Up-and-coming Maltese artist Christine Porter Lofaro will be presenting 23 of her works in her first ever solo exhibition, taking place throughout October.

Titled ‘Essence’, this show comprises 23 paintings (22 oil and one acrylic) that truly blur the line between reality and imagination. Christine’s incredible attention to detail will easily fool viewers into mistaking her paintings for photographs.

‘Essence’ reflects Christine’s thought processes as she explored the titular word and eventually distilled her observations of objects and humans into intricate works that draw the viewers into her reality.

The artist explained that her preferred medium is oils on board, particularly because of oils’ “luscious quality.”

“Due to their slow-drying nature, I can take all the time I need to work on my pieces. The realistic style is very intricate and time-consuming because I have to build up the paintings slowly through many layers, and closely observe the little details in the subjects that I’m painting,” Christine said.

“The next step [after preparing initial sketches] is to get the props or to contact people to pose as my sitters, and I then take many photos myself, or I collaborate with photographers. Once I’m happy with enough reference photos, I source the particular wood I need, seal it, and coat it with a primer,” she continued.

This seemingly simple process “sometimes takes a whole week,” the artist said.

“Once the panes are ready to paint on, I will lightly draw some anchor points and start with the first paint layer. Several other layers are built up slowly until I consider the painting done. Later on, the paintings are varnished and framed,” Christine added.

Curator Charlene Calleja described how Christine’s works draw the viewers into the artist’s reality but leave room for their own interpretation. This, Charlene said, is what makes Christine’s work so engaging.

“As a viewer, you are led into a different reality and almost forget that this is not a real object or person, but a fictitious scene from the artist’s imagination. Apart from being beautifully executed, there is also an underlying message in each of the works,” the curator continued.

“Christine is exploring the essence of things, but you could also say she is exploring the essence of life itself, with all its joys and sorrows,” she added.

Essence is on until 27th October at the Art Galleries of the Malta Society of Arts’ Palazzo de La Salle. The exhibition is open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 7pm and on Saturdays between 9am and 1pm. Entrance is free.