CH.89: If you were to categorize or describe the style of your artwork, what would it be and why?
DL: I never think too much about categorizing my work, but it just so happened that some people did it for me by commenting on it. What they said ended up being so intriguing to me that it pushed my work in that direction. One of these short descriptions was “Bubbles and Guts” (I liked it so much that I used it as the name for a web-comic) and another one was “Crazy Candy Shop”.
CH.89: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
DL: Most of the time I work without specific conscious references, especially when I’m working on a long term project, in which case I tend to isolate and not look at other people’s work. I think my main references are images I stored in my mind during my childhood… images from comics, cartoons, movies and paintings. I guess I’m also influenced by the image bombing I receive everyday from the web such as the chaos generated by human beings (you can see it while opening any news website), or amazing artworks, often made by unknown people that you can find on social media.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new project/ piece of artwork?
DL: When I have a new interesting idea for a long-term project such as an animated video or a comic book usually I wait a few months before I start working on it. If I keep thinking about it, and the idea is still alive and has evolved after a long time, I know it is worth starting. Then I get into a learning and experimentation process… sometimes the original idea takes an unexpected direction and it can completely change its form. I have learned to accept these changes, I guess it is part of the process.
CH.89: Is there anything in particular that you would want people to take from your artwork?
DL: Often it happens that people make me notice that my work is full of terror and despair. I’d like these people to realize that my imagery, even if monstrous and grotesque, in my mind has a joyful balance and to me is an expression of vitality. Terror and despair appear when I blend and contaminate my imaginary world with reality. News, wars, human relationships… that’s what makes it terrifying. I suppose sometimes people don’t want to see reality.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?
DL: It depends on the time… I just came back from Vietnam. I was there for three months for an artistic residency in Cu Chi. My life was crazy there! Now I’m back in Italy and I am very quiet, mainly my lifestyle at this present moment is all about acrylics, photoshop and chamomile… but I am mentally preparing to become very rich with my art and spend all my money in luxury hotel holidays and expensive food! 
CH.89: When starting out an artistic task, do you think it is better to have a particular direction/set plan guiding your way? Or, is it better to act on impulse and go from there?
DL: If it’s a long project taking months of work I need to plan the work and build a structure for it. I also need to see if it’ll grow or not before I really decide to work on it. If it’s a fast project such as an illustration or a painting I act on impulse and sometimes surprise myself with the results.
CH.89: What is one major lesson you’ve learned as an artist thus far?
DL: I learned that just to have a creative desire in your life is not enough. I need to be prepared for work, which means spending as much time as I can working in my studio and sometimes also in different and less comfortable situations.
CH.89: Do you regard personal style & taste to be of highest importance?
DL: I guess it is, sometimes most of the work for me is about deciding what to scrap and what to keep in my artworks.
CH.89: What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?
DL: Not to procrastinate.
CH.89: What is one thing you love about being an artist?
DL: Nobody telling me what to do, listening to music while I work, deciding when its time to start working and when to stop, and mainly the excitement in seeing a new artwork completed and being surprised by the process and the results.
CH.89: Is there anyone in particular, any artist’s that inspire you in any way?
DL: In my youth I was attracted to famous painters such Chagall, Bacon, Basquiat… the list goes on. Nowadays I’m more curious about fresh and new things… sometimes I’m inspired by other people’s work I discover by chance in the social networks, but the web is so fast, I have to say I often get impressed by the works of these people but very rarely remember their names.
CH.89: What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?
DL: I really enjoy blending my analog acrylic work with technology and I couldn’t have done most of it without using these software’s. A more anarchic approach to technology can lead to lots of failures and frustration but can also bring unexpected solutions and surprises, forcing you to use your brain in unusual ways.
CH.89: Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don’t
follow creative paths?
DL: I imagine yes but I’m not able to put myself in another person’s brain… it’s already too difficult to be in mine!
CH.89: Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?
DL: Taking time for travelling is really important to me. I don’t know if I have a favorite city, I guess I prefer to travel in nature and see wildlife. If I have to name a city I visited, I guess I would say Bangkok. It’s a big chaotic city and sometimes can be really creepy… it gave me a lot of input for my creativity.
CH.89: Do you have a favorite author or book?
DL: I’ve had different ones in different times of my life. To name one, I’ve been inspired in my drawings by Jorge Luis Borges. Now I’m reading Philip K Dick and I’m really into it.
CH.89: Any future goals or plans for your artwork?
DL: I’m working right now on a new Graphic Novel named “Protector of the Kennel”. To complete this work is my actual goal. If I have to think about long-term projects I would love to work on an interactive installation and to direct a movie.
CH.89: What does being an artist mean to you?
DL: I guess it’s about getting pleasure in seeing my imaginary world materialized in a painting or in a video. At the same time it is the desire to constantly be creating something new and collaterally avoid feelings of emptiness.
CH.89: What’s the last song you listened to?
DL: Anoxia – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
CH.89: Any last words on the aesthetic of your artwork?
DL: Creepy dangerous amusement park
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