(& Painted)

The Fine Arts Association laudably opens Its doors to international artists, giving them the opportunity to make their style known and appreciated on the Rock, as well as introducing the general public to foreign trends and talent.

In April,Gibraltar's horizons will broaden quite literally- After letting her landscapes do the talking at local arty events for a decade, Jen nifer Waterhouse,former college art teacher with a romantic penchant for Andalusia, with be in the lime light at Casemates Art Gallery.

A selection of her dramatically stunning illustrations of the Strait, perfectly frozen with rich colour, clean lines and classic equilibrium, will be gathered under one roof for everyone to browse and affordably purchase.

Perhaps most Gibraltarians don't know Jenny personally, but her name undoubtedly rings a bell for everyone reading the culture columns. Habitue at the Gibraltar International Art Exhibition, her artwork scooped high commenda tions in 1998, 2000, 2005, 2006 and twice in 2007,she won the Gustavo Bacarisas Prize in 1997 and 1999 and the Leni Mifsud Prize in 2003, as well as first and .second prize in two separate editions of the Gibraltar Heritage Trust's Open Air Competition. Jenny also won prestigious accolades like 'Mujeres Malaguenas' in 1993 and the the pastel hues of springblossoms, jagged coastlines, clouds' ethereal fluff, ephemeral sunsets and those transparent shadows foliage em broiders on the ground.

Circulo de Bellas Artes de Malaga competition in 1998.

She comes to Gibraltar after par ticipating in a string of high-profile exhibitions — the Morley Gallery in London, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Sala de Exposiciones de la Unicaja in Malaga and Casa de la Culture in Estepona, and few collective shows witii'Art Gaucfn' — a group of some 20 international painters, sculptors, photographers, engravers and ce ramists who live and work in this historic village at the south-western rim of the Serranfa de Ronda, and hold 'open studios' weekends in late May and Christmas.

Jenny is one of the last typical British painters who set up their ea sel amidst flowery fieldsor on a cliff top,enduring gusty winds,scorch ing sun, mosquito bites, hovering seagulls,and other inconveniences, just to paint the fluid rhythm of na ture — from unique tree branches.

So there she sat with her 'por table studio' at El Higuerdn, the viewpoint over La Linea de la Concepcidn,just to produce an en try for the Spanish frontier town's contest. Admitting cityscapes aren't her forte, Jenny resolved the grid of buildings in the foreground with an ensemble of neutral-toned short brushstrokes to give the impression of how tiny the tallest skyscraper seems in comparison with the Rock's majestic height and the mountainous African lands in the background.

Jenny just doesn't seem comfort able painting from photographs because, even if she took it herself, she would eventually end up fixing on canvas what the lens captured and not what she actually saw — it

Poiirait Of An Artist

is simpler to print a poster from the snapshot and frame it, whereas painting requires both a creative process and a personally filtered technical expertise to make the artist's impression strike a chord.

Because murky days constrain her productivity, and not every thing sits still for long, Jenny loves to do several preparatory sketches or to lay out the scenery and the general 'feel' of her future masterpiece, before embarking on major work.

She records on paper 'live' the shifting poses of people,goats and other fast moving subject matters, such as special tricks of the light, to then elaborate in the comfort of her studio, where there's no risk of sudden showers or being chased away by angry rottweilers!

Her inspiration comes from liv ing in one of the most panoramic and quaintest 'pueblos blancos', Gaucm, whose enviable position on a hilltop affords views of the Strait of Gibraltar (one of her fa vourite subjects) and whose rural life sparks endless occasions for portraying a bucolic paradigm, perhaps a little cliche, but always refreshing and liberating.

Her favourite medium remains oil, but she doesn't shun acrylics, because "they dry fast, indeed an advantage for open air painting", they allow great transparency ef fects, and are suitable to be painted over with oils for added features and three-dimensionality.

Although Jenny confesses walercolours aren't her favourite playground, she ventured into their territory for smaller work, and with impeccable results, as anyone recently visiting the Art Gallery couldn't fail to notice in two small pictures displayed there for appetisers.

So, what should visitors expect from Jennifer Waterhouse's grand opening on 7th April?

Mostly landscapes, you've surely gathered, but also a cross-section of rustic bliss, like Breakfast in the Finca, highly commended at the last International, some portraits of both people and livestock, an assortment ofever-popular flowers and still natures with a twist.

In fact Jenny isn't a fan of ar ranging objects on a surface, the flowerpot and fruit bowl kind of way, to perform what she consid ers "an academic exercise", but she prefers spontaneously depict ing her orchard's citrus trees and her neighbourhood's sun-kissed patios.

Jennifer Waterhouse's solo is open to the public from 8th to 30th April, featuring some 25-30 paintings priced £200 to £1,000. For further information,visit www. artgaucin.com.

