What is the best thing that i love about my work? Painting occupies a very important place in my life. What do I like about what I do? I like getting lost in the brushstrokes and estranging myself from the world. I like to think that I can imprison time…. an idea. I like the idea of being able to generate a reaction, convey an emotion, even negative, but still an emotion.

What is my idea of happiness? What is happiness … I think it is a sense of inner peace … It is accepting and appreciating oneself even with a thousand defects and appreciate what we have. Being able to enjoy, albeit for brief moments, that sense of inner peace that we all aspire to but which is very difficult to achieve.

What is my greatest fear? Be frankly … My biggest fear is of the death. Not mine but that of the people I love. I am afraid of feeling helpless…. or to think that I have not done enough. I afraid waking up, one day, with an unbearable, oppressive and profound sense of emptiness that – I know – will never be filled.

What is the trait that i most deplore in myself? Sensitivity is a virtue but living everything very intensely very often is not. I should learn to let thoughts, worries and above all those banalities.

Which living persons in my profession do i most admire? I admire the painting of the artist Vladimir Volegov.

What is my greatest extravagance? To love intensely and deeply an idea that will never be reality. Whatever is, it will be a picture. Art.

On what occasion would i lie? I would lie to save the other from sorrow, a pain.

What is the thing that i dislike the most in my work? The world of art is a very complex world that allows you to come into contact with a lot of people… gallery owners, curators, artists and buyers. Every experience until now has enriched and let me understand that often the protagonist of many events is not art as such but everything that should be secondary or marginal. This is the aspect that I like less.

When and where was i the happiest in my work? In 2018, I participated in the first painting competition in Rome. I won the first prize. I wasn’t sure that what I was doing could be appreciated and this first recognition pushed me to move forward and believe more in myself.

If i could, what would i change about myself? I have many defects but what in some cases creates deep discomfort. The most relevant is my bad sense of direction; sometime I feel alone without any direction to follow.

What is my greatest achievement in work? The greatest success is being able to provoke an emotion with my works. That image must move … no matter what emotion, anguish or sweetness, restlessness or serenity. Emotion is what moves everything. Thoughts. Behaviors. Reactions. Ideas.

Where would i most like to live? I would like to live in a world different from this one, where substance matters more than appearance, essence more than form.

What is my most treasured possession? I can’t answer this question. I believe that the most precious asset are our qualities, our resources, the gifts we possess and that we often ignore. The most precious asset is everything that allows us to evolve and improve, not to be entangled in mediocrity.

What is my most marked characteristic? Artistic research, reading, trying to know as much as possible and finding answers to my questions.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? The house where I live has a long balcony from which I often look out and from there I can see the roofs of the houses and enjoy a beautiful view over part of the city of Caltanissetta. Of course when I taste a Sicilian wine.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city? I love raw fish and restaurants where i can eat it, maybe by the sea.

What books influenced my life and how? Rhonda Byrne’s “The Power” and EcKhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” books. These books help us to reflect, , to see the world from a different perspective and to find an explanation for what happens. The book “The power” helps to think in terms of positivity to achieve one’s goals, following the law of attraction, according to which any event, whether positive, is attracted to us, so it is always better to think positively !! The “power of Now” explains the importance of the “Now” and how to live the “here and now”, managing to control our mind, our thoughts of anxiety, pain, worry. This would allow us to calmly confront the world and live intensely.

You only die once. What music would i listen on my last day? I would listen to Einaudi’s “white clouds”

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? I love the character of Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano teaches us that one must have the courage to go beyond exteriority and appearance and delve into the depths of the beauty of the soul.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? My heroes in real life are the firefighters. It is a professional category that I respect a lot and I don’t think it has the right awards. Always intervene in very high-risk situations, carrying out very heavy tasks even emotionally. On the other side they receive a salary not comparable to real value of job.

Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime? The film “the artist”, which has received many international awards. It is a very special film because, despite being from 2011, it is silent and in black and white. The film teaches me that even drastic changes, which we believe kill us, can in the end really constitute a new rebirth.

What role play art in my life and work? Art occupies a fundamental place in my life, although I don’t paint as a profession. It is part of my days and I would never be able to leave it.

What do the words: “You the storyteller of your own life to me? Everyone it’s the creator of its own destiny. I truly believe in that. Nothing happens if we don’t act to achieve what we believe in. And if we don’t believe in ourselves, no one else will ever do it for us.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My biggest fans are those who believe in me.

Which people or companies would I like to work with in 2020? I would like to collaborate with art curators Born Thompson, Massimiliano Gioni, Cristine Macel, Adam Szymczyk, Caroline Corbetta.

Which people in my profession who can make a real difference in my creative career would i love to meet in 2020? I would love to meet contemporary art historian Chiara Parisi and Art Curators Cecilia Alemani, Massimiliano Gioni, Cristine Macel, ,Paola Antonelli .

What project, in 2020, am I looking forward to work on? There are many projects underway and planned for 2020 and I am happy to take part to all of them. The project I’m looking forward to work on concerns a solo exhibition of mine that is still in a design phase.

Where can you see me or my work in 2020? To see my works you can visit my website: http://www.glendasafonte.com and, to find out the dates of the exhibitions in which I will participate, you can visit my art page on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Glenda-Safonte or the personal one

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? I strongly believe in it. Passion never dies.

Which creative professionals should Peter invite to tell their story for the heroine’s journey or hero’s journey project? Peter should invite my artist friends Ketty La Rosa, Francesca Ancona, Francesca Furin.

How can you contact me? Just take a look at my website: http://www.glendasafonte.com and send me a message to the email address indicated. I will be happy to read them.