Joe Caruana, March 2006
On many sunny evenings Joe is a familiar sight in the port of Duquesa sat at his easel, surrounded by his paintings, usually with an admiring crowd watching him work. There is another side to Joe that many of the admirers will not know. Between 1969 and 1975 Joe held the position of Minister of Public Works in the Gibraltar Government during the period the border with Spain was closed by Franco. Even fewer in Spain, know of his social work during the last twenty years, working to rehabilitate drug addicts in the Campo de Gibraltar area or his rehabilitation centre, called Camp Emmanuel, opened in 1987 at San Martin de Tesorillo. It is not surprising that Joe needed a hobby to help him relax. I asked what enjoyment he got from painting and Joe replied, "Painting is not as relaxing as many would think. It is very demanding. My enjoyment comes from experimenting with colours and figuring out what to paint and how to paint it."
Relaxing or not his paintings are in demand and he will proudly tell you that his work has spanned the globe. Countries to which his paintings have gone include; Australia, Japan, South Africa, Philippines, Morocco, Qatar, Norway, Holland, France, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, the UK, and Spain. He belongs to the Fine Arts Society in Gibraltar and, since 1999, has had his paintings shown at the International and Spring Painting Exhibitions. In Gibraltar his work has been shown at Biancas, Cream and Honey and Cheers Restaurants. In Duquesa he has a permanent display at La Pergola Restaurant.
Joe says that he paints in what is known as 'Naïve style' realism. What you see is what you get, and that he is a poly-faceted painter, particularly enjoying land and seascapes, still life and florals. During April and May Joe will be holding his largest exhibition to date at La Canada Golf Club at Pueblo Nuevo, Sotogrande. Contact Joe on tel:956 745 942 or 607 464 878 email: joelcaruana@yahoo.co.uk