You may picture them as being chalk and cheese: Joe, flashy in his acrylic coats of many colours, and Christiane, the understated horse-whisperer watercolorist with a penchant for painstaking reproduction of every detail as true as possible to the real-life model. Yet,on Monday 12th they are launching a week-long joint exhibition at the John Mackintosh Hall.

What brought them together, you might ask? Simply their love for Gibraltar’s quaint landscapes, however artistically filtered, and the consideration that their diametrically opposite styles actually complement each other well, enhancing each other’s personality and poetics thank to their most obvious contrast.

A reputable local personality who needs no introduction to either artists or lobbyists, Joe Caruana acknowledges that it is indeed constructive for two painters, without a close family or academic relationship, to ‘merge’ their artwork in a single exhibition, whereas Gibraltarian artists usually tend to either claim the limelight one at the time or fade away in multiple competitive displays. They generally eschew casual associations with one colleague, fearing perhaps potential antagonism and reciprocal out-staging.

Christiane Fagan, at her third exhibition in Gibraltar, offers a collection of twenty, relatively small, framed watercolours, some new and some previously exhibited, mostly focusing on her first love, horses, but also dipping into the British finest tradition of pretty landscapes without disdaining architectural challenges such as monumental landmarks. Her piece de resistance will be an aerial view of the Rock with candytuft shrubs in the foreground, a loving portrait of Gibraltar’s own botanic icon. Moreover, history is her forte - remember her Nelson-in-the-barrel calendar exploit for Trafalgar’s bicentenary? - and she’s got some surprises up her sleeve, like the close-up of a cannon recently put on public display, and memorabilia of King’s Bastion crowned in barbed wire, before it was renovated to produce the new leisure centre.

Christiane will also sell a selection of limited edition prints (maximum 12 for each original) to make her signature drawings more affordable and meet the demand, since her picturesque and elegant depictions of steeds and uniforms have quite a number of high-profile fans in town!

Joe Caruana, on the other hand, loves to ‘super-size’ his work, both in dimensions and in colour. Acrylics are the congenial medium to paint “everything but portraits,” as he defines his pictorial interests, with the outcome of bold sceneries with vivid blocks that seem to burst right off the canvas. Marinas, boats and yachts are his playground for the tricks of light and reflections in the water, but architectural and natural views, such as his ‘tiled’ dramatic impression of the clifftop city of Ronda, appeal to his brush as much as wild animals, exotic birds and romantic summer fields dotted in poppies. Most of the forty paintings Joe is exhibiting are originals, but he is jumping on the bandwagon of technology to produce a handful of ‘Photoart’ pictures, a quite new concept for the local artistic scene. Digitally retouched photographs of either his paintings or snapshots of animals are printed on canvas, often in large dimensions, and then enriched with manually added brush strokes.

This way, Joe is able to replicate the same painting in various dimensions to adapt to buyers’ requests, and at the same time keep them unique by embellishing each and every one in a different way, so that no two prints from the same picture will be exact copies.

Look out for Joe’s grandest opus - and the one closest to his heart: the painting inspired by the Book of Revelations’ short but poignant description of St. John’s vision of Heaven from his prison cell: a throne surrounded by twenty-four lights, the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel, with the colours and fire of precious gemstones.

And what a surprise when, some time after having painted it, Joe leafed through an illustrated magazine’s feature on the Holy Land’s churches and spotted a very similar interpretation of the sameBible extract that had been frescoed centuries ago by a famous Italian Master! Unaware of it, Joe had independently captured the apocalyptic essence in true maestro style...

Gibraltar and its jewels remain Joe’s favourite theme: the northern Rock face, encrusted in seashells, sand, and populated by over a hundred seagulls, is a labour of love in homage to his homeland. If you’re still sceptical about the apparent awkward juxtaposition of Joe and Christiane’s aesthetics as centrepieces for your foyer, boardroom or lounge walls, prepare to be disproved by a sneaky peek at what to expect from this exhibition, by visiting the artists’ websites: www.joecaruanaart.com, www.britishgibraltar.com and www.detailart.com, where you can find contacts to arrange convenient private views.

