Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/758493
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2016 40 This Week Four years ago it gave us joy in spring by nesting here for the first time, but the blackcap remains essentially a winter bird for Malta. Come October we start hearing those short chacks coming from shrubbery and trees around us, which means that blackcaps are gently announcing their arrival and, hopefully, their intention of spending the winter. They are small and shy birds, spending their day skulking among foliage looking for bugs and berries. The blackcap (M: kapinera) couldn't be better named: it's mostly grey and nondescript, except for the neat black skullcap characteristic of the male of this species. His lady has a matching cap, but hers is brown. Blackcaps are woodland birds, so places like Buskett and Foresta 2000 are good spots to look out for them, but a modest garden with some good thick vegetation will also attract blackcaps. Especially if there's a nicely stocked bird table. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 438: HANG DRY: Get a clothesline or rack to dry your clothes by the air. Your wardrobe will maintain colour and fit, and you'll save money. Your favourite t-shirt will last longer too. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text Victor Falzon Photo Aron Tanti 535. BLACKCAP EU's Land Footprint - Recommendations for policy makers (continued) Develop a monitoring framework that includes, from a life-cycle perspective, the core resource input categories of land, water and materials, plus the output category of greenhouse gas emissions: In order to capture a holistic picture of the EU's quantitative resource use, environmental load and possible shifts of environmental pressures related to domestic production or consumption to other countries and world regions. Reduce the use of land resources outside of Europe for non-food purposes, in particular the phasing out of first-generation feedstock for EU bioenergy. Promote the reduction of livestock farming in the EU and the growth of crop production for direct human consumption, e.g. protein crops such as The bark of time TEODOR RELJIC speaks to painter Jeni Caruana about her new exhibition Arbor Vitae, which taps into her long-running fascination with trees as a metaphor for life What have been some favour- ite subjects for your art over the years, and how have your inter- ests evolved over time? Trees have always figured as a favourite motif in my work. I find that as a subject they inspire me to create both figurative and more abstract work. In my current ex- hibition, I have also written texts and poems to accompany the paintings, which has inspired me further. Trees have always held deep metaphorical and symbolic meanings for mankind, through- out the world and across cultures. My first painting in the exhibition is taken from the 'Tree of Life' pattern painted on the ceiling of the Oracle Chamber in the Hal- Saflieni Hypogeum. From there I explore many different meanings and interpretations on the subject of trees. I tend to work in series of paintings. Other recurring themes have been the Jazz festival and other 'live' paintings, the pre- historic temples and nudes. Was the natural world also part of this? Given that your upcoming exhibition focuses on trees, what in particular in- spires you about them? The natural world has always in- spired me. Trees are a great meta- phor for life – they generally have much longer life spans than we do, which I find fascinating when working with them. Through them we can connect to the both the past and the future. Art is a form of meditation, in that it can take you into an altered state of consciousness quite easily. In that state, we are more aware of what our senses are picking up. Trees are great subjects to fo- cus on for this kind of in-depth contemplation. Imagining that we have roots like theirs, maybe feeling that we can travel down through those roots to ground ourselves, can help us to feel more stable in our – sometimes unpredictable – lives. Identifying with the strong but flexible trunk of the tree can give us feelings of great resilience and fortitude. Reaching up to the skies through the branches and leaves can help us feel expan- sive and connected to something greater than ourselves. Apart from the thematic (read: environmental) relevance of focusing on trees for your art, what are the technical pleasures you get from illustrating them, as an artist? In this exhibition in particular, I have included many different ap- proaches and methods of work- ing, different media and effects. The tree motif lends itself to this very well. I usually begin my work on site, using watercolours as they are not only convenient outside, they also have an organ- ic unpredictability which I find inspiring. In the studio, I often push the paintings into various other media, acrylics, collage, ink; whatever seems to be 'right' at the time. How do you think art can help to raise awareness and inspire action against environmental devastation, and what do you make of the local scenario in this regard? I do hope that art can help raise awareness of how des- perately we need to care about the Maltese environment. This exhibition focuses on how im- portant trees are to human life – we would simply not be able to breathe at all without trees. I am including text with each paint- ing highlighting various aspects of trees and their vital role in our well-being. Holding the exhibition in the Majjistral Nature and History Park in Ghajn Tuffieha is the most perfect setting. The Park is the only protected area of natural land in Malta. The three NGOs which govern it (Din l-Art Helwa, Nature Trust and the Gaia Foun- dation) are doing an excellent job with limited funding. They host school visits and educational talks in the Visitor's Centre, and guid- ed walks in the Park itself. The centre is situated in the old British barracks, and the man- agement have excellent plans for their renovation and rehabilita- tion into a centre for environ- mental studies. All they need is the funding, which I hope will be forthcoming very soon, as it's such a worthwhile and necessary project. What's next for you? I continue to teach regularly, which I really enjoy. Last Octo- ber I took a group of six students painting in Trapani, which was huge fun, so I am planning to do that again next spring. Other than that, goodness knows! Every time I do an exhibition I say I'll never do it again It's a lot of work and very stressful, and it stops me painting. But here I am doing it again – and now that it's up and looking so lovely in the Centre, I am very glad I did! Arbor Vitae will remain on dis- play at the Majjistral Nature and History Park, Ghajn Tuffieha until December 16 from 10:00 to 15:00 daily. For updates on activi- ties related to the exhibition, log on to its Facebook page: http://bit. ly/2gLVUtb and to find out more about Jeni Caruana and her work, log on to: www.jenicaruana.com Blue Tree Cypress Jeni Caruana