This captain's lady is at it again. Alexia Coppini's skill at capturing the play of seawater is on display in her 13th solo exhibition to date. This time round, her works, 22 oil paintings in all, are on show within the suggestive setting of Casa Ellul Boutique Hotel in Valletta, until the end of January.

Asked about her choice of venue Alexia explains: "I love this 300-year-old Victorian house. My works are displayed here on the ground floor, distributed elegantly around this entire space. It gives an idea of how my paintings look in an old home with a contemporary look."

Why "Lull"? Alexia smiles at the question" "There's been a lull in my usual annually held art exhibitions, since the last time I exhibited was two years ago. The lull also refers to the calming and mostly serene quality of this collection, and 'lull' as in Ellul, referring to the venue's name."

Indeed these mostly largish paintings show seascapes at their quietest, with a lot of night scenes rendered that much more dramatic thanks to suggestive light quality, the presence of caves and phantom-like sails, cavernous spaces and softness throughout. Coppini has delved into a detailed observation of the moon, its light, its reflections, the way it illuminates night seas and how night-time seawater movement looks, so diverse from its morning motions.

Such an intense study starts with the painting Lull, an idyllic night scene of moon, cloud and water. Quite similar but rather more colourful is Moondance. Nocturne, Rain and Stellar hone in on the moon in full, partial or veiled view. The Louise is a suggestively haunting image of a lonesome sail at sea, rendered even more daunting in two diverse representations - Wonders and Lady Malta. A play of chiaroscuro is utilised in Gentle Giants and Nocturne with a surprising reddish tinge in Stromboli.

"The fact that I live on a vantage point just across the road from the sea, with an expansive view to observe, day and night, through the four seasons, helps me immensely and gives scope to my work. These paintings are intended for observation from a distance because that is the way I observe the sea and that is the way one can really appreciate such play of colours as are used in my paintings.  My discovery of the way water trundles through dark caves has helped me observe another, and for me, new perspective of the sea."

 'Lull' - an exhibition of paintings by Alexia Coppini is open at Casa Ellul, Old Theatre Street, Valletta, until 31 January. For more information visit www.alexiacoppini.com