Born in Malta, Mario moved to Melbourne in 1955 to live with his family permanently in Australia. He develpoped a keen interest in art in his teenage years but pursued it only as a hobby for decades, while working full-time and being a father to his three children. As a self-taught artist, he dabbled and experimented a little with watercolours and acrylic paints and enjoyed sketching with pastels and charcoal over the years, but his favourite medium is oils. 

Now retired for the past few years, Mario has taken up painting in oils on a more full-time basis. Currently, he focuses mainly on still life and everyday objects, challenging himself to effectively capture light, shade and tonal contrasts and to create his own distinctive, recognisable style.