Throughout this month Soho Cafe Lounge will be exhibiting a collection of paintings, aptly named ‘The Magic of Colours’, by artist Manuela Bernardo.

A Swiss painter, Manuela came to Malaga five years ago, which is when she began painting. Her artwork, which she signs ‘MANU’s art’, sometimes uses salt and sand to vary textures and is heavily inspired by Malaga province and her travels over the years. This can be seen in her paintings of boats and familiar Malaga landscapes.

She is also influenced by her love of cats. Manuela, who lives in La Cala de Mijas, has a series of paintings of felines, a few of which can be seen in the exhibition, in a variety of styles. Always painting with acrylics, her brightly-coloured artworks feature different brush strokes which create striking images of cats.

Also in the colourful collection are portraits of Manuela’s own cats, which are less abstract and use tones which are more true to real life.

All proceeds from the selling of the paintings are going towards cat charity Mijas Felina. The charity is in need of donations to carry out their two main objectives: controlling the stray cat population and educating young people about the suitability of cats as pets in Mijas and Fuengirola.

Manuela Bernardo is one of only 25 active, donating, members of this charity and she, like many of the other members, will often end up paying for a cat’s sterilisation operation, food, and care herself.

It’s a serious problem in Malaga as, if not neutered, in a year one feral female cat can give birth to over 12.

‘The Magic of Colours’ is free to visit and the paintings cost between 100 and 500 euros.