'Sunday Morning In Rome'

————————————

Limited edition Giclée fine art print on archival 310gsm smooth cotton rag paper. All prints have been meticulously colour corrected to reflect the quality, detail and the love put into the original artwork. All prints are hand-signed and numbered by the artist, come with a certificate of Authenticity, and sent with love.

————————————

With everything that I learnt about Italy, one thing stood out as collectively cherished, pulsing through the veins of every Italian: Football (aka soccer). The heartbeat of every friendship: It inspires fiery love and passionate fights as each person contends over whose team is better, how yesterday’s game went, and which player should never play again. So much passion that I once saw someone getting yelled at for wearing a Napoli jersey in Vietri Sul Mare (≈ 50km south of Naples, wrongly assumed to be safe bet), because Salerno, a mere 5km away, hosts their rivals ‘Salernitana’ — a team its fans support loudly and proudly.

But at an Italian cafe, the vibes are immaculate, perfect for the lovers and conversationalists looking to relax and dissect the art of football. At an Italian cafe friends gather with their cherished mementos: a classic Calcio (football) magazine, a copy of La Gazzetta Dello Sport, a deck of Scopa cards, and the other big Italian love: coffee. Thoughts and feelings that have undoubtably been said many times before are repeated, as friendships deepen, and new memories are made.

This painting was inspired by just that: Italians that gather with their friends in a cafe to discuss the latest sports news, while sipping espressos and playing Scopa; and dedicated to anyone who’s ever enjoyed any of those things.

Working on this painting was so exciting, because I luckily had all these “props” on hand. The magazine and newspaper we picked up in Italy. As I painted the magazine cover, I took the time to learn about all the different soccer players, the 1980s Serie A, and all about the matches behind each photographs. I started making short videos of the painting of each player alongside clips from that game, and fell more in love with the nostalgia of it all. The newspaper, La Gazzetta Dello Sport, (a popular Italian sports paper), meant focusing on small details and painting the tiniest text to ensure that viewers could read the latest sports updates if they wanted to. The coffee was home-brewed with our trusty Cafetière (mocha pot). And then lastly, the all too special deck of Scopa cards. Scopa: an Italian card game, and a special piece of this painting. Such an honour painting this cherished deck of old Scopa cards, passed down through generations - clearly seen a lot of hands and heard a lot of stories. Oh the games that would’ve been played. In some ways, we’ve all held treasured items that are now just one hoarder’s plea away from being discarded. But these will never be discarded, just held onto & cherished, like the invaluable gift that they are.

————————————

Limited edition 12 x 12" prints are 1/40

Limited edition 20 x 20" prints are 1/40

Limited edition 24 x 24" prints are 1/30

————————————