FINDERS STORIES: XAVIER CASALTA
Fine Art and Ancient Coin Collecting
We first met Xavier over the good old world of Instagram, discovering each other's pages and being blown away by his meticulous craft of harnessing the power of dots and stippling to create beautiful graphic images.
Naturally we were first drawn to his coin drawings but Xavier works with a variety of subjects from floral imagery to more typographical and architectural drawings. To create such detailed and large drawings with the layer of depth and texture that he manages to embed into his work often takes many hours, many months and endless patience! He even has several drawing passion projects that he has been working on for over a few years now.
Incredible art is not just what Xavier is all about as we discovered he has a large passion for coins and possesses an incredible collection that he has been building up alongside his impressive artistic achievements. It is often his own coins from this collection that he uses as inspiration for his coin drawings.
Art and archaeology often have a crossover, we at Roman Found are both designers ourselves and find a lot of inspiration and creativity within our finds. So we couldn’t wait to have a proper chat with Xavier and get deep into the nitty gritty of his artistry and collecting passions.
To create such detailed and large drawings with the layer of depth and texture that he manages to embed into his work, often takes many hours, many months and endless patience!
Roman Found: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions Xavier! We can’t wait to get into your process and the inspirations behind your work.
Xavier Casalta: Yes of course, I can’t wait to hear what questions you have for me!
RF: To start with, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
XC: I’m a 30 year old French artist living in the South-East of France, near Aix-En-Provence. I’ve spent the last decade creating drawings on paper, using a stippling technique, millions of tiny ink dots placed by hand to recreate visuals that inspire me.
RF: So dots, what started this dot obsession where did your technique originate from?
XC: Well I discovered the technique while I was still a student in communication. At the time I was exploring different techniques for drawings, I discovered the dots quite by accident, but fell in love with it very quickly.
I noticed how intricate the results could be and decided to focus on improving my skills to be able to create imagery I was passionate about.
RF: You started your Roman mosaic drawing in 2018 and are still working on it, to some people this would blow their minds, can you ever get bored of a drawing and how do you stay committed to the process for so long?
XC: As a teenager, I used to play a lot of video games, spending years building a character in a virtual world. Thinking about it, this might be one of the reasons why I can now sit for months, sometimes years, on a single piece of paper until the work is done.
I have a strict work discipline so I try not to let my emotions interfere with my work. If I need a break from a large piece, I’ll just start a smaller project until I feel the inspiration is back again.
I find reading stoic philosophy, having goals to achieve every year and making it a priority to improve every time you start a new piece definitely helps keep your mind focused.
RF: You are also an avid coin collector, what inspired or started this passion?
XC: I always enjoyed collecting stuff. I collect ancient books, letterheads, art prints, ancient jewellery... I started collecting antique coins years ago. The thing I like the most is seeing through the object the mastery and hard work of the person that was behind its creation.
Looking at antique coins, it blows my mind every time I look at the artistry and amount of detail in these. They also carry so much history with them, you get a chance to learn something new about ancient civilizations every time you discover a new coin.
I’ve spent the last decade creating drawings on paper, using a stippling technique, millions of tiny ink dots placed by hand to recreate visuals that inspire me.
RF: Do you see a relationship between art and archaeology, do you often find your passions of coin collecting and artistry colliding?
XC: Definitely! I’ve been drawing coin studies for quite some time now.
I’m now preparing a visual that would feel more artistic, including the coins in complex compositions of flowers, objects... I intend to use the coins I’ve been collecting as models for the drawing. It would be a dream of mine to prepare a show in the next decade featuring coins and drawings together, connecting history and art.
RF: Would you ever like to design a coin?
XC: Oh yes! I’d love to design one, just like they did in ancient times. All by hand, without any modern equipment. Let’s see if I can find the time in the coming years!
RF: When would you say was the real turning point in your career?
XC: I feel like my career evolved slowly but surely over the years, with a few key points. My first collaboration with the House of Dior definitely gave me more confidence when I was 24 years old. I then got more opportunities to work with brands and art collectors over the years. I’ve been extremely busy for the past 10 years so I’m excited to see where this will lead.
RF: Which are your favourite drawings to complete, coin studies, your more recent floral studies, architectural studies or the commissions?
XC: I feel like I need a good balance with all of these combined to feel fulfilled. Each subject has its advantages. The massive works like my Aurelius drawing that took 2400 hours are definitely the most rewarding drawings to produce, challenging my patience and abilities. Architecture requires extreme accuracy, with sketches that are created over weeks. The smaller drawings like the coins allow me to be more relaxed while I draw, they’re kind of a reward after spending months on large works.
RF: Do you have any thoughts or comments about the ancient artistry present on coin designs?
XC: I just love how diverse they can be, deities, animals, fruits, objects from the past...They’re quite disconnected from a monetary notion. Comparing it to contemporary coins, it feels like we completely lost the idea behind it.
RF: Is there a particular coin or era of coin that you find yourself drawn to?
XC: My favourite coins are definitely the Greek ones, the level of craftsmanship in these is insane. I love collecting Tetradrachms and I’m hoping to get my hands on a Dekadrachm in the coming years. I also recently started to collect Celtic coins, some of them are made of dot patterns so I definitely feel a connection.
I also recently started to collect Celtic coins, some of them are made of dot patterns so I definitely feel a connection.
RF: We became friends through social media, have you found that social media has played a part in your career?
XC: It indeed played a huge part in my career. Having “making of” videos getting millions of views online definitely helped being noticed by collectors. There isn’t much going on where I live in the south of France, it’s quite ideal to be focused on drawing but you don’t get to meet with many inspiring people. Most of my contacts are based in bigger cities all over the world so I get to travel a few times a year to meet with artists, designers, architects and collectors I previously met online.
RF: Do you have any questions for us?
XC: What is your favourite non-coin item you found while in the fields?
RF: A tricky one! We get so attached to the artefacts and often feel that they bring a stronger connection and story than the coin finds so to pick just one ….
Well, it has to be, at this moment in time at least, one of our most recent finds. Just because it’s been a bucket lister of ours for such a long time and finding it recently really was top drawer!
It’s our medieval horse harness pendant that still bears much of its original gold gilt. It was a sunbather just peeking up at us on the field and there is nothing better than spotting that artefact lying there for the first time, and even without digging!
XC: What would be your dream find? A rare coin, a hoard..?
RF: We feel like there are too many dream finds to list! But this year we really have our hearts set on a Gold Celtic Stater.
At the end of last year we were really feeling like we had just touched the tip of the iceberg to the Celtic side of our permission, finding two heavily debased silver units. So the gold has to be out there somewhere and this year we are finding it!
We wouldn’t turn down a hoard though of course if one were to come our way… or a Saxon penny…
XC: Are you excited for Oxford in April !!!!
RF: Absolutely Xavier bring it on! We look forward to seeing you then! Thank you for all of your wonderful answers today.
XC: Of course, I will be seeing you in April!
You can find Xavier Casalta on Instagram :
