Medium: Plaster Casts on recycled wood panel
Size: 45 cm x 36 cm x 7 cm
Year: 2020
Artwork Description: This work is an homage to the Prickly Pear which, with excessive uncontrolled land development, is also being wiped out. ‘Tree by Tree’ is a play on words in relation to the design of the work, where prickly pears being lined in threes, horizontally and vertically. Ultimately, the significance is that we are destroying this plant and fruit ‘Tree by Tree’.
Lawrence Pavia started practicing art in his thirties, but only took it seriously when he joined a University of Malta course in 2006 under the tutorship of Prof. Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci. He also attended art sessions with Harry Alden and Anthony Calleja. His motivation in art is mainly inspired by nature and the world that surrounds us. He is sensitive to its preservation or lack of it. His local landscapes and streetscapes in a hard-edge style are recognisable by their vibrant colours. His other works include portraits in pop art style, lino-prints and object-trouvé. Over the last few years he has produced a series of works called BajtARTax-xewk, using prickly pears and nopales, in response to the deteriorating environmental situation in the Maltese Islands.
