Enzo Marra: Artist of the Month September 2012

Artist Enzo Marra to discusses portraits, the craft of painting and his love of Francis Bacon's face.

Ruth Wilbur: What's your starting point for making work?

Enzo Marra: Sourcing imagery. Irrespective of theme, I initially source material that can be interpreted immediately. I find images online, leafing through books, and sometimes I go out with my camera. There must be a spark from the imagery preceding my painting - otherwise there will almost certainly be something lacking in the completed oil.

RW: What's important to you?
 

EM: The process and activity of painting, of responding to the world using the simplest means. Transforming canvas and paint into something that is inherently of me, which could not exist in this world and could not be brought together by anybody else. Recognising the exact moment when everything comes together in a painting, where you know the slightest brush stroke would rob the painting of its compositional and tonal balance - that point when you realise what you have is all it can ever possibly be.

RW: The opening line of your statement refers to your Italian parentage. How important is this to you and what impact do you think this has had on your practice?

EM: I think your cultural upbringing does affect how you view the world and how you consider your place within it. My Southern Italian parentage, with its slower pace of life, has encouraged me to take more time to think about what I am trying to achieve and how best to express myself. I work a lot with oil paints and ink and both are easier to correct in the first instance than to remove from a surface or attempt to correct once applied, so I ensure I take my time.

RW: You paint a lot of historical figures, celebrated artists and royalty. How do you choose your subjects? 

EM: I paint people who are of historic and creative importance. Figures who have the potential to be great due to their inherent talent and, of course, characters who have interesting features in union with whatever they also may have gifted to the world. I have particularly enjoyed working from images of Francis Bacon, as he has the most wondrous face to meld out of applied paint.

RW: You also photograph contemporary artists in their studios. Tell us about this process 

EM: One of the joys of photographing contemporary artists and their work is that you get beyond what leaves the studio. I particularly enjoy meeting them in their personal space, with the usual barriers thrown down, so we can share perspectives and experiences of our involvement in the artworld. When painting them later, I am challenged to extract the essence of them, their works, and the atmosphere of their studio, without becoming illustrative.

RW: Who have you photographed directly? 

EM: I have worked in this way in the studios of Patrick O'Donnell, Ian Hodgson, Dawei Zhang, Kristen Healy, Sara Abbott and Alex Dipple, who were all based in Brighton. Following my move to London, I have had the opportunity to photograph artists including Andrew Logan, Blue Curry, Susie Hamilton, Florin Ungureanu and Paul Coombs.

RW: You paint a lot of historical figures, celebrated artists and royalty. How do you choose your subjects? 

EM: I paint people who are of historic and creative importance. Figures who have the potential to be great due to their inherent talent and, of course, characters who have interesting features in union with whatever they also may have gifted to the world. I have particularly enjoyed working from images of Francis Bacon, as he has the most wondrous face to meld out of applied paint.

RW: You also photograph contemporary artists in their studios. Tell us about this process 

EM: One of the joys of photographing contemporary artists and their work is that you get beyond what leaves the studio. I particularly enjoy meeting them in their personal space, with the usual barriers thrown down, so we can share perspectives and experiences of our involvement in the artworld. When painting them later, I am challenged to extract the essence of them, their works, and the atmosphere of their studio, without becoming illustrative

RW: Who have you photographed directly? 

EM: I have worked in this way in the studios of Patrick O'Donnell, Ian Hodgson, Dawei Zhang, Kristen Healy, Sara Abbott and Alex Dipple, who were all based in Brighton. Following my move to London, I have had the opportunity to photograph artists including Andrew Logan, Blue Curry, Susie Hamilton, Florin Ungureanu and Paul Coombs.

Interview by Ruth Wilbur, September 2012