There are many ways how a person can get away from the daily grind. Many focus on a hobby or two, while others prefer to socialize with others over a glass of wine, or simply enjoy their time on their own by the sea or countryside. Lately, through another friend of mine, I got to know a young sculptor – Raphael Mizzi.

Born in Santa Luċija, Mizzi works at the University of Malta. His hobbies are swimming and snorkelling. He also admires local history and archaeology, and enjoys long walks in the countryside. He is always eager to know more, and has an ambitious character. In other words, Mizzi has a passion for nature and that really shines through his sculptures.

Back in 2012, Mizzi started attending Sculpture in Stone – an evening course in Valletta. He had spent two years sculpting in stone before learning that the Malta School of Arts offered another course in clay modelling. At that time, Mizzi used to peek into the class through windows while lessons were taking place and would observe what others were doing until one day in 2014, he decided he would attend the class himself. Under the guidance of late sculptor Joseph Chetcuti, he started copying faces and figures in a one-dimensional form.

Nowadays he sculpts in stone and clay.

“My greatest satisfaction is that from a natural thing I can turn it into an artistic transformation. Just like when you have something without a form and you make it look brighter. When I was much younger, and before I used to attend evening classes, I used to sit by the sea, and transform a piece of clay into a boat or anything that would have been visible to me,” he says.

In fact Mizzi is the man behind the giant clay Jesus that appeared at Riviera Bay last summer.

“People used to stop by seeing me transforming this Jesus giant clay statue. They would ask me several questions and figure out exactly what I was doing. My personal satisfaction was seeing the bit by bit transformation of this clay statue. Knowing I was an inspiration for others to start experimenting with clay themselves is a great satisfaction.”

Mizzi usually gives some of his works to close friends.

“I never ever sold any piece of my art. I like to memorise all my sculptures and the experiences they bring to myself, rather than hold the material itself.”

Sculpture for Mizzi is a hobby-turned-craft, and not a job. He’s always learning new skills at the Malta School of Arts.

Raphael Mizzi with sculptor Joseph ChetcutiRaphael Mizzi with sculptor Joseph Chetcuti

Art has taught Mizzi to look at life and situations in a different and more positive way.

“When I am working something delicate you instantly learn how to quiet your mind, focus your attention and have more patience. These skills become useful in life to apply them to other scenarios. I encourage people to include art in their life and experiment with different mediums.

Mizzi is one of the few youngsters in Malta who sculpt.

“There were very few young participants in the stone sculpture course I was enrolled in. Most of the students were highly capable elderly people. I loved talking to them as it was an enriching and learning experience for me. Most of them were ex-dockyard workers or experienced sculptors wishing to improve the trade. Many times, the elderly are excluded in our society but I believe that they have a lot of knowledge, experience and wisdom to offer especially to youngsters. In my opinion, nowadays there is an increase in youngsters who are interested in similar subjects. The school of art aims to teach art but there are people who attend to relax after a busy day at work behind a computer screen.”

Mizzi is also very passionate about archaeology and history.

“Archaeology and history have always been my passion. I was 11 when I used to ride my bicycle from Tarxien to Tempju tas-Silg Marsaxlokk. At the time, I loved observing Italian archaeologists at work. It is fascinating how in the old days, artists created marvellous sculptures and other pieces of art without the use of technology.”

Art has taught Mizzi to have a positive perspective towards life. He used to be a very active person, practising scuba diving and playing tennis. Then suddenly, he found himself physically restricted due to a condition in his back.

“I did not let this situation break me and I started to take on less strenuous work. I took my first art lessons in 2012. I aim to work on new things. I started off with stone sculpture, clay modelling and ceramic. Last year I enrolled in a new art course which enabled me to meet with interesting people, both students and teachers. Working on delicate pieces of work helps me to concentrate on what I am doing and I do not think about anything else.”

Mizzi is also fond of diving and cultivation of trees. Since a very young age, he used to go diving with his father in daylight and at night. His father was a very big influence in developing the passion for diving.

“Nowadays I love to be more adventurous by exploring coastal caves and free diving which allows me to see wrecks at the bottom of the ocean. In 2015, I started to cultivate different types of trees – citrus, summer fruit and olive. It is a hobby which taught me a great deal about life. Plants are very delicate and require attention and care. They must be watered responsibly and taken care of regularly throughout the year to produce good fruit.”

Mizzi concludes: “I encourage everyone to take on art from a very young age and experiment with different types of art. Most of us wait for retirement to have time for ourselves but I strongly believe that even though we all lead busy lives, we must always strive to do what we love. I would like to thank all my family and friends for their constant support and I would like to thank the Art Head of School, Robert Zahra and all of my teachers, especially the beloved Alfred Chetcuti and my art teacher, Alfred Portelli.”

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