Livio De Marchi is a sui generis craftsman: after many years of experience in a workshop as a carver of ornamental sculptures, one day he decided to create more eclectic and original artistic objects from wood, becoming internationally famous. He likes to call his space a workshop (and not an atelier or showroom) because he continues to feel like an artisan and, being an artisan, wants to preserve his humility. Born in Venice, he worked from an early age as an apprentice in Vittorio Biasotto's workshop in San Stin; he did the cleaning, ran errands, and sometimes opened a little earlier to be able to carve some of his own pieces. At the same time he attended the School of Art and at the age of eighteen, in 1961, he set up his own business. Biasotto was a true master in his eyes and owes much to Sandro Barbon who inspired him and helped him to complete himself technically. At first, Livio worked from home and then rented a warehouse in the San Samuele area, moving to his current location near Palazzo Grassi in 1965 where he began carving frames and furniture, first for large carpentry companies and then directly for private individuals. In 1975, a bereavement in his family changed his work but not his ability to shape wood. A certain ironic sensitivity pushed him to produce sculptures where spontaneity and realism are the essence. Not everyone understood at first, and the difficulties, including economic ones, were not lacking: where before he exhibited baroque frames began to appear masks and deformed figures that he calls "cemetery sculptures" as well as statues of religious figures. Later, he began to be inspired by objects of daily life: first fruit, then bow ties, umbrellas and everything that can be reproduced. Today he smiles amusedly, observing the incredulity of his customers in front of his hats and wallets made of wood: they seem real! In the 80's his works began to be successful and he received more and more commissions. The problem of wave motion in Venice inspired him to create a series of wooden cars that sail on the water, which became a playful provocation and made people talk about him. In the '90s he combined wood with other materials such as glass in order to better express colors and transparencies. In his artistic evolution, he also transitioned from marble to bronze, but wood remains his favorite material, which allows him to create and to give life like no other material allows.