Studio Sunday: Pop Artist Antony Micallef
This Studio Sunday, let’s check out Antony Micallef’s studio. This is one of the messiest studio photos I’ve seen and I think it’s great. I’m someone who often ends up with my work all over the floor, so it’s great to see a successful artist using this kind of technique to their advantage. It looks like Micallef does his painting on a flat surface as opposed to on an easel, so the floor method would probably be good for having a whole bunch of works in progress laid out and visible at once – the tough part would be finding a path to step through them when you have to leave!
Micallef’s works express a love for pop-art and many of them use the aesthetic appearance of collage, despite being painted sometimes entirely in oils. Of late, Micallef’s works have been noticed by collectors in Hollywood, as well as famed British artist Damien Hirst.
Another important part of Micallef’s process seems to be music. The artist has professed to really enjoy playing music while he works, creating playlists specifically for work sessions and other activities. He says that music helps to inspire his work, and put him in the right mindset for working on a particular painting. While his paintings may not always directly reference music, it does help to place it in a contemporary, cultural moment. It’s even better to imagine Micallef’s messy studio as filled with the sound of music!