Joy of life- Kalorama artist Marala Swift is trading in her clarinet for a paint brush for he

MARALA Swift has battled all her life over a love of music and art and is now ready to swap her clarinet for a paint brush.
Her art has recently won out after years in the background.
The 56-year-old Kalorama woman has been chosen as the Artist of the Month at Lady Hawke Cafe in her first local solo exhibition.
Her passion for art was first born when she was a child but her love of music took her in a different direction.
Ms Swift said despite winning several art prizes when she was younger, she was influenced by teacher and well known artists Nancy Clifton.
She was advised to follow her music.
After winning competitions, Ms Swift was soon playing overseas and in orchestras around Australia. She became a professional musician, playing the clarinet as a soloist and became a recording artist.
But Ms Swift’s art has always been in the background.
She said being artistic was part of her family genetics with her father in the film industry and her mother an actress.
“I can’t get away from it, it’s in my blood,” Ms Swift said. She has now returned to her first-love, art, after a long sabbatical and is looking forward to sharing it with hills art critics
Her exhibition titled Joy is a celebration of life and has been almost six months in the making.
The show will feature 19 to 20 pieces which have one simple thing in common, celebrating life, which is Ms Swift’s main inspiration.
“The negatives are thrown at us a lot of the time and I am always grateful to hear happy nice stories,” she said.
The show will run throughout May at Lady Hawke Cafe, 1365 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, Kalorama.
The gallery is open from Thursday to Monday from 9am to 5pm.