Eight Nepali artists were taken to Manang to paint their impressions. They stayed, they observed and they painted for two weeks in May, soaking in the spectacular beauty of this trans-Himalayan valley. Their 60 works of art will soon be displayed at an exhibition at the Nepal Tourism Board. Nepali Times got a preview of the paintings and asked the artists to choose one and say a few words about it. This unique artists' retreat was organised by the Manang Youth Society to encourage young Nepali artists and to promote eco-tourism in the Himalaya.

Gateway

Bikrant Shrestha
"Manang is one of the most beautiful places in Nepal. It actually feels like you're in heaven. Before entering the villages one has to usually pass through gateways. This semi-abstract work depicting a gate tries to symbolise entering this heaven."

Windows of Manang

Himalaya Gautam
"The culture of Manang is filled with vibrant colours that represent the beauty of the people living in such harsh conditions. This work is both a window to and of Manang. The vibrant colours represent the beautiful culture that they have while the darker shades depict the harshness of the reality that surrounds them."

Reflection of Manang

Erina Tamrakar
"I used to work on figures of women most of the time but the beauty of this enchanting place inspired me to try my hand with landscape. In this painting I have tried to showcase the original Manang in a semi- abstract form."

Milarepa\'s Cave

Sudarshan Bikram Rana
"No matter how beautiful nature is, without people it is empty. The great Tibetan Buddhist saint Milarepa is a central figure in the history of Manang. How Milarepa and Manang benefited from each other shows there is far more to be learnt from nature than from any philosophy or ideology. The white in the centre represents the Milarepa cave or the light of learning while the mixture of dark and light depicts the colours of life."

Om Mane Padme Hum Series

Sunita Rana
"This is the first of the set of six paintings on Om Mane Padme Hum. I was impressed by the concept of the prayer flags and how they are meant to spread the word of peace. They have colours representing the five elements-earth, wind, water, fire and ether. On the flags are written prayers for peace which flutter in the wind and are carried to the world."

Landscape (Pisang)

Rajendra KC
"Never before in my life had I seen such a beautiful and touching spot, especially because there were so many aspects of nature in the same place. The beauty riveted me to the spot as I sat there for five hours trying to transfer the panoramic view in front of me to canvass in a realistic manner so that art lovers could also understand what I felt."

Annapurna III

Bidhata KC
"For some reason I woke up very early that morning. In the pre-dawn light I went out and saw the silver moon over the snowy mountains while the eastern sky lightened. Prayer flags waved silently. It was this most beautiful moment that made me see the importance of the symbiosis between man and nature."

Realistic Landscape

Hare Ram Jojiju
"This was a scene I captured on the way to Manang village. It's a realistic landscape painted with a summer colour which gives a touch of fantasy and mystery to the scene on the canvass."