Seasonal moods captured in art calendar

A collection of paintings by James Vella Clark depicting the beauty of Malta's landscape, towns and church steeples are set to brighten the year with the launch of a 2006 calendar.

The calendar, which depicts 13 of his latest works, is the result of collaboration between the artist, Duplex Real Estate Branding and Sierra Holdings.

The calendar cover features Fawwara, one of the artist's favourite and most inspirational spots on the island.

On weekends, Mr Vella Clark roams the villages and the countryside capturing the landscape in his memory and transfers it onto canvas in the evening.

"The typical village skyline is the most inspiring factor, which consequently finds its way onto my canvas. Then it's the choice of colours, the technique and the effects that determine the mood of a painting," he said.

The artist allows the magic of every season to set the mood so his paintings can portray the open black skies before a rainstorm or the sun setting on a village.

The calendar reflects the commitment of Duplex Real Estate Branding and Sierra Holdings to support the growth of the local arts scene. Duplex Real Estate Branding is a design, marketing and property sales management company formed by a group of marketing and design professionals who came together to meet an existing demand in the real estate market.

Sierra Holdings is a group of companies working in aviation, travel and high-end real estate in Malta and overseas. It operates offices in Malta and The Netherlands.

The two came together to present this art calendar. Among the works included are paintings that have been exhibited by the artist in last year's solo exhibitions in Germany and Holland as well as some of the artist's most recent works, previously never shown in public.

"Last year was very busy, a year full of artistic activity, starting from a personal show here in Malta last January, which was followed by exhibitions in Berlin, Germany, Kampen in Holland and in Melbourne, Australia," he said.

"I consider this calendar to be the best way to close off a rewarding year and an exciting way to start what seems to be another busy new one ahead," Mr Vella Clark added.

Although he has no exhibitions planned to date, Mr Vella Clark has just started working on new material, which reflects a new concept and a new direction in his style.

"This new direction is in fact apparent in some of the works that have been chosen for inclusion in this calendar," he said.