Valentina Damiano Valentina Damiano Art · Creation · Personalisation
How I work

How a bespoke artwork comes to life

Every commission is a conversation. From the first story you tell me to the day the piece arrives, I'll walk with you step by step, with the time and care that handmade work deserves.

Valentina in her studio at a worktable covered in photos and sketches, with a portrait in progress on the easel and “The roots of the future” and pyrographs leaning against the walls.

In these images, “The roots of the future” takes shape

Hands sorting photos of an ancient tree, a stone bridge and cliffs beside a notebook of handwritten notes: the references for “The roots of the future”.
01

Listening

Every piece begins with a conversation. For a portrait, I'll ask for a few photographs of the subject, ideally in natural light and from different angles, so we have room to choose. For a mural, I take the measurements and note the character of the wall. For a free theme, I gather your idea. Or, if you'd rather give me carte blanche, I do my research and find the right path myself.

Pencil sketch of a tree by a river with an arched bridge, beside a watercolour study and swatches of the colour palette.
02

Sketch

I turn your request into a preparatory drawing: sketches, choices of style and a colour palette. Together we choose the sketch to start from. For murals, I adapt the proportions to the wall and prepare the transfer using the traditional pouncing technique (spolvero).

The painter working in oils on the tree's roots on an easel canvas, with the top of the composition still only drawn.
03

Creation

If the support isn't ready yet, I make it myself: I build the stretcher and prime the canvas or panel with a traditional gesso-and-glue ground. Then I work in whichever technique best suits the idea: oil on wood, for its brilliance and longevity; oil or acrylic on canvas; or pyrography on raw wood.

The finished, framed “The roots of the future” resting on a wooden bench in a sunlit room.
04

Delivery

The final touches, a protective finish where needed, and the piece is ready to begin its life in your home.

Every commission is different

You've just watched the painting come to life above. Here are the other paths a commission can take.

An oil portrait of Rino Gattuso in progress on the easel, the brush on his dark shirt and the palette in the foreground.

Portrait

I start from the photos you send me, choose the format with you and paint the portrait in the studio, in oil or acrylic, on canvas or panel. Portraits of your animals, too.

See “Portrait of Rino Gattuso” →
The painter at work on a waterfall-and-jungle mural along a stairwell, with the pounced outline still visible on the left.

Mural

I adapt the image to the proportions of the wall, transfer it with the pouncing technique and paint it with colours made for walls.

See “Waterfall in house” →
A hand burning “La compagnia dell'anello”, a landscape with a bridge and village, into a raw wooden panel with a pyrography pen.

Pyrography

I transfer the drawing onto raw wood, which I can also cut to shape, and engrave it with fire. Depth and nuance come from the mark itself, from light and shade, and from lighter or darker wood stains, not from colour. A glossy finish protects the panel.

See “La compagnia dell'anello” →
Hands embossing a butterfly into a copper sheet, surrounded by a box with an embossed copper lid, an engraved wine glass, and pyrographed wooden keyrings and a small box.

Personalised objects

A name, a crest, a dedication: I turn everyday objects into one-of-a-kind pieces by embossing copper, engraving glass or pyrographing wood. Boxes, frames, glasses, keyrings and wedding favours: gifts that carry a story with them.

See “Personalised handmade gifts” →

Have an idea? Tell me about it.

Request a commission → See the works