Like most artists, Rebecca knew she had a touch for the brush in her at a young age. She explored it and went on to study art for A-level. But as she got older, she decided to keep this passion at a side to take a more serious route. She decided to take up law.

'I pursued law and sat for a masters in human rights. Still, I continued painting and this nagging idea of someday taking up a masters in art kept popping up in my head.'

It was the down-time, that was forced upon us all, of the coronavirus, that really set Rebecca on the artistic trail.

'August 2020, I decided to launch my art page. This was in the middle of covid-19 and I did it just for me. I had no intention of selling or to take this up full-time. But then I started to show my work to friends, and together with my family, they encouraged me to start sharing my work.'

She spoke to a friend who helped her build a website to showcase her colorful portfolio; a point of reference for Rebecca and her art.

'In a sense, covid-19 was good for me. I was studying and working on my art. I had a bit too much on my plate. So the stillness of the pandemic sort of helped. It was a time when, I guess like most, I realized how life can change in an instant, and that life is too short. Looking back I'd say it was covid that really pushed me out of my comfort zone.'

Her newly-set up website got an amazing response and Rebecca finally had the artistic outlet, as she described it - this newly found ability to express herself. She would later have time to reflect on the words she had chosen earlier - that life is too short and how things change in an instant.

"I was enjoying having this outlet of art. The website received a very good response. By January of 2021, I decided to focus full-on on art. It was always there, but it took some courage to actually move into it full on.'

If you are feeling like there's a 'but' somewhere, it's because there is.

'That same year, my father got diagnosed with cancer. It was 15 March when my family got the news. This kind of turned things upside down. Also, despite the fact that I was selling, I did not have a solid, stable income.'

At this point, Rebecca decided to join JRS Malta, a humanitarian NGO that works in advocacy for migrants and refugees. When asked if she feels more of an artist than lawyer, Rebecca confidently replies that she thinks of herself more as an artist.

"I like to say I have a double personality, not in a bad way. When I'm day dreaming, I think about art. But I feel like when I'm with people, I am there, present. I am a lawyer twice a week, the rest is all dedicated to art. But truly, I don't feel like I need to pigeon-hole myself into one title.'

Despite her human rights lawyering job being demanding, painting still remains a dominant element in Rebecca's life.

"I have been planning to do this exhibition since I was a child. My mum paints, so I remember when she did her first exhibition, I was around 13. I remember saying I would like to do that one day. That stuck with me. So in more than one way, this is a dream come true for me."

"I am also very proud of myself because I am doing it on something that really draws me to the arts - abstract art. Abstract gives you a way to put emotions on canvas. That's where I let my emotions go."

There's one particular painting, Rebecca explained, that still makes her cry everytime she sees it. It's a painting she worked on the day she found out that her father had cancer.

Rebecca's debut exhibition will be called Enlightenment. As she explains it, for her, it signifies the glorification of the good moments in life.

"The use of gold leaf on the paintings is a metaphor for this. Gold, colour and light, against a backdrop of trepidation. The good moments, shining through the bad, especially those moments I've lived through in the past two years."

Rebecca's art is as abstract as it gets. Its main focus is texture and experimentation with colour, light and shadow.

"Each colour palette and brush stroke brings forward this change in style. I like bright colours, but I tend to get drawn to the blues. For me it's a calming colour, perhaps for some it's a sad colour."

As her father was getting better, her paintings morphed into a slightly different shade and the artist used different colours. The planet, global warming and issues we face today are all major influences for her.

"For me, certain colours remind me of the earth. Gold and yellow, very typical of summer, so is the green in spring."

Rebecca Cassar's debut exhibition will be held between 5 and 26 January at the Malta Society of Arts Palazzo de la Salle, in Valletta.