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 "I have forged my art style from the Outsider Art movement. However I do respond to the sentiments around me occasionally. I can’t set up a painting by planning it, but like Chagall I get the inspiration of an image from within. He could paint and invent the whole universe from his head. Art is a visual language that speaks for its time. My love of colour, form and decorative approach constantly challenges me to see life and the universe in a different lens or angle. I rejoice in the sensuality of using pigment in the diverse shape and motives empowering my artist flair with the sense of wonder. I experiment and expand my horizons using my pots of colour and recycling principles driven unconsciously into a trance. At times this can be risky and I am vulnerable as at most times it’s like putting ones neck on the guillotine’s blade.
Resting on the shoulders of the self taught art giants like; Da Vinci, and Rousseau I leap forward with my brush strokes. My daunting task is to put the first stroke of the brush on the white canvas or paper. At this time seems impossible to capture intimate emotions and translate them into the language of imagery. It is a far cry from my carefree doodling on my knee as a young child.
As a little boy after the Sunday lunch the nuns used to take us for an afternoon walk along the widening country roads from Zejtun to M’Xlokk. Past St. Gregory’s, via tas – Silg church. Then one will start to smell the sea breeze. In no time one could see the fishing village. My eyes were wide open with this entire visual feast like an opening to musical spectacle. Fish, boats, nets, water, scent, noise and sun burnt fishermen. These paintings are about the times I used to see the fish mongers as they wobbled through the streets carefully examining their catch. These are memories imprinted in my subconscious as we used to spend three weeks of our summer holidays right in front of this opera like setting. That is why I called this show Marinara.
I see these painting as remnants of my DNA; my history mixed with my life journey. These works will be adopted by other people. They will see a flicker of meaning or ignite a faint memory in these images of fish, fish, and fish."
Zepp Cassar
About the artist
As an internationally acclaimed abstract figurative and landscape painter, Zepp Cassar spends most of his time working between Sydney, France, Vietnam and Malta. He emigrated to Australia from Malta 22 years ago. Art in his homeland descended from the first settlers, the Phoenicians. His earliest influence was learnt from the textured and sculptured repetitive patterns of their Temple of Fertility.
Childhood memories are crowded with sensual village fiestas, always featuring loud brass bands, banners and flags of many rich colours, multi coloured confetti and freshly painted facades. As a result, a love of vibrant colours developed. His secondary education lead him to four years of studying colour, design, and printing training where he could indulge his imagination.
Zepp was fearful of going to Australia, attempting to penetrate a different language, new culture, and a unique flora and fauna within a vast unimaginable space. His impressions of the bright and vibrant colour in Australia have been interpreted as if by a third eye, distanced by his earlier experience, and independent of local trends and schools. This has been a help in Zepp's art practice instructing pupils with autism as they paint details away from the mainstream ideas and drawing. They are known as ‘outsiders’. Zepp is able to react freshly and spontaneously to local form, colour, light, shape, and texture, with organised design and yet gives birth to free flow artworks. At times he reports what is happening around us, through the use of recyclable matter, and using inspirations found in institutions, parks, our homes and neighbourhood. He is enthused by an intrinsic, internal, drive to paint from his feelings. He can’t be stopped - his fingers itch to create artworks.
He had his first group show in 2005 and his first solo exhibition in 2006 at James Harvey Galleries, Sydney. In 2008, he had another solo Sydney art show at Sara Roney Gallery. In September 2009, he had a solo exhibition in Paris, sponsored by the Maltese Embassy in France. In October 2009, he had a show at Musee de la Creation Franche Begles in France. They have included three of his works in their international collection of Outsider Artists. He is represented in Paris by Galerie Impaire and also has an agent in Singapore. His works are in private collections in Sydney,Miami (USA) Singapore,Tasmania, Serbia, Malta, Paris and Bordeaux.
web: http://home.exetel.com.au/zeppart
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