Over the next weeks, Art..e Gallery in Gozo's Victoria, is presenting Horizons, a series of paintings of sea, sky and the Gozitan landscape by Maltese-born artist Bob Cardona.
As a small child Bob lived in St Paul's Bay where he swam, drew and played with family and friends in the street. At six, however, he moved to the UK with his parents and there, having first studied fine arts, he enjoyed a successful career as a graphic and interior designer. It wasn't until seven years ago, on returning to Malta and settling in Gozo, that he began painting professionally: he teams careful composition and brilliant colours with a gentle expressive realism, a warm and relaxed nature and, often, a touch of the quirky.
"It was interesting coming back to the familiar country and climate," says Cardona. "I felt that I saw everything with such fresh eyes. The islands are known for the intense light which makes the colours around us so vivid, and the brilliant blues of the sea and the sky and of course, I'm inspired by these."
"However, although I love to paint landscapes, rather than simply choosing popular romanticised vistas, I prefer to focus instead on something that's less celebrated yet just as striking. Because it is more unusual, it's more interesting!"
Horizons is a collection of beautiful luminescent paintings that capture spectacular seas in dazzling blues and extraordinary skies that hint at the power of nature, the strength of the sun and the latent force of water.
"I enjoy the challenge of capturing the weather," smiles Bob, and on these golden walls you can see the heat of the day as the sun sets red over Xewkija in a view from Nadur; the wind on the sea and the distortion of the water as it hits the rocks and scatters the shimmering light; and a rainbow caught in the spray on a windy day at Xwejni Bay. Alongside, there's a distant Fungus Rock seen from the adjacent Dwejra hilltop and the silhouette of a towering Giant Fennel head on the sweeping road down to the Inland Sea, the vast sky behind it a mass of dark blue and yellow cloud formations up-lit by the dazzling light of an afternoon on Gozo's western edge. A luzzu that lies idle beneath a fiery sky in Marsaxlokk, is the only painting that takes the viewer across the Channel to Malta.
The exhibition also includes a painting of a swim ladder - as seen in Għar Qawqla - which is perhaps becoming a signature motif for Bob. "These ladders are an underrated Maltese icon," he grins. "They're so simple and every day and yet they mean so much! They shout summertime and evoke the joy of a sunny day, the promise of the cool water on a hot August day and the simplicity of childhood too. And people connect instantly with the swim ladder. Everyone has their regular places they visit along the coast. I'll paint a ladder in an out of the way spot, and despite this, some people will still know instantly where it is because it's a favourite spot for them."
"Also, as swim ladders become weathered by the sun and salt over the season and start to decay which gives the lower part of the rails an incredible rusty patina and texture which contrasts with the timeless blues and gold of the landscape and reminds us of the power of the elements. I try never to lose sight of that in my work."
Cardona: Horizons runs at Art..e Gallery in Victoria, Gozo from 3 to 23 June.