Do you look for excitement in a sport? Want to get the adrenaline flowing and give yourself a thrill? Then the sport for you might be skydiving, freefalling from a plane flying at up to 15,000 feet.

This sport is enjoying increasing interest worldwide, with many thousands of people taking part in skydiving activities, ranging from solo skydives to skydives linking up to 400 people. Skydiving grew out of parachuting, an activity originally practiced by military personnel or used in an emergency when a plane is going to crash, although parachuting in itself is now a minority competitive sport and is sometimes demonstrated in air displays.

Skydiving starts like conventional parachuting with a jump from the aircraft, but instead of activating the parachute as soon as safely possible, skydivers will freefall for a period before they activate their parachute, which will slow down their rate of fall through the air. Whilst freefalling, the skydiver can reach speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, and, by manipulating the body, can generate turns, forward and backward motion, and even lift, although one thing the skydiver can’t do is to go back up! A falling sensation is generally not felt as the resistance of the air provides a feeling of weight and direction. When the full falling speed is reached the sensation is like you are pushing against a hard wind. Of course, the skydiver must open the parachute sufficiently high enough so that they can slow down enough to land safely! The minimum height at which the experienced skydiver would open their parachute is at around 2000 feet, with an altimeter being carried to let divers know when they have reached the height at which to deploy the parachute. Once the parachute is open the skydiver can control the direction and speed of the fall through the use of steering lines, which are manipulated by handgrips attached to the parachute, and with practice the skydiver can enjoy several minutes of flying through the air almost like a bird. Skydiving is a sport that needs to be properly taught, and new skydivers will make their first jump with a trained and experienced instructor, or jumpmaster. The jumpmaster will hold proper qualifications in the teaching of skydiving and will be a highly experienced parachutist, with many thousands of jumps to his or her credit. After basic training in safety skills, the new skydiver is ready to go aloft to experience their first skydive. The novice skydiver and the jumpmaster will exit the plane in the form of a tandem skydive, when the jumpmaster will help the novice to jump out of the plane safely into the proper stable freefall position.

An alternate method is for two jumpmasters to exit the plane with the novice skydiver between them; this is known as the accelerated freefall method. Once airborne, the jumpmaster will assist the novice to maintain the correct position facing the ground and will demonstrate how to move or turn in any direction whilst remaining in the stable position. When the optimum height is reached the jumpmaster will activate and control the parachute so that a safe landing is achieved.

With training and experience the novice skydiver will gain confidence and will be able to jump without fear, experiencing the satisfaction of mastering aerial skills and carrying out increasingly complicated manoeuvres, although the most important skill is, of course, how to land safely! Landing safely means avoiding injury and landing where planned, taking into account the wind conditions at the time of the jump. However, these are skills that will be taught by the jumpmaster, who will ensure that the novice is experienced before allowing solo jumps. Like in any sport, there are risks involved in skydiving, but as with any extreme sport the safety factor is enhanced by good training, experience and skill, and the experienced skydiver will be able to enjoy a thrilling sport.

So, how can you get to experience this adrenaline-rich activity? Well, we are within easy reach of Seville airport, which has facilities for skydiving and parachuting and a good choice of training schools with instructors trained by the British Parachuting Association. The cost is surprisingly reasonable, and complete educational packages can be had at a discount; groups of five or more people are also entitled to discounts. All equipment for safe and enjoyable skydiving is stocked by the skydiving school, with suitable clothing for what can be a very cold activity and the most suitable type of parachute for the skydiver’s level of ability. New skydivers will generally feel more comfortable with a larger size of parachute, graduating to a smaller and more responsive parachute as skill grows. Skydiving equipment is of necessity sturdy and will last for years, although all equipment must be checked at regular intervals to ensure that it is in good condition.

Local people have already taken part in this exciting sport, with several businesses having treated their staff to a skydiving day at Seville airport - a good occasion for a team-building event and a very enjoyable day out for people of all ages. You don’t have to be extremely fit to try this sport either, although if you suffer from a heart condition or raised blood pressure you should get an okay from your doctor before you try it. Check out the various training schools and offers on the internet to assure yourself that you’re putting yourself in competent hands, and then - the sky’s the limit!

More articles in the magazine - to find out how to get a copy click here

© 2008 Insight Publications LTD