What is the best thing that I love about my work? The feeling of being limitless that gives the thrill of total freedom. When you are in front of a white canvas you can potentially express everything. You can travel over time and space, you can face yourself and understand who you are and “wether” you really are! It’s a huge challenge when you practice art with sincerity and dedication.

What is my idea of perfect happiness? You can’t make a painting using white on white, so happiness hasn’t to be perfect to be . My idea of imperfect happiness is express myself fluently with no strain , magical moments when it happens that potency and action merge into a single flowing movement.

What is my greatest fear ? Aging I’m progressively losing my fears, I had a plenty . This doesn’t mean I become braver but fatalist and my fears went through personal to social . The still persisting fear is that because our innate stupidity we will ruin our wonderful and maternal planet until the extinction , eventually losing all that of good and beautiful some of us once created.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? The tendency to get things under control.

Which living persons in my profession do i most admire? Great living artists are just a few, Odd Nerdrum is one of them !

What is my greatest extravagance? Keep on going with this crazy profession .

On what occasion would I lie? I don’t love lies, I consider the attitude to lie as sign of weakness, it is indicative of a lack of courage in defending their actions and opinions . I would lie only in extreme cases to save myself or someone else from an injustice.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? There is nothing I do not like about my work that is the most beautiful in the world. But this beauty goes completely lost switching from the artistic to the economic stage. Art should not be traded when the artwork turns into merchandise it loses all its magic.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work? It usually happens in my studio whenever I finish a job that matches what I had planned. This is for me the idea of happiness.

If I could, what would I change about myself? Some aspects of my character . I’d definitely rather a more calm and controlled nature, I would love to keep myself more unemotional to the situations as I’m very passionate in every ways. But I’m awared that changing even one element of the personality means distort it all, probably being no longer the same person. I love to think somewhere in space / time, there is our ideal model, the primordial mold, that’s what I aspire to get closer-

What is my greatest achievement in work? No doubt , it is when I see that people know my work well and love them. I consider it the greatest achievement. I get a lot of energy and support from it, and in the rare moments when for some reason I’m demoted, my followers always waiting for new projects give me the right boost to continue.

Where would I most like to live? Exactly here where I live ,in Naples . It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. If I had to choose another place would surely be by the sea, I feel uncomfortable when it’s not nearby.

What is my most treasured possession? It is a green moirè silk folder with the impression of Dali’s signature. It was donated by the artist to a coral fisherman of Torre del Greco who then gave it to me. Possessing something touched by Dalì is an immeasurable honor for me cause I worship his art.

What is my most marked characteristic? The willing to learn .

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? The Naples Gulf seen from the Mount Vesuvius is breathtaking, something everyone should experience at least once in lifetime !

What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city? There are a plenty. The best pizzerias in the world … obiouvsly! Then there is a place that I particularly love, the Gambrinus Cafè , an old local near the Royal Palace and the San Carlo Theater, which is completely frescoed with Liberty style paintings! Surrounded by all this beauty you can enjoy a great coffee and eat spectacular desserts.

What books influenced my life and how? E .A. Poe’s Tales, The Portrait of Dorian Gray, The Flowers of Evil, A’ rebours… Did they influenced my life or I chose them because my taste was already geared towards aesthetic and macabre Decadentism ? I would not know whether the egg or hen came first.

Who are my favorite writers? I am variable in literature (music and art ) things. Years ago, I read Dostoysky’s complete works, I think I would no longer be able of such a titanic task . I had the D.H Lawrence period of which I read almost everything. Then H.Hesse .Now I feel very good when I read Yourcenar. Adriano’s memories is an invaluable masterpiece. It’s beautiful and so precious to me that I did not have the courage to read it up to the end for the sorry of leaving, as it were a living person.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? Life on Mars?

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? Lady Chatterly

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? All those people who help others as volunteers.

Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime? The Seventh Seal by I.Bergman

What role plays art in my life and work? Art plays all the roles in my life, I can’t even imagine my life without.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? Nobody, I did and do all by myself . I have had a lot of obstacles to my realization as artist. The artists are not well accepted even in the family, I went ahead willfully in spite of the obstacles.

Whom would I like to work with in 2017? I appreciate working with artists from other disciplines, especially musicians and dancers. Collaborations with them are fun.

Which people in my profession would i love to meet in 2017? The arists and the public I’m going to meet in my next show in Genoa.

What project, in 2017, am I looking forward to work on? Im trying to join together the two faces of my art world, jewelery and art. I would love to make fantastic jewels inspired in my paintings.

Where can you see me or my work in 2017? In September, there will be a great exhibition of erotic art in Genoa where I will present to the audience for the first time at my woek “ A Blue trip-tych “. The exhibition curated by Eva Czerkl and is titled “Erotica-Mente”, a word game that is to mean how eros is closely connected to cognitive faculties and is not only pure instinct . Then the annual Coaster Show in Los Angeles at La Luz de Jesus Gallery .

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? A blessing. Life has mandatory cycles to which most people do not want to escape, then there are artists blessed by fate having a totally different mental pattern is because they do not work to live but live to work.

Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story? Artists that have an extraordinary multicultural background as Jessica Perner, Jel Ena, Regine Kafeder , Eva Czerkl , Alondra Dalì , and many others . People who travelled the world and put their life experiences in art .

How can you contact me? http://italiaruotolo.wix.com/italia-ruotolo-art https://www.facebook.com/ItaliaRuotoloArt/ https://www.instagram.com/italia.ruotolo.art/