Where It All Began

Painting was my first love. 

Painting was the quiet spark that set everything in motion. Long before tattooing, before needels and guest spots around the world, there were brushes, oil colours, and canvases.

In painting, I found a language that allowed me to express thoughts, emotions, and daydreams without needing to explain them. Painting taught me to observe slowly, to feel deeply,  and to give shape to those feelings through colour and composition.

In those early years, I painted anything I could: animals, hands, imaginary faces, marine creatures, surfaces that held stories. I fell in love with the rhythm of the process, the stillness it required, and the way each stroke revealed something unexpected. 

Moving to Rome expanded that world: I began to shape my place in a wider creative landscape.  I had the chance to meet and exchange with inspiring people, take part in group exhibitions, and even hold my first solo show.

Tattooing came later, not as a replacement, but as a natural evolution. The brush became a needle, the canvas became skin, but the intention never changed. I still aim to create something honest, poetic, and lasting. Painting remains a vital part of my work today. It offers refuge when I need to breathe, and inspiration when words fall short.

It was through painting that I first explored the quiet beauty of imperfection, the essence of creating.  These elements now shape the way I tattoo. They live beneath the surface of every line I trace. 

Painting shaped the way I see and feel. It still does. It’s where everything truly began.