You are a very young artist with an eye for detail. Does this reflect the way you are as a person in any way?

When referring to representational paintings, details are a necessary part of individual style, but they can often be distracting. When it comes to painting, just as in life, it is always best to start with the most general concepts and move on to more complex ideas and passages once you have those worked out. Looking at a painting for the first time is almost like being on a first date. First impressions are key, and you may lose the attention of your audience quickly if the work is lacking an overall sense of accuracy and clarity. In the end, if the ‘big idea’ is lacking substance and character, the details become irrelevant.

 

You studied at Laguna College of Art and Design. How would you describe the teaching process, your experience there and the work produced by your college contemporaries?

I studied with over 40 professors at LCAD, and no two were alike. But in each lesson there lay a simple truth: learning to paint or draw or sculpt is about being able to “see”. The curriculum was intensive – usually having to spend at least 20 hours a week painting a live model and the rest of your time working from photographic reference in your private studio. LCAD is about starting with the bare essentials and slowly nurturing its students to the point where they have the ability to harness the technical and complex processes of re-presenting an image or an idea via the implementation of traditional media.

 

When I first arrived at the school, I had never painted with oils and had only dabbled in drawing (or painting) with charcoal. However, I was warmly welcomed, and was given precise and deliberate instruction by my professors. The learning curve was steep, and I progressed quickly. Within months I had sold a painting, and during my second year, the Chief Financial Officer had purchased one of my sculptures for the permanent collection to be displayed publicly on campus.

 

Although content was for the most part uniform among my peers, each student began to develop a personal process/method early on in their training. After several semesters, my peers and I were given considerably more freedom when it came to choosing subject matter, but mostly conformed to painting the figure or the landscape. At the conclusion of my education, I felt confident in my approach to drawing and painting, but I was lacking when it came to inventing a concept. I was in search of inspiration. Going abroad seems to have been the best decision I’ve ever made.

 

Do you have an artist to whom you look for inspiration or admire?

Too many! I’m attracted to honesty in art. Lucian Freud, John Singer Sargent, Courbet, Wyeth, Turner… these were painters who had both skill and vision. I often wonder which the greater gift is. I’ve come to see that ability relies on vision, and vision cannot be communicated without ability. The two need to live in perfect harmony.

 

What is the most popular style of painting in the US at the moment? And how do you think your work will be received in Malta?

BIG seems to be the trend in America at the moment. Everything big: big sculptures, big paintings, big museums. I enjoy seeing large work. It’s powerful and awe-inspiring but it’s not a new idea. I’m bringing scenes from classic American film to the canvas, which also happens to have been done before. I’m simply hoping to bring a fresh style to the genre, while giving my audience a kind of sneak peek into my process by showing works at every stage of their creation. I believe that people know honest work when they see it, regardless of location, and so far the audiences’ reaction has been nothing short of positive and reassuring.

 

What have you learnt from the world of art worth learning?

Try not to be the biggest collector of your own work.

 

Art by Madison Gregory can be seen between the 4th and the 22nd of December at Lily Agius Gallery, 54 Cathedral Street, Sliema, and also at Palazzo Parisio between the 4th and the 29th of December from 9-6pm daily. The exhibition is supported by The U.S. Embassy, Paul Bonnici & Son Ltd, SmartSkinClinic, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and The Malta Independent on Sunday. For more information you can email [email protected] or call 9929-2488. To see more art represented by the gallery or to sign up to the gallery newsletter, you can log on to www.lilyagiusgallery.com