The first time Carm Borg showed his paintings in public was way back in 1994. From then onwards he did participate in a small handful of collectives, but kept shelving his inclination to exhibit his works, for various reasons. Namely, life and a busy family and work schedule got in the way. Now, fortunately for art afficionados, he has summed up courage and time, to make space for this collection of works created over a span of several years.

It is somewhat thrilling to "discover" this artist via Trails of Colour, a number of works including very early compositions, juxtaposed alongside more contemporary paintings. And the "discovery" of this artist is so very fascinating, that I can just imagine the enthusiasm of curator Roderick Camilleri, when he started working with Borg to prepare this show. Camilleri comments: "This exhibition brings together different works pertaining to different stages and phases of Borg's artistic career. The earlier stages represent artistic concerns and explore particular genres and elements whereas recently, Carm is bringing together different artistic characteristics and topics together, blending various features pertaining to different periods into one integrated synthesis."

As soon as we meet, Borg admits he loves speed and is fascinated by it. Coming from a man who has been an avid athlete and runner in his younger years, this comes as no surprise. And so, I expected to see speed depicted in varied forms. True to this, his collection does include a painting of racehorses in action. And that of a jockey. Yet his jockey sits still upon his mount and stares back at me, the viewer, from his aloof position, in the midst of what is subtly suggested as being a jostling crowd of racing horses pre or post-race. This large painting has a tranquillity about it that engages the viewer totally and I find myself compelled to keep staring into the eyes of this anonymous horseman, sitting high amidst the quiet commotion surrounding him. Is this his meditative moment before the race starts or his inner rumination on what could have been a jubilative win?

It is essentially the portrait of a man Borg himself is unable to identify. And as I look around the collection of Borg's works, I realise that the artist is, for all intents and purposes, not the painter of speed, but the painter of stillness - a portraitist who possesses the skill of creating portraits that go beyond faces, and show us more than the sitter's countenance. Even where clowns, another favourite topic he handles, are featured, the distorted facial features are the highlight of the works. We are neatly led to believe some of these paintings are genre paintings but in actual fact, everything else beyond the actual or imaginary sitter's face, sits around as an excuse, a glorified setting to allow the sitter's features and character to shine through.

I focus on his self-portrait, one of the paintings where the approach towards portraiture is straightforward and uninterrupted by deviations. Here Borg does not look me in the eye, but allows me to note his profile, his stance as he sits in relaxed alertness, and I appreciate his tendency to rely on shades of vibrant blue and sky to excite the viewer's senses. All portraits have a translucency about them, as the artist aptly uses colour to capture light and let it shine off the sitter's face, even where chiaro scuro technique is adopted. While facial features are clear-cut and identifiable, the edges of some of the works, which are strictly portraits with nothing in between face and picture edges, tend to be faded away in swathes of colour streaks.

Curator Camilleri observes: "In the contemporary context, painting and art, in general, are morphing in various and different directions. The artworks, especially the portrait paintings of Carm Borg, present a painterly quality which is both fresh and traditional. Fresh, because they present an interpretative and spontaneous element which reminds us of modern painters who pioneered new ways, experimenting with the plastic and painterly quality of the medium. On the other hand, one can deem his approach traditional, representative of the artist's relationship with the material, process and technique. Borg can be easily placed among local talented portrait painters who hold such elements dearly as part of their creative and artistic practice."

With his determined brushstrokes of acrylic, Borg manages to showcase his transformative experimentation in detail, style and character of painting, in a fascinating way, alluring the viewer into appreciating the way his practise of painting has changed over time. Borg feels this show cannot really be called a retrospective.

Yet, since this "coming out" has been long overdue, I personally do feel that it is actually a retrospective of what lay shrouded and that it is paving the way for more to come.

'Trails of Colour', which is being held at Gemelli Art Gallery, Ta' Qali Crafts Village, will remain open to the public until 28 May. The gallery is open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 2.30pm; Saturdays 9am to 12noon