My name is Giada, I am 38.
I am Italian, but I moved to California 3 years ago, where I live with my husband.
No kids, no pets, no close relatives, just the two of us!
I’ve been working for more than 15 years as a theatrical set designer and painter, extremely in love with my job, and with Arts in general.
Since March 2020, theatres and live events closed their doors, and I felt completely lost.
So, in strong need of positivity, one day I decided to take my pencil and started drawing... here Flora came: a little whimsical character, with the mission of bringing Joy.
More than 6 months have passed from that day, going through the shelter-in-place first, and the wildfires then, that forced me to stay safe inside.
300+ drawings later, I still fill my days doing that, looking out the window and dreaming through her eyes, trying to color and brighten my life, and possibly some other’s.
It’s working! :-D
Since the end of May I’ve been posting daily illustrations on social media; in August, I opened this blog, collecting almost all of my drawings to create educational/inspirational contents, receiving hundreds of views, daily positive feedback, and warm response.
But what’s motivating me the most are some special ‘Thank You’ messages I get from
persons who have been living delicate moments and difficult situations, saying that my character just helped them lighten their days with a smile.
That’s why I thought this is a story worth sharing: I was creating art, trying to make the best of my
social isolation, and I ended up making a difference for some others, even if only for the time of a chuckle.
ABOUT MY ART
My inspirations come from my everyday life. And from nature.
I love observing ordinary objects with a curious eye, trying to imagine what they might look like if I changed perspective or took them out of context.
In my art, I capture scenes from Flora’s life, making her interact with materials, 3D objects, and photographs.
The idea is to combine and connect elements that belong to different ‘worlds’ within the same composition, to tell a story or to communicate a particular emotion: on one hand, there are my 2D fictional drawings (all traditionally hand drawn), on the other, there are pieces taken from reality (photos, recycled materials, various items...).
I always look for Harmony, and Balance.
GC