I was born and raised in the Mediterranean island of Malta and have been in the UK for last twenty-five years, the last two of which have been in Deal, Kent.
As a child in the 60’s Malta, I was always drawing and wanted to pursue a career in art. Unfortunately, my mother did not let me as she couldn’t understand how I would make a living from art. Not pursuing my interest in art, has for many years been my biggest regret in life.
As I was nearing retirement and just before the Covid pandemic, I took up painting, attending various art classes. Coming from the Mediterranean, I am influenced by the Impressionists and fascinated by light and bright colours. I now paint mostly in acrylic as I like to use thick paint in the impressionist style.
I like to experiment with mixed media and different subjects and moving more towards abstract theme. I want to make use of my Maltese heritage and perhaps paint more from the heart rather than the brain and just reproduce what I see.
These are the words my mother said to me when she prohibited me to choose art as one of my school subjects in sixties Malta.
Just before covid struck, as I was thinking of retiring, I decided to do something about my lifelong regret not to have pursued art as a career. Since then, I attended various art classes and short courses.
I am at the stage of my artistic journey where I am interested in, and want to explore, all forms of art and creativity. I am at the moment semi-retired but I dedicate most of my free time to art and spend it in my studio. I can very much resonate with sayings such as “art is the only thing where you can escape without leaving your house” and “art is my partner”.
Coming from the Mediterranean, I am fascinated by the sea (one of the reasons why I like living in Deal apart from the rich art scene) and bright colours, which are both reminiscent of living in a sun drenched island. I also think that bright colours put a smile on people’s faces, especially if outside it is all dark, cold and wet.
My preferred medium is acrylic. This is mainly due to the fact that I like to use palette knives and thick paint. Unlike oil, acrylic dries fast. I like the thick paint technique used by Leon Kossoff. Having just returned from a visit to Australia, I came across the use of synthetic polymer acrylic paint as a medium. I like the idea of a painting looking like a piece of sculpture, as with the Kossoff paintings.
I feel that at the moment I am at the crossroads of my artistic journey. Whilst like most artists, I started with figurative paintings, I am now going more into abstract and painting from the heart. I would also like to use my paintings as a medium to convey a message. I am also exploring other forms of art, such as mono printing, gel printing, resin art, etc.
This year is a busy one for me as an artist. I will be taking part in numerous group exhibitions, SEAS Open Studios, South East Artists’ Open Houses and solo exhibition at Turner Rowe Gallery, Ramsgate in July.