Cards full of love

Artist to hold Valentine card-making workshop

There is never an end to artistic attainment for Tanya Micallef who is a versatile art teacher, painter, guitarist and voracious reader pursuing the study of history of art. As the Valentine season for expression of feelings draws near, she has turned her imagination towards the making of Valentine cards, each a unique piece of art.

Micallef will hold a Valentine card-making workshop on Saturday at the NBM Arts & Crafts centre from 9.30am to 11.30am.

Trinkets and bookmarks with a little heart made of moulding clay and other small gift items made by her will be on display at the exhibition today. "You get people who are excited over Valentine's Day and also others who are not.

For me it is important from a designer's and artistic point of view. I am fond of working out different designs on paper with colours," says Micallef, who also makes cards for other occasions. She is especially busy during the Christmas season.

For Valentine cards Micallef enjoys putting unusual colours like pink, orange and purple together, rather than red and white. She also feels that if you care about a person, you would like saying something in your own words.

So in her cards she makes space for the personal touch. Some are three-dimensional. No two cards are the same. They have a sort of early Sixties and Seventies flair, which is because Micallef is deeply interested in the works of artists from that period – her favourite being Austrian artist Klimt.

Micallef has been inspired by Klimt's works. They are a mixture of realistic works combined with designs. She loves to paint nature, flowers, trees and also the human form, but not faces. She combines various forms with designs and adds rich and bright colours to her works. She also teaches in other mediums like watercolours, oil painting and acrylic works.

"If I was working for myself I would only paint," she says. "I have been interested in art ever since I can remember. Most artists depict war, sadness, depression and conflict of the mind, but to me art is something that is beautiful and should inspire beauty and bring joy to your life, not sadness."

Micallef enjoys teaching art. She has a degree in fine arts and comes from Cape Town, in South Africa. She went to the university on a scholarship. She feels that it does not matter if her students do not have the talent for art, it can be cultivated.

What is important is interest in learning and dedication to work. She teaches art to children aged four and above at her studio. She finds that they have amazing imagination as they don't have the boundaries that adults have.

"You are told that the sky has to be blue and the grass must be green, but for children it is not like that."

Micallef also does decoupage, which is a very old French art form where you work with paper and varnishes. She finds time to play music on her guitar for she feels that playing and listening to music brings peace to the soul and calms the mind.

"When you are in a state of calm and peace, you paint better. You block out all the worries of the world and you can just sit and be yourself."