Claire Attard Vella


Claire Attard Vella is a multi-talented artist and fashion model from Saint Julian’s. “Art is who she is”, Claire says, “the rest is simply was she does”.

Salvador Dali is her favourite artist and, although Attard Vella’s style is very different, occasionally there’s a twist of surrealism in there.

Her own creations are known for being adventurous and offering a variety of styles and media.

Attard Vella’s early works encompassed mainly water colours abstracts. But in later years Claire started to use oils and acrylics on canvas and at times also on wood, including instruments and furniture, qualifying her almost instantly for the Bettija’rt contest.

Her paintings are very versatile, ranging from landscapes to portraiture, still-life paintings, semi-abstract landscapes, abstracts and female nudes. The artist’s oeuvre tends to portray a whirlwind of joyful, bright coloured, amusing compositions.

Attard Vella accepts commissions, has exhibited throughout Malta and painted live throughout a weekly TV show. One of the things she is proudest of is a mural she painted for the town of Fara San Martino near Rome in Italy. This time, Claire faces off with a barrique - a bettija’rt is born!


“Secret Garden”

by Claire Attard Vella

Art is often accomplished in a state of surrender and simply arrives in a rather mysterious way, with no clear direction from the artist. This makes it often irrelevant or impossible to explain it to the viewer.

When asked to describe her bettija’rt, Claire teases: “Tell me what you see; it is all up to you and I don’t impose anything on you other than that”.

Once an artwork is “born”, it’s out of the artist’s hands and enters the world to grow into its own, mature life. It will have thousands, even millions of explanations, of lives. Every single person who sees it will give it another one – and each of those are valid. No rights, no wrongs, no absolutes.

The ten artist finalists for this year’s 2019 Bettija’rt | wine.art.living are Joseph Barbara, Claire Attard Vella, David Xuereb, Caroline Said Lawrence, Carmel Bonello, Zack Ritchie, Francis Galea, Priscilla Gatt, Donald Camilleri and Sara Pace.

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