The well-built special assignment policeman held the stainless steel teaspoon in his chunky fingers and delicately tipped salt mixed with powder paint onto a wooden frame.
As Constable Daniel Scerri, an established artist, focused his attention on the painstaking process, the image of Jesus Christ started to materialise on the board.
"The first step is to cover a tray in white salt and then level it out, making it smooth. The scene's outline is then engraved with a pointed object before mixing more salt with paint and sprinkling it over the base," he said.
Together with Sergeant Mario Ebejer, Constable Mario Muscat, and John Camoin, Constable Scerri has spent the past weeks preparing for this year's Holy Week exhibition at the police headquarters, which attracts thousands of visitors every year.
"Last year, so many people came that we could not let them in all at once. As a result, we had a queue running outside the depot and around the corner," Sergeant Ebejer said.
"Schools also pencil the exhibition into their calendars and institutes that care for orphans follow suit," he added.
Opening this weekend, its attraction includes the pictures depicting scenes from the passion, made from 300 kilograms of table salt.
While Sergeant Ebejer, Constable Scerri and Mr Camoin poured over their pictures, Constable Muscat was busy turning miscellaneous everyday objects into themed static displays.
A close look at his works revealed Roman soldiers' armour and weapons made of recycled cardboard, newspapers, tissues and polystyrene cups and plates, among others.
Overall, the exhibition, which will be accompanied by an audio narration, will be divided into four parts, including a Last Supper table, a static display, three life-size crucifixes and a tomb.
The exhibition will be inaugurated on Friday and opens to the public between Saturday and Easter Sunday.
From Saturday to March 31, it will be open from 8 a.m. to noon and 5 to 8.30 p.m.
On April 1, it will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight, on Good Friday from 8 a.m. onwards and on Easter Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon and 5 to 8.30 p.m.
The exhibition is curated by Superintendent Raymond Vella Gregory and held on the initiative of Commissioner John Rizzo.