My Art During Lockdown

It was a Saturday when I was at the barber having a hair cut when I received a message notifying me that Malta has its first COVID19 infected person. Like many others, I did not know how this pandemic will evolve and change our way of life. I kept on moving with my own normal life. The night before I did a sketch of a bull on my iPad and I liked the color wash I did use the watercolor brush effect. So on Saturday, after I finished my grooming, I went to the art supplies shop and bought my first watercolor set together with some brushes and cotton paper. This way I would test such effect the traditional way.

That week I started experimenting with this new medium. I was never a big fan of watercolor however I was going to give it a try. I was missing brushes since the place I’m currently living in has no space to put up my easel I normally use for oil and acrylic paintings. Therefore watercolors provided me a similar type of notion I normally enjoy while using oils. Initially, it was challenging to get the different shades and the feel of the brush is super soft.  I was determined to improve the skill so I watched numerous tutorials on YouTube and then practiced what I’ve learnt. I committed to myself that I will do a watercolor painting every day or else at least a sketch a day. While going through this process, the Covid19 situation got really serious and like most the rest of the island, I was locked in my apartment and suddenly shops were closed. I felt lucky that I bought my watercolor material before all this started.

My full-time job is a remote job therefore it did not affect my daily routine. As soon as I finish my daily job duties late afternoon, I immediately start sketching for watercolors. I experimented with color mixing and the drying process and analyzed the way the painting looked. So I had my daily routine in place. Work, paint, eat, and sleep. Unfortunately, I could not go out for walks like most people could do since I had a medical condition that required surgery and the surgery got postponed due to the C19 situation. Therefore I was locked in.

All news broadcasting was full of the negative and tragic news of how this pandemic was devastating wherever it reaches. I stayed away from such news by focusing on art. Art was my therapy. I isolated my mind from the rest of the world and locked it into my creative world. Deep down I did not feel that same passion I had when I used to do oil paintings. So I had some days where I shifted back to my digital drawings on my iPad.

I love figurative art and while I was researching for some inspiration online, I found a couple of pictures that I knew would help me improve painting shadows using watercolor. So I started painting figures practicing shadows using only one color, black. I tried several shades of greys and different brush strokes. Gradually I was finding my ground in watercolors. I finally found something that excited me and enjoyed painting it again. One of the advantages of watercolors is speed. Since I had my self set target of doing a painting a day, it was perfect. I started on my small sketchbook painting small figures. I moved to the bigger cotton paper once I felt confident that I can create good pieces.

I really enjoyed my lockdown. I never felt alone as I was with my painting and my colors. Every day I had a new objective, that of a new painting. I received good feedback when I was posting my paintings on social media. I even had people from France and the United States who sent me emails after they’ve seen my painting on Twitter and on my website. All this was very encouraging and gave me the confidence to do more.

Art was my companion during our partial lockdown. I never felt sad or frustrated. I actually felt motivated and helped me go through the new reality without any doubts. I did miss meeting my son and family and friends. Although we had our video calls, it is different than meeting face to face. It’s a different feel. I missed having a beer with my mates. But I forgot all this as soon as I got hold of my brushes and dived into my world.

I am always looking forward to my next painting and how engaging it is going to be. I love the process of planning the composition and posture of the subject figure. I find the human figure fascinating. I like observing people especially their facial features and expressions. When outside sitting on a bench, I observe the people around me, their movement, their style of clothes, and their gestures. When one really observes deeply another human being, one comes to the conclusion that everyone is beautiful. Every human being has amazing features that make him or her stand out from the rest and that is what makes us all unique. That is exactly what I try to capture and transmit in my paintings. 

This pandemic created a new reality for all of us. It actually provided us with a good reality check. We had ample time to sit down and look into the mirror and ask questions that we never had time to do so. It is important that one retrieves the positives from this experience and learn to live away from greed and appreciate more the basic needs. Art for me was a great companion during the period. If someone asks me how was my Covid19 lockdown, my reply will simply be “It was great”.

Artists that I admire - Modigliani

Here is a first of a serious of articles I’ll be writing about artists that I admire. About artists who somehow touched me and influenced me. 

Where we met

I bumped into Amadeo Modigliani’s painting by chance. I recall a couple of decades ago, I was reading a book about Pablo Picasso and there I’ve seen his name for the first time. Since he was a new name for me, I searched him out. The first painting I’ve seen that really impressed was the portrait of Lucia Czechovska. The elongated face resting on a long neck. Very simple but subtle. Not too many colors but enough to capture the lines. Then I kept on going through his rich portfolio. I got hooked. I managed to see some of his work in Milano a few years back. It was a very emotional moment for me. Yes, I admit I cried. Only two other artists have such an effect on me - Vincent van Gogh and Lucien Freud.

His paintings were all of the singular persons. No crowds or couples. He created his own style at the time where a revolution was taking place in the art world. While Picasso was breaking every rule of the then traditional art, Modi, as he was commonly known, brought his Italian influence and merged it with primitive African art. One can also find African influence in Picasso’s works but Modi gave it his imprint and created works that soothed better the eyes and less aggressive than Picasso.

In his short presence on this planet, Modi managed to leave his mark in the art world. He followed his passion and move to Paris as he knew that Paris was the center of creativity and also the center of entertainment. He mingled with other artists of the time and gradually created his individual style. He was not shy of controversy. He wanted to be himself and he painted what he saw within him at the moment. I love his blues like that in The Little Peasant and also the terracotta backgrounds like that in the piece called The Artist’s Wife. Then there was Jeanne, the love of his life who supported him an inspired him in many ways.

His Legacy

His bohemian life was not a healthy one with alcohol and drugs. I am not sure if such substances induced hallucinations that led to his masterpieces. But he was a master of his own world. A master of his passion. Tuberculosis took away his life early. Who knows how many more works would he have painted should he lived a longer life like Picasso or Matisse? His life did not end with his death. It only ended when Jeanne joined him a few days later after his death when she took away her life as she could not bear her life without him. 

He lived a tragic life but he is definitely still alive in his works.