In art, the balance between technical mastery and over-calculation can pose a challenge. For Alfie Gatt – also known as AlfieAlpha – finding that equilibrium required an honest engagement with his own artistic processes. A self-taught painter with an interest in both our exterior surroundings and interior thought processes, Alfie’s journey is an exploration of how we perceive – and then strategically edit – our reality.
Memory and Motivation
Alfie’s entryway into the artistic world is moulded in a poignant moment. He recalls a childhood memory of a teacher tearing up a drawing he had done in class – an act that felt like a violation of his identity.
“I recently discovered that I am dyslexic,” Alfie reveals. “That’s why I couldn’t keep up with the lesson, so I would just drift and daydream… I find my inner peace with painting.” When the teacher destroyed his work, he says, “It tore my heart along with it.” While the incident initially left a negative mark, it fuelled a relentless drive. “I knew what I wanted even back then, and I just followed that route.”
An Artistic Journey
Upon mastering the art of painting hyper-realistic portraits – which, however, he found “soulless” at times – he began to strip away elements in search of a deeper truth.
“I started to remove parts from the face. For instance, I would just keep one eye,” he explains. This led to his Love Letter series, where graphical shapes and natural elements integrate with the human form. “I found that visual very, very interesting with a higher potential for narration,” he notes, explaining how one painting triggered an entire series.
In 2022, Alfie’s series Ghost Stories captured the public’s imagination. One particular video went viral: a kitten walking across a painting of a woman in white, lying motionless on traditional Maltese tiles.
“Many thought that it was a photograph,” Alfie says of the hyper-realistic artwork. The kitten’s spontaneous stroll over the canvas “gave it another dimension”, which Alfie – being also an accomplished videographer – recognised immediately as one to retain for the final edit.
In Alfie’s own interpretation, the ghostly figures wandering through Maltese rooms represent procrastination. “I felt like it’s a battle that many of us have internally. You are locked within yourself and not expressing,” he explains.
An appreciation for spontaneity
Perhaps the most surprising shift in Alfie’s career has come from his role as an educator. Currently conducting watercolour courses with the Bored Peach Club at the Valletta Design Cluster, Alfie has realised that there are symbiotic benefits to sessions like these.
He still finds value in detailed styles, but the pedagogic need to demonstrate quickly and adapt to student requirements demanded more expressive agility with the brush. “It turned out that I love that approach too, and now I’ve loosened up thanks to the courses.”
This newfound appreciation for “spontaneity and the property of the medium” has enriched his relationship with watercolours. “I am letting go and accepting that watercolour can achieve results that no other medium can,” he says. “It has that flow.”
The Meticulous Planner
Despite his move toward looseness, Alfie remains a rigorous planner. About 40 per cent of his time on an artwork is devoted to its preparation. He visits locations like Casa Rocca Piccola to capture references, often using his wife as a model.
“I start meticulously,” Alfie explains about his compositions – “but not necessarily with a story or idea. I take a photoshoot on site…various positions that eventually spark a larger idea. And then, at home, I take a look at my photos and I try to see what’s capturing my interest. Next, I organise everything in Photoshop and crop the dimensions. Some shapes can tell a subject’s story better than others.”
Before the first brushstroke hits the canvas, he even prints his photomontages to actual size in order to test the impact. “Once I decide – which is a very long process – I can start to finally paint”.
What’s Next?
Alfie is currently looking toward the future with a unique collaboration alongside jeweller Nadège Renée, supported by the Malta Crafts Foundation. The project will combine fine art and illustration with jewellery, centred around Maltese idioms and old sayings.
Maltese interiors, with which Alfie now has an inextricable connection, are also set to make a comeback through new paintings he is working on.
Beyond the canvas, Alfie is developing a video series exploring his painting process and mindset. He hopes this will offer viewers a relaxing alternative to “doomscrolling” while inspiring them to pursue something valuable for their own well-being.
Whether through film, painting, or new collaborations, Alfie remains an artist in pursuit of growth. “I’m still discovering,” he says with a smile. “I’m still evolving.”
Photography by Alfie Gatt
