After spending some time in Milan, Cascini returned home to Tuscany, to live in the beautiful old farmhouse she calls home. Built over a period of 700 years (beginning in the 13th century and completed in 1900) it is situated at the heart of an Etruscan settlement of great historical importance. Living here and loving it as she does means she has forged a strong connection with the history, culture and overwhelming beauty of the land and its features. “I am” she says, “a daughter of Tuscany.”

The poetry, light and atmosphere of this region, beloved of artists over the centuries, is ever present in Cascini’s deeply personal work. “My personality is found in every detail,” she says. “It reflects me like a mirror.” Her paintings are defined by a generosity of colour and shape, a love of landscape, architecture and light, and the search for a harmonious dialogue between all these elements to create a balanced and emotionally satisfying composition. When she began to travel further afield to paint, she brought these qualities into her interpretations of towns and cities from Venice and London to St. Tropez and Honfleur.

For many years now, her landscapes have graced important art galleries in Europe, Asia and the United States. Amongst her many awards, her most prized is the Marina di Ravenna Painting Prize which she won in 1999 at the age of 29; she was the first, and remains the only, female artist ever to have won this prestigious award.

"I discovered I could observe even before seeing ... so, I stole the appearance of things to distil their essence through colour. There are moments, when I paint, when everything is dissolved, the noises disappear, only me and my canvas remain; it tells me what to do, I obey.”

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