Carpe Tempus is local artist Joanne Fenech Portelli's latest solo art exhibition. The title indicates the importance of seizing the time when painting en plein air, making the most of the time available to the artist to capture the essence of the moment which is unrepeatable at any other given time, thus the paintings becoming part of the artist's life like a diary.
This exhibition encapsulates Joanne's plein air painting in the last couple of years, some of them dating back to Covid times, when plein air painting was a source of escapism and solace for the artist. One can find work from plein air festivals she attended during Covid times as well, because art cannot be stopped and the artist cannot stop creating, not even during tough times.
During the last two years, Joanne has attended various plein air painting events, like the Noordwijk Schilderfestival in Holland in July of 2021, where she painted outdoors daily alongside international artists. The following year, in September 2022, the artist participated in a painting week in Surrey and London with a group of British artists, coincidentally during the week of the late Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, where she got to experience firsthand painting the people queuing to pay their respect on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Last July saw Fenech Portelli participating in the 10th edition of Paint Out Norfolk painting festival and competition where above 200 artists were taking part in a 10-day festival. In August, Joanne was also chosen from a public art call to participate in the Summer Academy of Cisnadioara in Romania for two weeks as a representative artist from Malta, where she painted en plein air and participated in painting and sculpture workshops with renowned artists. These experiences have all been a growing positive experience in Fenech Portelli's artistic journey. The artist will also be including paintings from her personal family vacations mainly in Italy and in Poland. Apart from paintings done abroad, the exhibition will also feature local paintings from Malta and Gozo, and a couple of studio paintings which have emerged from plein air studies.
Joanne's artworks vary from paintings done by daytime, and others done by nighttime, nocturnes. She will also showcase Cyanotype prints done in Romania.
Carpe Tempus will run from 1 to 16 November at Palazzo Ferreria in Republic Street, Valletta. Entrance is free from Monday to Saturday between 8.30am and 7pm and Sunday from 8.30am to 6pm.
This exhibition is supported by The Ministry of Social Policy and Children's Rights, Dolceria Appettitosa, Pavi Pama, ILab Photo, Galea's Art, Malta Wings Co Ltd and Vee Gee Bee Art.
For more information one can visit the artist's social media pages entitled Joanne Fenech Portelli Fine Art