KATHMANDU: Mexican artist Jorge Palacios first came to Nepal 12 years ago with friends to trek, and he fell in love with Nepal and her people. His love for the country wove a dream that one day he would return to this beautiful nation and hold a solo art exhibition. His dream became reality on October 28 with his painting exhibition ‘Colors of Mexico’ at the Mithila Yain Art Gallery, Chaksibari, Thamel. He has painted beautiful rainforests using oil. The realistic yet dreamlike paintings feature colourful flora and fauna. The green backdrop of plants gives the effect of a thick forest area while his principal subject matters like flowers, insects and birds are always in vibrant lively colours, and he has worked on meticulous details of the flora and fauna.                     About his exhibition in Nepal Palacios expressed, “I feel so comfortable and happy in my heart. After 12 years finally I made my dream come true — by showcasing a part of my art in this beautiful country. Right now I am feeling I am at the top of the world and I feel from now on everything will be easier in my life, as to come and exhibit my work in Nepal I faced many obstacles and Nepal is very far away from my homeland.” For him art is all about expressing his deepest feelings and choosing rainforest to paint has a meaning. “Rainforest is one of the forms of Mother Nature and the rainforest is full of natural palette of colours or colours of earth. Moreover, plants, birds and insects are found in every part of earth and this makes my art universal where anyone can relate to my paintings.” In one of the paintings in the exhibition, he has painted beautiful lotus buds in pink and dew drops on the leaves, stem and buds. Meanwhile, a small colourful snail on the top of a leaf is moving towards the bud. If you look closely, you will see the snail has vibrant colours like red, blue, yellow and more as well as the veins of leaves and flower make them real giving you the impression how much the artist cares for details. If you also want to enjoy the colours of rainforest and get all that peace and tranquillity from greenery, visit the exhibition that continues till November 1. — HNS