For the love of Nepal

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Everyone has their own kind of interest, and things done with an interest always give a positive outcome. Likewise, artist Miriam E Krantz, an associate student at Kathmandu University, Centre for Art and Design and a nutritionist by profession, put up her her first solo painting exhibition titled ‘Nepal Appreciation’, which started on May 24 at Pulchowk Park Gallery.

Seventy-five-year-old Krantz from USA has been living in Nepal for 40 years and her artwork is surely an example of appreciation of Nepal and the Nepali people. She has captured rural life and portraits of farmers in various actions beautifully in watercolour, acrylic, oil and oil pastel on canvas.

Besides the beautiful landscape, she has also exhibited stunning still life of fruits, vegetables and flowers like apple, banana, pumpkin, orchid and more. Her works are life-like and due to the use of various colours, one can see a variety in her work.

About this Kiran Manandhar, Chancellor of Nepal Academy of Fine Arts and Chief Guest at the exhibition expressed, “One needs interest to do anything, and Krantz is an example that if there is a will, one can achieve anything in life, and that age is nothing.”

According to Manandhar, he could feel the music in her artwork where there is harmony between colours and softness in the composition.

In ‘Harvest Urgency’, a woman is busy harvesting the crop in the field while a storm is coming her way. The painting gives a realistic portrayal of women living in rural areas of Nepal and the consequences she has to deal with if she is not swift enough — she is saving her crops from the furious storm heading her way, not caring that if the storm strikes at that very moment, she might be caught in chaos. In another painting, ‘Fruits in Woven Basket’ — oil on canvas — she has captured various fruits in a basket in striking way where Krantz shares, “I am a nutritionist and I love fruits. And I am also a daughter of a farmer, which are all reflected in my art work. In this painting, I have done knife painting and it was a challenge for me but the result is outstanding and I am happy with it.”

The exhibition will continue till June 5.