Brushstrokes of Brilliance, Meet Local Artist Ray Piscopo
Ray Piscopo
Step into the vibrant realm of Maltese art, where the acclaimed artist Ray Piscopo stands as a stalwart figure. With a professional background in engineering, Ray’s artistic journey began in the early 1970s under the tutelage of Antoine Camilleri. His skills flourished from life drawings to mosaics, and were then later refined through numerous master classes in Austria and Italy.
Moreover, Ray’s influence extends globally, from exhibitions in New York and Milan; there’s no slowing this artist down! Join us as we unravel the story behind the brushstrokes that have left a long-lasting mark on Malta’s art scene for years to come.
Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Ray Piscopo’s visionary The Credit Card Collection at the Wignacourt Museum from 19 December until 7 January.
Hi Ray! What inspired you to explore using credit cards as your primary tool for paint application in The Credit Card Collection, and how has this technique influenced the narrative behind each masterpiece?
A section of my art consists of abstracted works done in a spontaneous manner. Since 2005 I have been using large brooms, brushes and pieces of wood to spread the paint in a scraping technique onto large canvasses, and I found the use of credit cards to be more idoneous for this technique to be applied to smaller artworks. Spreading the pigmented mixtures with credit cards gave the works a more dynamic and textured finish.
The exhibition showcases a seamless fusion of abstract experimentation and representational prowess. Can you elaborate on how you balance these elements in your creative process and what challenges or rewards you encountered while incorporating credit cards as a predominant tool?
The hand gestures adopted in creating the more abstract works using credit cards allowed me to impart varied broad paint strokes to the composition, acting as a textured background to the representational strokes applied successively using other tools. The balanced outcome was more appealing, engaging, and original.
With four exhibitions in just a year, it’s evident that you’re highly committed to displaying your art publicly. How has this frequent showcasing impacted your artistic development, and how do you perceive the evolution of your style and technique over this period?
To those who know me and my art, I am a prolific painter who spends a large part of the day creating art using various media. My art is dynamic, and I experiment a lot with media and themes without failing to mention the creation of digital art in my portfolio. I am also waiting for the opportunity to hold an exhibition of digital artworks with 40 creations ready to go on display.
Showcasing my numerous works, much as I do on social media, is the best way to communicate with viewers. The feedback received acts as an impulse to be bolder and go the extra mile in being original and innovative. I do not follow projects; I paint what comes into my mind.
Your creative process involves an experimental and tactile approach, utilising various tools such as brushes, wood pieces, and palettes in addition to credit cards. Can you share insights into how each tool contributes to your artwork’s overall texture and visual richness?
The paintings in the Credit Card Collection series display a primary spontaneous application of pigmented mixtures using credit cards using various layers to serve as background. Texture and details are applied by sputtering, contact release of paint, and including objects such as fabric, nets, leaves and other materials, with the final more detailed representations using brushes or pens.
The Credit Card Collection offers a diverse array of subjects and styles, ranging from historical allusions to contemporary expressions. Could you discuss the themes or messages you aim to convey through this variety and how you hope viewers will engage with the multifaceted creative world you’ve presented in the exhibition?
Inspiration in my art comes from everywhere, and that is why there is a diverse array of subjects and styles. But the underlying impulse of it all is the spontaneity of the hand gestures building up the artwork. Some works begin with the random application of the pigmented mixture and continue with the application of further layers until completion, with additional textured and specific elements applied to the first layers to render it with a message on its own.
Other more representational expressions or more recognisable representational elements require an attractive contrasting or complementing paint surround to make them stand out and communicate better with the viewer. The Credit Card Collection is a collective contribution of all these elements from the impulses in my mind.
Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Ray Piscopo’s visionary The Credit Card Collection at the Wignacourt Museum from 19 December until 7 January. Ray’s paintings can also be viewed in person at his art gallery in Marsa or online via www.raypiscopo.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
