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Illustration showing a young girl with dark hair sleeping on the surface, her body forming flowing curves that mirror a large white whale swimming in the dark depths below. The composition creates a visual parallel between the dreaming child above and the whale beneath, with coral and seaweed elements scattered in the underwater scene. The color palette uses soft blues, navy, and cream tones against a light background.

Dreaming a whale

Dreaming a Whale is a five-piece visual journey through the liminal spaces where memory becomes ocean, and childhood wonder meets gentle melancholy.

Conceived as my first personal picture book project – a silent narrative exploring sea tales as metaphors for the depths of human emotion and recollection – this series was initially submitted to the Bologna Children's Book Fair illustrators' selection without success. Yet sometimes rejection opens unexpected doors: the project went on to earn recognition from Autori di Immagini and a shortlist at the AOI World Illustration Awards in 2015, proving that the right audience will always find the work that speaks to them.


Illustration of a child holding an umbrella, looking up in amazement as colorful fish fall from the sky like rain around them Illustration showing a fishing net suspended in mid-air, containing various objects including a small house, seaweed, a marble, and other memory fragments floating within its mesh. Illustration showing a child wearing a fish mask attempting to scare a seagull, while the bird looks on with a skeptical, unimpressed expression.

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