ANTONY MICALLEF JUXTAPOZ.COM 105You never intend to go down these avenues as an
artist, but through development, hard work and
discovery, these paths lead you there. It’s like finding
new trails in a familiar forest that takes you to places
you never knew existed. It’s one of the real delights
of being an artist that surprises you every time.
Do you listen to music when making these
paintings?
I love listening to music when I’m working.
I love that feeling of being on your own in your
own space when working, and it’s just you and
the piece, and you just feel content. Since my
work can be so physical, there are times you just
don’t hear anything at all as you get into your
rhythm of painting. You're literally hitting the
canvas as hard as you can, trying to maneuver
and play a 3D chess game from four different
angles, hoping to find a body or something
that’s recognizable within the heavy mixing
oil. That's generally when you’re fully involved.
Music always inspires my tempo, so I have to
give consideration to the more intricate, slower,
delicate work which is needed at times, too.
I can’t have any Nine Inch Nails playing at that
point, as it’s the equivalent of the Hulk trying to
do a watercolour.What are some of your hobbies outside of
painting? With this much more physical style,
do you find that you have to be more intentional
in self-care?
Because I try and paint every day, and painting is
so consuming, a lot of my other activities are about
decompressing from painting itself. I really strive
to remove the toxins I feel I ingest through the
huge quantities of paint I use after a long session.
I love to go running around the parks of London as
I find running is a great way to settle my mind and
re-acclimate after long sessions. Especially when
hitting on something I feel is special, the energy
I take away when leaving the studio can be tangible.
I don’t just leave the studio and that energy is gone.
I leave feeling elated and generally very excited if
something has worked. It’s very hard to “land” after
that, and may take a few hours to come down. It’s not
always the healthiest thing to carry around because
I’m literally buzzing and it’s very hard to get off my
mind. The pub is another good way of getting rid of
that energy, but generally not the healthiest.In your attempts to channel something bigger
than yourself, do you take on more yourself?
Do you have to mentally step back from your
work to allow differentiation between what’s
you and what’s everyone?
This is something I find I have learned with
experience... and I’m still learning. Because
painting is so involving mentally and physically,
it’s really hard to separate and step back.
I have to be objective about what I’m doing and
what I’m creating. I still find this hard to do,
and I have to remind myself to be aware about
what I’m trying to achieve. I’m not making
this work just because it feels good, it also
has to communicate to an audience using the
parameters I’ve set for myself. This is not saying
I’m trying to please anyone, but I do want an
emotional transaction between what I’ve made
and the viewer. It’s a dialogue between the piece
and the viewer. With every mountain you climb,
you come away with a bit more knowledge of
how to navigate the paths and routes along the
way. Painting is the same.antonymicallef.comAbove: Installation view of Reportrait, Nottingham Castle Museum, UK, 2017, Photo by Ian Cox