Marisa Attard is an artist and illustrator. She studied art under Esprit Barthet, Harry Alden and Anton Calleja. She has illustrated numerous books and twice been awarded the Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb for Best Illustrator of Children’s Books. Marisa has taken part in both solo and collective exhibitions where her work has been positively reviewed and appreciated. She is a keen observer of people and frequently uses her art to highlight the human condition and political and social realities, painting people that inhabit her world - both real and imaginary. Her sense of humour comes through in her art. Huge bumbling figures defying gravity can be both serious and dark or humorous, quirky and endearing. Marisa enjoys combining her illustrative style of pen, ink and watercolour with works in acrylic and collage. She shows a preference for bright colours applied in layers, including collage and found objects to create texture and depth. She draws inspiration from the weird, dark and humorous works of Quentin Blake, Tim Burton, Edward Gorey, Ralph Steadman, Ronald Searle, Gerald Scarfe, Gary Larson and Grayson Perry amongst others.