Ray Piscopo

Ray Piscopo is an Engineer by profession and an Artist by Nature. He is a prolific painter most known for his colourful artworks tackling subjects related to social, political and humanitarian issues.

== Biography ==

Born on the 27 April 1954 in Marsa to Antonio Piscopo and Mary (nee Attard). He attended Hamrun Primary School and then The Lyceum, Hamrun (1966-1971) He attended the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (University), Msida (1973/1976) and graduated in B.Sc Eng (Hons) Degree Course in 1976 from the University of Malta

In 1993, he was granted a Warrant to practice the Profession of Engineering from Ministry for the Environment Malta.

He is a Corporate Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, London, UK; Chartered Engineer of the Council of Engineering Institutions; Eur Ing (Federation of European Engineering Institutions). Ray Piscopo is married to Marthese and has four children Matthew, Robert Anthony, Stephanie Marie and Clare Marie.

== Work and Art ==

His introduction to the world of art can be traced back to the early 1970’s when as a student he was tutored by Antoine Camilleri (1922-2005) He was asked by the Rev Mother Abbess of St Catherine’s Monastery in Valletta to carry out ‘restoration’ work on a large statue of Our Lady. This was his first art related project.

He also attended life classes for a three-year period under the supervision of Anton Calleja (b. 1955), a well-known artist in his own right who regards the human figure as an essential tool in academic training. Ray also attended at Luciana Notturni’s workshop on mosaics in Ravenna, Italy. For three years he also attended classes at the Mosta Institute of Arts and Design in Ceramics under the tutorship of George Muscat. And in 2008, Ray won the 2nd Prize in an art competition: 3°Premio Piero Della Francesca in Arezzo, Italy.

In 2005 Ray served as a member of a specially formed Healing Arts Committee through the Foundation for Medical Services, entrusted with the embellishment of public spaces within Mater Dei Hospital with suitable art works. The Committee commissioned MCAST art students to create 615 works and also organized a public competition for the main theme: A Madonna for Mater Dei Hospital.

In 2009 Ray Piscopo attended a 3 weeks art master class in Salzburg, Austria with Hubert Scheibl, a foremost artist in Germany. He used a style much similar to artist Gerhard Richter that employs scraping over layers and layers of paint.

In 2010 Ray attended another master class session at the SommerAkademieVenedig, Italy, with the renowned Senegalese artist Amadou Sow who is best known his micropainting technqiues.

In varied phases in his career as artist Ray tried various media starting with oils, then passing on to watercolour that he considers fascinating and actually using acrylics which he finds quite suitable in working with the brush as rapidly as possible.

Since Ray is an engineer by profession it is perhaps strange that he shows such great interest in art in general and that he practices as an artist. But his work is proof enough that art and science as much as science and religion are not only related but somehow auxiliary.

Ray has been very successful in solo and collective art shows at prestigious venues, both in Malta and abroad. His paintings are also found in private art collections in Malta, Italy, Ireland, England, France, Norway, Australia and United States of America.

He has been coordinating and curating art exhibitions for the Orange Grove Art Cafe’ at the Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa, Attard for two years.