Undoubtedly, an artist who literally lives art is Nadine Micallef-Grimaud. Many times her name is associated with floral art, because during the years she became a leading exponent of this art form which, unfortunately, in Malta is not so distinguishable from the other arts.

Above all, Nadine is a versatile artist and creates all kinds of different artwork from drawing, painting, sculpture, installations, fashion, jewellery, make-up designs for films and photography.

Currently, Nadine is showing a collection of abstract paintings at the Orange Grove Art Cafè, Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa. These works are the result of continuous experimentations with layers of fluid paint and pouring methods in painting.

“Throughout these past few years, I focused mostly on experimenting with a fluid art technique. I took a glimpse at my inspiration and decided to just go all the way working whether it is right or wrong. I was drawn to the making, the painting had a life of its own and I allowed it to lead me to unknown magical territories,” says Nadine.

Although most of the artist’s abstracts are created in a spontaneous manner, she derives her inspiration from many different sources. She uses emotive colours, abstract shapes and surface textures to create visual metaphors from contemporary life.

A recurring theme which Nadine expresses in her abstract work is the shape of the snake or its derivative. Snake patterns, the water-snake, the primordial coiled snake and other circular motifs emerge in some of her paintings, executed with the same technique.

This archaic, archetypal image is considered as an energy symbol; the serpent force and the symbolic abstraction of the dynamic snake.

Psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung observed that serpents and spirals are symbols of psychological growth and the unconscious mind circling and drawn ever closer to the integrated ‘self’. Nadine says: “Serpents, cobras, pythons always fascinated me since early childhood. I wear them as part of my jewellery collection, painted them on dresses, sculpted them for abstract formation in floral competitions abroad and also love to incorporate them wherever it is possible.

“The movement of this unique reptile mystifies me, mostly for its agility and for its movement. When I look at this image I find that its curves, coiling, colour and its mysteriousness strikes a different melody with every movement.”

These images appear unconsciously to the artist while working on a painting. They emerge and pop up as if coming out of the depth of a cave. The novelty of the presentation is that light and darkness are merged into one and the excessive whimsicality is presented in brilliant colours.

Her paintings convey an art of power, energy, movement and dynamic forms

The artist strives to create a world of her own. It is a non-objective world, which is developed on the canvas during the process of creation. In Nadine’s paintings we always encounter some opening into the light. Mostly, such images are developed on the canvas following a dream, which then she incorporates into the painting space. Such non-objective works are highly charged with a spiritual content.

As the Russian artist Kandinsky stated, many times abstract art is the ideal visual mode to express an inner necessity of the artist and to convey universal human emotions and ideas. Non-objective art preserves a certain protective anonymity which is mostly personal and focuses on the artist’s private inner relationship and the absence of human references.

When we look at Nadine’s paintings what strikes us most is in the way the artist used her colours. Colour is mainly appealing because as we know in the visual arts, especially in painting, it is heavily dependent for its impact, mood and depth.

The impact of colour on the visual senses of the viewers vary from one person to another. Like the primitivist artist, Nadine expressed her beliefs, joys and sorrows through the colourful idiom of art. Kandinsky also stresses that colours have a psychic effect.

Colour is used to produce a corresponding spiritual vibration and it is only as a step towards this spiritual vibration that the elementary physical impression is of importance. It is a primitive archetype with a psychological implication.

Nadine’s art is versatile and expressed in different conditions and media. In this series of abstract paintings the artist is seeking to give importance to the creative process and media. Although her inspiration is sometimes derived from surreal imagery, Nadine takes an opposite direction and finds liberation and aesthetic refuge in non re-presentational expressions. Her paintings convey an art of power, energy, movement and dynamic forms which transcend the self.

The exhibition runs until March 3 at the Orange Grove Art Cafè, Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa, Attard.