Nickie Sultana's fourth solo exhibition

Nickie Sultana's fourth solo exhibition since her first seven years ago features a variety of styles - from still lifes to semi-abstracts and her trademark 'nature' paintings - showing various aspects of life and showing the artist's subtle evolution.

The use of "lots of colour and paint" is still there, but Nickie feels she has more of a scrutinising and finicky eye for detail, sharpening her focus on technique.

"I look at my work over and over again and keep on touching up," she said.

The exhibition, which is untitled because it is so varied, is being held until the end of the month at Portomaso's Cleland & Souchet. It includes 14 oil-on-canvas works, which she created over a period of six months.

"Initially, I intended to focus on nature. But, along the way, I was so inspired to do personal abstract paintings, which portrayed my state of mind, whether positive, or negative."

In a moody moment, Nickie created Is there an answer?, composed of "dizzy" concentric patterns and infinite lines.

Another modern, semi-abstract, Window of Life, shows that "wherever you go, you are surrounded by people, meaning you are never alone and always safe. Of course, others could interpret that differently".

Nickie is pleased that her works struck different people in different ways. Volume, for example, has been viewed as a dome, sound waves, a cone and even toffee.

Nickie stresses the spontaneity of her work: "I just paint. Then I look at the end result and decide whether I like what I see, or not. I like it when my work is more than just a photograph, with a deeper meaning; when it has depth, both visually and mentally, as well as colour."

The movement in her abstract works, particularly Spiral, could be inspired by the fact that she is a dancer. With creation running through her veins, Nickie even teaches modern jazz, as well as art.

The exhibition's pièce de résistance seems to be a mellow and barren landscape, which depicts "rebirth" through the presence of water after a forest fire.

"I could not name it because it evoked too many emotions. I do not plan my works, so sometimes they remain nameless."

Nickie's nature paintings - somewhat different from her more abstract works - have a Maltese feel about them, particularly the prickly pears in flower, while a field of sunflowers was inspired by the Balluta valley, recently in bloom.

The deep floral landscapes are "very me", she says, and, for the moment, Nickie intends to focus on her nature forms, rather than her abstract paintings, which she plans to elaborate on in the future.

Meanwhile, she will be attending an art course in Belgrade next year.