Francis Xavier Scappaticci's Profile

From: Spain
Joined: June 04, 2008
www.artfxs.com

About artfxs:

Born in Ireland, 1960. Currently living in Spain.

'I was an only child and my parents worked long, hard hours so I never really experienced the pleasure of being read stories at bedtime. Now nobody say 'Awww!' because I was one lucky little boy. For years, I had instead the luxury of being presented each bedtime with a brand new comic book. There never were any protests as I recall because when I climbed the stairs in my pyjamas I was off on my travels to explore new worlds between those pages. It has to be this abundance of drawing, line, form, colour and story that sparked and continued to feed my early bewitchment by the image as conveyor of meaning, of sensation. From the off I was attempting to emulate this art form supported by my father's encouragement and his continuous gifts of paper, pencils, brushes, paint, crayons - anything that could make a mark. Among my father's personal effects, taken from the hospital directly after his death, we found a stiff, awkward little drawing made by my twelve year old self. I still have it.
To date, I have worked in the field of art and design for almost thirty years producing book jackets for publishing houses in the UK, illustrations for editorial, advertising, children's publishing and exhibiting my work in Ireland, the UK and Spain.
Some of the pieces shown here are commissioned works. The majority come under the umbrella term of 'fabulas' (fables) and are formed out of an interest in myths and ancient belief systems. At one time the figures and symbols they contain were as clear and legible as the logos and trademarks of today. The attempt is to create iconic images that evoke our collective memory of the archetypal characters and stories that have shaped our understanding of the world around us and the current trend of my output focuses on the traditions and mythology of Catalunya where I live and work'