The three-volume monograph 'Dennis Spiteri – Paintings 1969-2015' was written and produced by the artist. These are unique documents, giving a very personal account of his journey through the creative process. They also contain the many preliminary drawings he did for the finished paintings. They show a complex mind with a particular vision at work – a mind that is also united irrevocably to a heart.
The work he has produced in the past fifty years is as diverse as it is profoundly moving. He has always held the artist’s role in society in great standing. It was always up to the artist to show us the way forward and keep us on track as human beings. I think we can remind ourselves of the direction humankind should be taking by looking at and understanding these paintings. They will show us the tender depths from which they have sprung. They point towards hope.
The novel 'Confronting Mephistopheles' took seven years to write from beginning to end and then another seven years to improve it.
Even though the author incorporated both autobiographical and fictional elements, an acute sense of reality was always at the forefront of the writing. It also became a therapeutic process for him. Painful events that he had long ago buried in his subconscious began to emerge, and he had to face them and deal with them. In this sense, the author has stated, that it is probably the most personal artistic statement he’s ever made. The main character stands naked to be both viewed and judged. In this respect, Gustav Mahler’s music had been an inspiration to both the author and to the main character as artist.
