In this month’s Featured Artist, we speak with painter Siro Carraro, whose expressive paintings explore the complexity of human relationships, emotions and everyday encounters.

Before becoming a visual artist, Siro worked for many years as an actor in theatre, television and documentaries. He also performed voice work for several characters in the Italian version of the PlayStation game Metal Gear. When a period of illness forced him to stop acting, it led him to begin studying art and exploring a new creative direction.

---

From Acting to Painting

After attending a short drawing course, Siro went on to complete an Art Foundation in London before studying Fine Art Painting in Brighton, where he graduated with first-class honours. In 2008, he continued his studies at Central Saint Martins, completing a master’s degree in Fine Art.

Although his career shifted from acting to painting, the influence of theatre remains central to how he thinks about art. He often describes his canvases in theatrical terms, explaining that “my paintings are like a theatre for me. The colours of my characters are like the costumes, and the shapes become the actors.” On the canvas, these elements interact much like performers on a stage, telling a story under the direction of the artist.

---

Painting As Theatre

This connection to performance also shapes the emotional tension within his work. As Siro explains, “My work is very expressive. As an actor, you play different roles, happy and sad, complicated psychological ones. Tension is very important in my work. Without tension, even a funny play becomes irrelevant.”

Faces appear frequently throughout Siro’s paintings, each representing a different story or emotional moment. Sometimes these characters emerge from personal experiences or the lives of people around him. At other times, they are inspired by events unfolding in the wider world.

As he puts it, “there are a lot of faces in my work. They all tell a story. It could be a personal one, a friend’s story, something that I heard on TV, like the Sarah Everard case, or a story that I invent by coincidence.”

---

Moments That Become Paintings

Inspiration can also arrive in fleeting everyday encounters. On one occasion, while travelling by bus to his studio, Siro noticed a woman sitting in front of him. She appeared deep in thought, and the moment stayed with him.

He recalls wondering what might have been behind her expression. “I was on the bus going to my studio, and there was a woman in front of me. She looked really sad and thoughtful. I wondered what she was thinking about… a family far away, a sad event, an illness.”

That brief observation eventually became the starting point for a new character in his work. As Siro explains, “I took that face and created a character in my canvas,” later naming the figure Maria Dolores.

Siro describes himself as a process artist, meaning that the final image is rarely fully planned from the beginning. Instead, the painting develops gradually through experimentation and intuition.

Even when he begins with an initial idea, he explains that “I never really know what happens on the canvas. I just put some colours or shapes and little by little something takes place.”

---

Souls In Transit

Recently, Siro completed eight new paintings, including a group of works titled Souls In Transit. The series reflects his belief that life itself is defined by movement and change.

As he explains, “we are always in transit. We travel, we change houses, friends, work. We move to another country. We evolve.”

Through these works, Siro continues to explore the emotional complexity of human experience. His paintings examine moments shaped by connection, misunderstanding, love, loss and reflection, revealing how personal stories and fleeting encounters can evolve into lasting artistic expression.

You can view and purchase his artwork here, supporting Siro’s work as an independent artist.