sketching outdoor with a trusted A2 wooden board; soon this exercise became a daily practice while I enjoyed visiting many different places in Brighton and beyond.
Here I show a selection of those ‘illustrated experiences’.

Sketches made between June/October 2018 in Brighton
while meeting people living on the streets,
those that are simply there to raise some money, those that they look
for help or those that they do not search for help any longer but still appreciate some company;
free kitchens offering a warm meal or places of gatherings now forgotten.
Some of these men are still found in town, others have been lucky
to get an accommodation or a sort of job.
A good lot has now disappeared from the streets of Brighton
and who knows where they moved next.
Many, especially those over a certain age, they used to have a decent life but because life takes unexpected directions, they ended up on the street.
Soon I will give more infos about this project and my current volunteer project with Just Life studio.

‘If you want the world to go forward we must hold hands,
we must mix with the so – called healthy with so – called sick’,
From A.Tarkovsky movie ‘Nostalgia’

Across the Free Land tells a story by using the images found on the flags
and coats of arms of countries around the world.
The adventure follows the journey of a central protagonist, whose appearance changes
as he visits different territories and encounters a diverse cast of characters.

The project reflects my view of the world as a unique whole that
should not be considered in terms of the division between states, dominions and other entities.

The almost silent book consists of 32 illustrated images each being painted by hand with Ecoline china inks,
on a 40x60cm 400gsm Fabriano Cartonato paper.
Printed in Italy as a limited edition book in 50 copies.