Artist demonstrates his 'other side'

Expressionist artist James Vella Clark is presenting an intimate collection of drawings and studies at B'Art Gallery in Amery Street, Sliema.

"I have been toying with the idea of displaying some of my studies and drawings for a long time. People know me for my landscapes and, more recently, for my abstract works, but few know this other side."

Mr Vella Clark is using the intimate space of B'Art Gallery to show "an intimate side of my art". Alongside his drawings, which also include some self-portraits, he is exhibiting a few small paintings that reflect the type of work he will be presenting at his next solo exhibition at St James Cavalier, in Valletta, in November.

Since his last one-man show, almost three years ago, Mr Vella Clark has seen his art change "drastically", and he maintains that some of the works in the exhibition attest to his shift in style.

"My art has become very human. But I'm not concerned with the humanity of others. I am only concerned with my own personal humanity and conveying aspects of it," the artist explained in a recent interview on the artistic forum artissa.com.

More subdued colours are now a principle feature of most of his more recent works - especially the use of blacks, whites and greys. They are part of the process of his evolution as an artist, but are also in line with the experiences that are shaping him, he maintains.

"Subdued colours do not effectively represent a negative trait, but are more an opportunity to seek beauty where it is least expected," he believes.

The exhibition will remain open until the end of this month.

www.jamesvellaclark.com.