KARACHI: It’s the second year in a row that art educator Mehreen Hashmi has organised the show ‘Paiwasta Reh Shajar Se’ putting on display artworks of children coming from different not-so-affluent backgrounds at the Alliance Francaise Karachi. Ms Hashmi says the purpose of the workshops that she conducts to educate young artists is to go beyond learning the techniques of making paintings and experience the creative process so that it could be applied to their own character building.

We hope that her efforts will bear fruit, but what can be clearly gathered after witnessing the exhibits on view is that these boys and girls are loaded with talent.

I say ‘loaded’ because the lines that they draw and the colours that they use to infuse life into those lines brim with the kind of passion that burst with energy to make its presence felt. I shall elucidate.

There are more than 100 pieces in the exhibition, done in different media and on subjects ranging from funky portraits to still life and from landscapes to collages. All of them are pleasing to look at, and a few need to be mentioned.

First up: a still life acrylic drawing of fruits by Shahana and Talha from BPW Quality School, Azam Town. The phrase pear-shaped comes to mind watching Shahana’s work, in a cute way. The artist has a firm hand, it seems, which is essential to make stills and portraits.

If I remember correctly, last year the organisers asked their children to do a Picasso in their own way. So the triptych, ‘Picasso Portraits’, made by students of the same school, is quite a sight. You can’t help but appreciate children’s urge for artistic expression.

And then there is the blue dog (acrylic on ivory card). My word, there is a variety of blue dogs in the exhibition, but the one made by Shahana, with two shades of blue, alters the meaning of the word blue and imparts freshness to the colour blue. Beautiful.

The exhibition will continue till Aug 16.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2014