Frans Camilleri

Rediscovering the joie de vivre through art
 the story of Nadur artist Frans Camilleri

Francis Camilleri has been a quadriplegic since 1978 due to a diving accident. After intense medical-treatment and occupational therapy in England and Germany, he managed to adjust himself to his completely, new, diverse and hard life. In spite of his severe disability and the various other obstacles he encountered, he returned to the Sacred Heart Seminary where he successfully completed secondary school.

In 1993 representatives from Izda Art Publishers encouraged him to take up mouth painting as a living. Learnt to paint with his mouth and made considerable progress in a relatively short time. His success in painting is enhanced by the fact that he has won a scholarship from the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Worldwide. Despite the numerous difficulties that painting with his mouth entails, he is skilful in the use of mediums, including oil. However the transparency of watercolour fascinates him and it has become the preferred medium in most of his paintings.

Besides numerous private exhibitions, Camilleri has also taken part in exhibitions organized by the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Worldwide. His works have been reproduced in Publications by the Association and by its publishers in the form of Christmas Cards and Calendars in America, Canada, Germany, Italy, Argentina and Australia and in Malta.

What the critics say:

“...I would say that Francis Camilleri has not only managed to overcome his obstacles but he has also rediscovered the "joie de vivre" through art. Painting has helped him to become aware of his talents, to realize himself. It has brought the best out of him: a keen sense of observation, a searching eye for contrasts and a sensitivity for natural forms and shapes.

His love of the local environment is mirrored in his landscapes and seascapes. Vernacular architecture, corner niches, chapels and baroque domes provide ample inspiration. Camilleri paints them with such articulation that he betrays a love for detail. At other times he uses the medium with dexterity, creating pictures which animate freshness and which are balanced and poetic. Open spaces are rendered with sweeping washes, sometimes merging colors with the wet-into-wet technique.

It is obvious that in a short span of time, Francis has managed to master certain skills. Considering that he paints with the mouth, one must congratulate him for mastering such techniques as the flow of paint and brush control especially in the delicate medium of watercolor…”

“…His brush control in merging colors and applying sweeping washes is a bravura. At other times, patches of color juxtaposed next to each other create a brilliant and impressionistic effect.

Once again, local rustic and urban beauty spots provide ample inspiration to Camilleri. Fishermen at work as well as multi-colored local boats are a dominating motif. Camilleri renders them with a bright palette, infusing life with the interplay of light and shade.

The shapes he creates mirror local environmental influences. The moods are the result of the interaction between the artist and his subject. The finished work is a tribute to the man who turned a personal misfortune into a self-realization, a disability into an artistic ability…”

(Comments by Art Critic Joe Camilleri)

You can buy original works by Francis Camilleri at his website.