about the artist
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Beppe Spadacini comes from
Cernobbio on Lake Como. It seems like a resort area dotted with 500-year-old
mansions but it is also the traditional heart of Italy's silk-producing center.
When he was 10 years old his father, a gardener, found a postcard in a client's spring-cleaning detritus. He took it home to his son. It was a postcard from Hawaii and for the young Italian it was love at first sight. Spadacini began working as an apprentice in illustration at age 16. By 22, he had his own studio and pounded the pavement to sell designs.
Over the years Beppe has traveled to Hawaii, Indonesia, South America and other tropical paradises seeking inspiration for his designs. Bali in particular and it's flora and fauna have provided the main inspiration for Spadacini's designs, and for the first five books of his work that he has published.
"The first time I went there I completely fell in love with the place," he said. "Nature is just incredible there - the varieties of green, the colors of the birds - it is fascinating."
As one of the top textile experts in Italy, Spadacini's talent has been sought by famous fashion designers such as Gianni Versace, Tommy Bahama, Gianfranco Ferre, Etro, Valentino, Issey Miyake, Missoni and Moschino.
Refusing to limit himself to designing only for the fashion world, he has branched out and become involved in many aspects of the arts, from art exhibits, to illustrations, murals, ceramics and books.
When he was 10 years old his father, a gardener, found a postcard in a client's spring-cleaning detritus. He took it home to his son. It was a postcard from Hawaii and for the young Italian it was love at first sight. Spadacini began working as an apprentice in illustration at age 16. By 22, he had his own studio and pounded the pavement to sell designs.
Over the years Beppe has traveled to Hawaii, Indonesia, South America and other tropical paradises seeking inspiration for his designs. Bali in particular and it's flora and fauna have provided the main inspiration for Spadacini's designs, and for the first five books of his work that he has published.
"The first time I went there I completely fell in love with the place," he said. "Nature is just incredible there - the varieties of green, the colors of the birds - it is fascinating."
As one of the top textile experts in Italy, Spadacini's talent has been sought by famous fashion designers such as Gianni Versace, Tommy Bahama, Gianfranco Ferre, Etro, Valentino, Issey Miyake, Missoni and Moschino.
Refusing to limit himself to designing only for the fashion world, he has branched out and become involved in many aspects of the arts, from art exhibits, to illustrations, murals, ceramics and books.