Tom Forrestall's artist-in-residence on Malta Press

Some of the press from Tom Forrestall s artist in residence time on Malta, in April 2016.

Malta Press http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-04-11/newspaper-lifestyleculture/Corinthia-Palace-Hotel-Spa-launches-island-s-first-Artist-in-Residence-Programme-6736156119

Last watercolor made before Dad's exhibition of Malta watercolors here on Malta!

                                      TOWERING ABOVE

On Friday, April 22nd, dad and I spent the afternoon at the 17th Century fortress known as the Red Tower on Malta, sketching and writing. We had passed the Red Tower, dramatically situated high atop the Marfa Ridge several times on our drives to sketching destinations and were taken with the imposing sight of this impressive fortress. We arrived in time to get a talk and tour with the volunteer guide, Judge Jo Gallia De Bono and a view of the sweeping, panoramic landscape to be seen most dramatically from the top of the tower. This majestic crenelated tower, which offers views of much of Malta and across to Comino and Gozo, was saved by Din I-Art Helwa, National Trust of Malta.

Dad shows his watercolor to a lovely couple visiting from Denmark. 

This watercolor, along with 20 others, all created on malta and Gozo in the past two weeks, will be on view in a day-long exhibition today, Saturday, April 23rd from 12 until 6pm at the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa in Attard, Malta. For those on the island, do stop by! We'd love to meet you and chat about our adventures here on this magical archipelago of islands.

And the spectacular view from the top!

#ArtistInResidence #VisitMaltaNY #Corinthia Palace

@CorinthiaPalace @VisitMaltaNY @MaltaTrust

The Dream? Dad going to Malta to paint. How it all began..

    When my father, Tom Forrestall was a young man, he saw a well known film called, "The Malta Story" (1953) produced by J.R. Rankin and directed by Brian Desmond Hurst. The time frame for this film was the period of WW II, during the siege of Malta. There was much footage of Malta, and this tiny island captured his artistic imagination. For over 50 years, the dream of going there to capture the light, and the magical colors of this landscape stayed with him. 
     Throughout the years, Malta had come up many times. Back in Nova Scotia, a dear professor friend of dad's had the role of traveling the work to investigate the improper use of the title Knights of Malta. There had been some attempts at plans to visit Malta together, but that never materialized. 

Fast forward 50+ years. I was invited to a breakfast event sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority of NY and the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa in Attard on Malta. They were introducing a program for hotel guests to visit Behind the Scenes of Malta, where hotel guests would visit extraordinary private homes. 



"In 1942 Britain was clinging to the island of Malta since it was critical to keeping Allied supply lines open. The Axis also wanted it for their own supply lines. Plenty of realistic reenactments and archival combat footage as the British are beseiged and try to fight off the Luftwaffe. Against this background, a RAF reconnaissance photographer's romance with a local girl is endangered as he tries to plot enemy movements."


Tom and Monica in the Alfred Courtyard of the Grand Masters Palace in Valetta, on Thursday, April 14th, 2016.