For somebody who has never had formal art training Stefan Carbonaro has a particularly deft and articulate hand when drawing.  This self-made artist has recently attracted quite  a lot of attention to his work, namely his pen and ink drawings.  As we talk, a selection of these sit in front of me compelling me to look closer and observe carefully the  intricate detail with which they are created.

It all began in Nepal. "I  have always painted, sketched and drawn,  practically all my life. However, I never really told anybody about it. It was something I very much kept to myself.  Most of my work created immediately before I started doing this kind of art, was abstract and unsymmetrical.  Then I visited Nepal  and it was there that I discovered  the beauty of the Mandala, the typical circle of spiritual and ritual symbolism of prevalent in the Hindu and Buddhist (Indian) religions. It represents the universe, the cosmos....  During my trip there, circumstances led me to have to spend three days stuck in the rain in a forest hut.  There was really not much to do except wait. But the images of the Mandala, combined with the ambience in that wet forest inspired me and I started drawing.  My drawings have developed since then to what I am doing now and I do have plans to develop this technique further. Once I started, I have truly become engaged in this art form."

From a freely abstract form of art, Stefan suddenly found himself immersed in something strictly regimental. Simply with a pencil, a pen  and  a compass,  he creates outlines which are then filled with fantasy that takes shape spontaneously, often in a three dimensional version.  Each drawing can take up to eight hours to complete, and he admits that he doesn't stop working on it until he feels it is complete. "I cannot stop because then the concentration is broken and the drawing cannot be continued spontaneously. For now I am including a lot of detail with hatching and cross-hatching in a strictly monochrome tone. The work is very absorbing and it urges me to increasingly utilise a number of meaningful symbols that add to the significance of each drawing.  My inspiration simply bases itself on what I feel at the moment and ultimately the drawing takes me where it wants. I focus completely on the paper  in front of me  to the  point of  achieving an intense level of relaxing concentration. I guess it is what the Orientals refer to as meditation."

As his works promise to develop further with the addition of colour in future forms, he has actually created something which elicits the addition of colouring.  This is a small, handy and interesting little publication called The Travel Buddy, a slip of a book which doubles up as a journal and an adult colouring book. "The idea for this booklet came about when I was looking at a collection of small drawings I had created during my initial experimentation.  I realised that the collection could become an interesting little book, and indeed this idea developed in such a way that quite amazed me."

Stefan admits that The Travel Buddy has now travelled farther than he himself has.  People who have taken it with them on their travels send him pictures from different parts of the world, places as far-flung as Peru or picturesque locations such as Mount Fuji in Japan. "They fill it with  colour inspired by the travels they experience, the colours they see; then they take pictures of each completed drawing against the backdrop of key locations and share them on my Facebook page dedicated to The Travel Buddy.  It is quite interesting for me to see how people develop their book in such an intimate way. I have also received a lot of emails from people who have used it to help  overcome the boredom of  long-haul travel;  others have found that it is absorbing companionship during the time when they are receiving lengthy treatments such as chemotherapy.  Even people with ADHD have found that it helps calm them.  These are all aspects which have developed as a sideline to my original intent and which have surprised me considerably."

Stefan Carbonaro is also one half of the team which forms The Paint Cats, a sideline of his which he has taken up in partnership with his friend Julian Boffa. "This also started as a hobby.  Julian enjoys up-cycling old furniture and this has merged well  with my drawings and creative art.  We initially experimented with some donated furniture and when it was done people liked it so much that suddenly we were being commissioned to create vintage, retro or shabby chic furniture. It is another sideline which is allowing me to experiment with colour and creativity whilst enjoying myself artistically." As this artist juggles his talent for sacred geometry and up-cycled furniture, he continues to quietly conceive ideas to develop his talent further with much promise for many more surprises in the future.

Stefan Carbonaro's art works will be showing at the forthcoming Earth Garden on 3,4 and 5 June 2016