SICILIA DIPINTA
The lab
My family, the origin of my art
My name is Dorotea Cimino, daughter of two Cefalu artists, I grew up surrounded by colors and paintings. I attended and graduated from the art institute of Cefalù.
The family shop is where it all began. My parents, teachers of pictorial disciplines and art professionals, passed on to both me and my sister a wonderful profession: the ability to transform nature and what surrounds us into painted emotions.
Searching for my personal style, I began my production with small paintings, experimenting with various techniques
and using different materials, the first polymer clay bas-reliefs were born.
THE PAINTED SICILY LOGO
"It represents me and talks about me.
I created my logo inspired by Sicilian majolica, I started from a drawing and some fundamental values that I wanted to impress on it."
The birth of my jewels
Art and emotions to wear
The desire to be able to bring Sicily to the world was immediately one of my main objectives.
The idea was to "wear art" and therefore a way to take it everywhere but not only, to tell a story, an emotion experienced in this land or more simply to always have with you an indelible memory of your origins to leave behind proud.
In 2009 I made my first polymer clay jewels, inspired by nature and the traditions of Sicily.
The most loved subjects such as lemons, prickly pears; typical desserts such as Sicilian cannoli and cassata and then everyday objects such as Sicilian cards and cart wheels, finally the much-loved majolica and lucky pine cones.
Today, inspired by nature and the seasons, I create various objects and jewels.
I work on different collections during the year, made up of unique objects, to tell all the moments, traditions and characteristics of Sicily. It is a land that never ceases to amaze and I love discovering it and reproducing it with cheerful colors and shapes full of emotions.
The processing phases
Materials and construction
Each object starts from a preparatory drawing on paper, in which I decide on colors and accessories.
I make my items in polymer clay, a material similar to ceramic but much more resistant.
Each piece is born white, I model it carefully to give the chosen shape, then it is cooked in the oven at temperatures above 100°.
The next phase is the one I love most, painting.
The colors are carefully chosen in their harmonies, I use special acrylics suitable for the material, they allow me to give liveliness and different possibilities of shades.
Finally, the glossy varnish protects the jewel and makes it waterproof
and gives an effect like ceramic.
Metals and accessories
The materials used to make the jewels are hypoallergenic
and nickel free and are mainly made of stainless steel, silver or brass.
For those who are allergic to all metals, a dedicated section is available, with metal-free items made with connectors, hooks and other accessories in cotton and hypoallergenic resin.
Accessories are a step that gives character to the jewel.
I like to research different materials, shapes and objects that recall the history of Sicily: tassels, pom poms, rattan or raffia elements, colored glass, mosaic fragments, hard and semi-precious stones, lava stone and many others.
The protective varnish
The protective varnish makes the jewels waterproof to small quantities of water, so I recommend avoiding wearing them at the seaside, in the swimming pool or spraying perfumes or contacting creams of various kinds.
With the exception of earlobe or pendant micro majolica, they can be worn under fresh water as long as they do not come into contact with soaps and are careful to dry them carefully afterwards.
The varnish I use protects the jewels from UV rays but not from excessive heat. I recommend not exposing them to direct sunlight or sources of excessive heat.
