Fiesta

Tony liked to party when young. Older he could start one, but not finish it. He would get tired. I guess he liked the preparations best: the house clean and bright, flowers everywhere, enough seating corners where people could retire for a while and walls full of his paintings. Then the peopple coming in and seeing the effect on them of our preparations. That moment was probably why he did it. Happy New Year, Peace, Beauty, Love and light. Tumbleweed.

October 1983

You find here two newspaper clippings and the price list from the 1983 exhibition in Gallery Atrium. He had a big sculpting there that was the focal point in Café De Linde on the South side of Antwerp. then the sculpting moved to a castle in Portugal. The paintings in that time were big, reaching to the floor, being installations, often with a book added... I don't remember what or if he sold. The revues at least were great, loving Tony Mafia and his work.

Great Fish

The lyrics read: Loving the great fish is the ultimate and end too Well that is true enough. Tony was an avid fisherman. He liked rivers, lakes even stocked ponds. I guess it quietened his mind concentrating on the next catch. He usually caught us a meal, but once in a while I would outfish him. This is a monoprint from 1975.

Animals

This whimsical animal drawing seems to be a drawing for children: note the mouse, the monkey, the hippopotamus, the bull, the bird and the pigeon, the lion and a man with a tear in his eye.
All for the smile of a child. As far as I can tell, watercolor and oil pastel: All for your smile in yesteryear's snows.

Feltpen

Sometimes Tony would run out of money, run out of materials, run out of food... Yes often he has been a starving artist. But as long as he could lay his hands on a piece of paper and a pencil or just as here on a felt pen, he would survive another day. This was 1970.

Harlequins

These tender harlequins from 1993 are a pen and ink wash; gentle, slightly sad, and well executed. Tony loved the openness and space. What I love are the very expressive eyes of the two figures of course.

Christmas song

A flamenco Christmas song for you all, through this 1997 oil called Spanish Lady and guitarist. Sing along, think along with the pretty lady and I hope you can enjoy the warmth of good companionship. Merry Christmas, good Hanuka, good winter Katchina dances... Whatever brings light and love.

Taurus

For the Tauruses among us this whimsical, mythical beast, probably stemming from 1972 or '73. it is a monoprint finished with pastels. Tony Mafia would on a glass plate create a background, make one print then change the background and thus creating more coincidence in the backgrounds. having watched him do this often, I know there was also a lot of skill and intent.

Flyer

Tony's work keeps touching people's hearts. This is the flyer for an upcoming music and poetry event, which is the end of year of a series of house concerts. And loving his work so much, a small house exhibition is also planned by the enthusiastic organizer. The improvising musicians are awesome, if you're not too far away come and join the festivities. Five instruments, one voice and a poet reading while Tony's work is projected on the wall.

part two

Here too you can see the corrections and a few preliminary drawings. The final book became much longer in black and white washes and pen and ink drawings... One of these days I'll post the full Love and Loved story. You'll see that the nucleous is already present here.

Process of writing

I'll be showing the first sketches and writings prefiguring what later became the story of 'Love and Loved'. A far as I can tell the corrections are Tony's . It must have been early seventies when the idea first came to him.

Seascape

After a series of new and vibrant work a quiet old piece.: a pastel seascape with clouds and hidden sun. It could be a bay, even a white water river. A fast but misleading impression makes one overlook the figure in the rocky foreground and the white self portrait in the foam.

Tears and yellow jacket

In this oil painting , Tony never used acrylics, a few themes come together. First of all the gallery setting, thus having paintings in a painting. Furthermore, the female figure cries. Here just as in the Tearing skull the tears are well painted, almost as if to prove he could do the precise work. The painting is from 1999. Well, I had reasons to be sad and cry and yes I had a yellow jacket. From abstract sections to reality in one painting.