Early Studies
Joseph started his studies at the Government School of Art – Valletta ( 1978-1983 ) on a suggestion of artist and art teacher Joseph L. Mallia. At the School of Art he followed a course in Drawing, Modelling, Stone and Wood carving under Chev. Vincent Apap and History of Art under Fr. Marius Zerafa.
In 1983 he was awarded a scholarship by the Istituto Culturale Italiano, to study sculpture and design at the Accademia di Belle Arti – Florence, Italy after having completed a bust of the composer Verdi which can be found at the Manoel Theatre foyer. One can also admire another bust, modelled by Joseph, of the composer Beethoven in the same foyer. At the Accademia di Belle Arti he studied sculpture under Prof. Carpeggiani including the techniques of cutting marble and design studies under Alfredo Cifariello and Nando Bernardini respectively. During his stint in Florence he also attended the Scuola Libera del Nudo.
While there, he worked as a sculptor at the artistic foundry of Leonardo del Giudice and had hands-on experience in mould-making and bronze casting.
He was introduced to Pietro Annigoni through his tutors, artists Alfredo Cifariello and Nando Bernardini. Joe was invited to work with them in the preparation of colours and the cartoon of Annigoni's fresco of the Last Supper at St Anthony's Basilica in Padova.
Return to Malta
When Joseph returned to Malta he had one dream and that dream was to open a bronze foundry. At the start of his career he worked in the family garage in Pembroke and later was offered a Nissan Hut in Luqa where he opened his foundry. He later built the present day building very close to that first site. One may here mention his commissions to cast in bronze from the original works; Algardi's high relief of Christ the Saviour on the facade of the St. John's Cathedral; Sciortino's Les Gavroches; Apap's Giuseppe Cali and Saints Mary and Joseph on the parvis of the Mosta Rotunda. In the year 2000 he was commissioned by the Ville de Nice, France to cast a replica of the marble bust of Grandmaster Lascaris which can be found at the President's Palace in Valletta. The bronze replica is now housed at the Palais Lascaris, Nice, France. In 2011 he served as consultant to Cornille-Havard in Normandy for the purchase of a set of bells for the parish of Ghajnsielem, Gozo. During this period Joseph opened his foundry to University Art students so they could experience the process of bronze casting first hand. On Saturday afternoons, he would invite groups of artists to meet in his studio to draw/paint or model in clay, studies from life. In the same year (2011) he was offered a post to teach Sculpture 3D, Modelling and Casting at the School of Art in Valletta. During his teaching career, albeit short, he participated in the Notte Bianca of 2014 where he modelled a portrait bust from life at the School of Art. In 2016 he had to resign his post due to health reasons.