Overindulged with your Easter eggs? Just when you're plucking the last bit off the tin foil, here comes World Health Day with its slogan "Shape the future of life".

While the World Health Organisation is this year focusing on protection from the adverse effects of climate change, Gibraltar's Health Promotion Officer Jason Easter is picking his own battle against the downsides of socioeconomical betterment — richer food, cheaper booze, tobacco and sedentary habits.

On 7th April we won't see Jason setting up his usual stall to distribute awareness leaflets, but that's no excuse for ignoring his behind-thescenes educating-the-educators campaign for healthy living, smoke-free public places and.. prevention, prevention, prevention!

From his St Bernard's Hospital HQ, Jason works on keeping the nation in shape, tackling and deterring obesity as the source of almost all evil, from diabetes to heart attacks, from cholesterol to atherosclerosis, from joint aches to low self-esteem.

Judging from the widespread weight-related problems that affect a sizeable percentage of the population, we need to quickly sort out our larder before our gluttony cuts our life expec tancy to pre-war standards, as is happening in the United States, where super-sized portions' have resulted in mini-sized quality of life.

Jason is not ordering you to toss all delis in the bin — he goes by the motto "everything in moderation" — but he is inviting parents to learn,and teach their kids,about balanced nutri tion, steering them clear of lazy eating patterns before they enter a vicious circle.

The ancient view of flab as a status symbol seems still applicable nowadays, despite ex fpensive personal trainers,cosmetic surgery and gym-mania, children from wealthier families tend to be 'chubbier' or grow into overweight adults more than their 'poorer' friends who don't enjoy lifts in mummy's4x4,and couch-po tato afternoons playing high-tech videogames, but take brisk walks to school every morning and play outside,snacking on fresh fruit instead of industrial fatty treats — nor are they given enough pocket money to waste on extra takeaways and cigarettes...

Perhaps a stereotypical picture is painted here,rather than the diverse reality, but invest ing in sports rather than encouraging 'quiet' pastimes like television or computer,is a proven weapon for parents to use to fight childhood idleness and its physical,social and intellectual implications.

Yes, you are what you eat, but hey... you are not a tree rooted in the ground, so good nutri tion without motion is like a half-full cup. Your muscles long to be test-driven and allowed to burn extra fat — hence the right exercise is as important as the right food to keep the engine efficient. After all, if you had just bought your self a dream sports car, you wouldn't expect it to run,for argument'ssake,on washing-up liquid; neither you would fill the tank with the best petrol to then just park it in your garage!

Once he's got you to shake your booty for at least half an hour daily and eat sensibly, Jason is crusading against the growing pub culture we have copied from the UK,where youngsters perceive being drunk as the cool ticket to peers' acceptance, whereas the Mediterranean model banks on enjoying wine quality over quantity.

Another sensitive topic is sexual health, whether dealing with STD — euphemistic acronym for venereal diseases — or teenage pregnancies, which are alarmingly on the rise in Gibraltar. These fall again into the category of prevention and require more open information drives among schoolchildren.

The Health Promotion Department's biggest achievement this year is Gibraltar's first ever Health & Life.style anonymous survey,currently going on with data gathered door-to-door on how healthy people feel, both physically and mentally.

Results will be processed by a Canadian uni versity and headlines published in the summer months. For in-depth analysis we shall have to wait a little longer, hoping afterwards the Gov ernment will address issues of general concern in terms of national health.

Jason wonders why Gibraltar is a 'sick nation', according to the numbers of individuals who seem to be ill, and CPs visits pro capita. Are we very health-conscious? Are we hypochondriacs? Do we take too literally the warning about selfprescription hazards? One thing is sure, we are a stressed nation, and that takes its toll on welfare.

Although we put up the brave face of the typical laid-back south Med people, we spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how to afford higher education for our children and pay our mortgage.

De-stress your life. Easy to say, hard to put into practice, because stress is very subjective and one person may feel overwhelmed by a situation that is manageable for someone else.

To pinpoint major causes of stress, one must quiz oneself about personal, social and professional life to target the unsatisfactory loose bits with common sense, to identify circumstances that need a counsellor's advice and others which can be solved with confidence adjustments, relaxing holidays or the good old 'don't give a damn'!

The website www.mind.org.uk can help you decide on the fine line between tolerable strain levels and serious pathologies in need of medical attention.

Finally,Jason would like to model Gibraltar's health on,and compare statistics to, other 'small island' communities,and what better occa sion than the forthcoming 12th Inter Island Public Health Forum(www. iiphf.org), which the Public Health team is organising for the weekend 18th to 20th September. This will at tract to Gibraltar English-speaking islander environmental health of ficers,health promotion specialists, occupational health practitioners, health and safety advisors,disasterplanners and screening providers, discussing strategies and sharing their latest research.

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