An artistic 'travelogue'

The journey of a Maltese painter and an Irish landscape photographer through one another's homeland has resulted in a collection of landscape images and an exhibition titled Two Islands.

Isabelle Borg and Graham Cooper have mounted an exhibition of Irish and Maltese landscapes, which will be open at the upper gallery halls of St James Cavalier, Valletta, between Saturday and July 18.

Ms Borg's paintings and Mr Cooper's image manipulation of photography are used to interpret and reflect both visual similarities and disparity between the two island nations.

Both artists find similar directions through their use of contrasting processes. The different colour and tonal balances of Maltese and Irish landscapes are shown, sometimes with surprising parallels.

The work of both artists echoes their personal experience, regenerating the landscape they have seen and enjoyed, preferring to celebrate a journey with simple images.

Instead of the compulsion to make points about culture and identity, the viewer is free to share the original pleasure of discovery and recognition.

Ms Borg worked as a graphic designer at Decca Records in London before graduating in painting at the Camberwell School of Art in 1986.

She returned to Malta in 1988, gaining an MA in history of art at the University of Malta where she has taught art full-time since 1994. She then took a year off to concentrate on painting landscapes in Ireland. She has had numerous solo exhibitions in Malta and abroad.

Mr Cooper, who is also a computer graphic artist, is an established photographer with over 25 years of professional experience.

After graduating from Eastbourne College of Art and Design he worked with Decca Record Co. as a creative photographer. When based in London his varied clients spanned international advertising and the British Music Industry.

Since returning to Ireland in 1992 he has set up his own company specialising in a mixture of creative skills in photography and computer image manipulation, producing high quality design work and digital images for clients in Co. Cork and beyond. His work has been on display in numerous exhibitions.