Michael Camilleri

What other jobs have you had?

I’ve drawn for animated educational films and storyboards for ads, drawn portraits, made puppets, sets and props and I also direct theatre. I've worked in restaurants, hotels and cafes for years and years. I’ve also been a storyteller, a clown and a roving Santa. Being a fat Santa on a 40 degree December day is about as fun as it sounds, but it’s still better than being a waiter.

What themes are recurring in your work?

I’ve always drawn portraits, so one common thread is the drama and emotion that can come from people’s faces.

What have been the highlights of your career?

All my theatre productions have felt like milestones, but especially the first piece of theatre I directed in 2014 – hearing the audience laugh for the first time.

In 2013, holding Martin Martini’s album Vienna 1913 in my hands – finally having an artwork of mine presented as a perfect object. Completing my first picture book in 2014, One Minute’s Silence , the first of my work to reach a really wide audience.