Gabriella Azzopardi

Your education: Studies in Art, Design, photography, psychology.
Describe your art in three words: Strange, Symbolic, Dreamlike.
Your discipline:
Painting; oils, acrylics.
Drawing; pencils, charcoal.
Website | Instagram

You have explored a variety of artistic styles, from still life and landscapes to more surreal and symbolic art. How do you decide on the direction of your work for each piece?

It was part of my initial Art studies to practice different techniques; painting and drawing, from different subjects; still lives, figure drawing, sculptures and landscapes. Such practice is essential to achieve a more realistic, clean and detailed individual technique to then use in my expressive paintings which show my more personal style. 

By time, my artistic style has evolved from a semi- abstract to a more figurative, surreal and symbolic one. I think this gradual change has been affected through various interests that I have, such as; history of art, literature, architecture, antiques, the interest in psychology and also through personal life experiences. 

An artist needs to keep exploring and exposing oneself to different experiences, learning and interests as this will reflect positively in their personal work. 

Gabriella Azzopardi | Voices of Majestic Thunder | 2024

Your paintings often evoke a sense of emotional depth, especially with the use of symbolism. Can you describe how you integrate your personal experiences into your art?

Intrinsically, my mind associates a thought from an experience or an emotion to a surreal scene, or a particular object, ethereal figures, etc. With the initial subjects I see, I start the paintings which I then elaborate, adding other subjects and details while I work. 

It is a form of externalising thoughts and emotions in a visual way. Though not shown in a straightforward form, it is there enclosed in the paintings for the viewer to observe and discover.  

In your biography, you mention studying both art and psychology. How do these two fields intersect in your creative process?

I have recently started basic studies in psychology as a personal interest, which I hope to further to an advanced level.

Psychology helps understand the brain; thoughts, behaviours, feelings, etc. It also generates new thoughts and life observations, which in my case, are inspirational for new Art works. 

Learning more about human behaviours, has come to help me understand famous artists’ lives more, their behaviours and their art expressions. 

Gabriella Azzopardi | Out beyond the stillness of daybreak and nightfall | 2024

Your portfolio includes a wide range of mediums, from traditional painting to digital photo manipulation. Do you prefer working in one medium over another, or does your choice depend on the concept you want to explore?

I appreciate every creative medium as each can give you a different type of outcome and expression. In previous years I used to produce more commissioned work which involved photography and digital manipulation, either for creative photo sessions or graphic design. 

Recently, I have become more focused on traditional painting and drawing, particularly on the human figure and portraiture. At present, I feel the need to keep practicing in such subjects to keep refining and improving detail and technique, and also because the paintings I am producing involve the human figure more than before. 

I still do enjoy taking my photo camera with me at times and snap interesting photos by chance as a hobby.

Gabriella Azzopardi | I love your smile | 2025

As you continue your studies in psychology, how do you see the relationship between the mind, emotion, and visual expression in art?

I think that psychology and my style of Art closely connect very well together. The study of the mind and emotions opens up new artistic expressions and visions. At the same time, being able to express these sentiments through Art is a form of therapy as well. It helps process these thoughts whilst forming beautiful Art pieces. 

In my opinion, Symbolic and Surreal Art encourages the viewer to not only keep observing the painting or drawing for its visual beauty but also to think about the meaning and symbols behind it. They can each interpret it in their own way as well and generate new or underlying thoughts in their mind. Listening to peoples’ interpretations and sentiments about my paintings is very important to me.