advertisement

Mary is a botanical artist, dedicated to painting plants, vegetables, fruits and flowers. Her work, which can be seen on her art page @mh.maryhaleem, invokes a sense of calming nostalgia. She had a solo exhibition last year, titled Gasthakun (from the trees). 

"To paint this, I went to Fuvahmulah this Eid, went into the mangroves, took a taro from there and studied it," she says, her voice filled with the quiet enthusiasm of an artist dedicated to the craft.

Botanical art, she says, is all about details. 

“It’s done with a lot of patience and time, doing little by little to complete the whole thing”

For Mary, botanical art is a labor of love. She finds inspiration in the local flora of the Maldives, capturing the essence of native plants, fruits, and vegetables with meticulous care, depicted primarily through water color.

"I adore watercolor," she says. "It’s all about the magic that the water brings out."

As a mother of two, watercolor is also a more practical choice, allowing her to pause and resume painting without much waste.

Her journey into botanical art began during the covid lockdown, a time of isolation for many. For Mary, living abroad at the time, her art also grew out of longing to be home. 

"I ended up painting things like breadfruit (banbukeyo) and banana flower (boashi). After a while, I realised that I was painting those because I missed Male’ so much," she recalls. 

This nostalgic connection to her homeland fueled her passion, leading her to focus on depicting the fruits and vegetables native to the Maldives.

“Before I started painting, I didn’t really look at plants when I’m walking down the road, to be very honest,” she admits.

Now, she finds joy in observing the intricate details of each plant.

"I’ve started paying more attention to plants, I see it now and appreciate it more I see when I’m walking." she says. 

This newfound appreciation is also shared by the students she teaches in her monthly botanical art workshops. The six-day workshop, open to anyone aged 13 and above, includes a themed coursework designed to help each student complete a watercolor botanical artwork by the end. 

"I love helping others learn," she says. "The people who come to my class include young people and even people over 50. It’s really fun."

In the future, she hopes to expand these workshops to other islands but acknowledges the financial challenges involved.

“I don’t have the funds to spend money on my own to go and do things like that. If the government or any organisation can support artists with things like that, it would be really helpful.”

Mary sees exhibitions like Unveiling Visions as vital opportunities for artists to connect and exchange ideas.

“There are a lot of watercolor artists here, there’s different mediums.. So I end up asking things like how did you make this.. Everyone’s so very friendly.”

 “It makes me happy that MAC continues to hold this every year, so a big thank you to them”

Through her art, Haleem invites us to pause and appreciate the often-overlooked wonders of nature. With each stroke of her brush, Mary Haleem captures the essence of the Maldives, one leaf at a time. Her art is a celebration of nature's intricate beauty, a nostalgic journey home, and an invitation to see the world differently.

The Unveiling Visions Exhibition, organised by the Maldivian Artists Community (MAC), is being held at the National Art Gallery in Male' from 9th July to 20th July.