NICE >> Plain, white walls, and wallpapers are too banal compared to the custom-painted collection that now covers the walls of Tanya Stirtz-Halapota’s new shop — the Good Earth Nature Store in Nice.
Each piece was done freehand by Haider Ali, a world-renowned Pakistani artist and it may just be the first of its kind here in Lake County.
Ali is best known for his “truck art.” This homegrown art form began in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan, where vehicles are decorated with intricate floral patterns and poetic calligraphy using radiant colors. As truck art evolved throughout the years, with first appearances traced back to the 1940’s, the art-form has allowed for more incorporated elements, ranging from whole landscapes to pop art.
No matter what is painted on vans, lorries, and rickshaws, there is a recurring theme: peace, love, and happiness — often unrecognized with news media densely covering conflict, Stirtz-Halapota said.
“Many people connect Pakistan with terrorism,” she explained. “But really, 99-percent of Pakistanis are humble and peaceful people. Having Ali’s artwork here is such a nice way to break down those stereotypes.”
Stirtz-Halapota who has been friends with Ali for quite some time, once lived in the truck artist’s hometown of Karachi, Pakistan. Having lived in the art form’s hub, she was intrigued by how the art connected people. For example, she tells that drivers sometimes pull over or chat with artists while weighing out traffic in the highly congested streets.
Ali has had many people stop and look over his shoulder not just in Pakistan, but all over the world. Through Stirtz-Halapota’s help interpreting, Ali said his father exposed him to the art form at age seven and at 16-years old, he took on his first job. Then in 2002, he gained international attention when the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. invited him to demonstrate truck painting at the Folklife Festival. Since then, the artist returns to refresh the art on the truck that has remained at the museum. He has also left his mark on the Canadian Parliment and Wall of Berlin.
This year, Ali wasn’t just going to stop by in D.C. As CEO of Phool Patti, an organization dedicated to promoting Pakistani truck artists internationally, Ali was invited to stop by in Boston, San Diego and Los Angeles to conduct demonstrations. And just before landing in Oregon, Stirtz-Halapota invited him to Lake County.
Soon enough, the store owner had an entire truck art-inspired collection all around the walls of her new store.
“I had to run an errand that took me about two hours,” Stirtz-Halapota said. “When I returned, Haider had this large, colorful mural finished.”
Most of the paintings, created with oil-based paint, were landscapes and floral designs to match Good Earth Nature Store. The one sure to catch anyone’s attention is a vast mural on the left side of the store. It’s a painting of Ali’s interpretation of Lake County: “a magical land.” It has all the ingredients of a fiction-like place including the sparkling lake, green fields and mountains, and colorful flowers. And Lake County does look just like that, Stirtz-Halapota said.
Though that piece — which took him a total of three hours — was not based on a particular view of Clear Lake, Ali did paint an actual scene of a nature drive on Barlett Springs Road overlooking the lake.
Other areas of the shop have painted tree branches that begin in black and gradually turn brown with flowers at its ends, representing regrowth from previous wildfires — a history he learned my Shtirtz-Halapota and other locals during his visit.
With that, Ali named the murals The Rebirth of Lake County. It’s no question that with the incorporation of vibrant colors, whimsical designs and romantic sceneries, the artist brought a bit of traditional Pakistani culture to the county.
In Ali’s own words, “The best connection is art. There are no boundaries between the American people and Pakistani people thanks to art.”
He is back in Pakistan where he recently gave a presentation at the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, but he knows it won’t be too long before his travels with truck art begin again.
To find out more about Ali and his organization, visit phoolpatti.pk or the Phool Patti Pakistan’s Truck Art Team Facebook page.
The Good Earth Nature Store (located on 3707 Highway 20) is set to open later this year. Stirtz-Halapota said her business will sell garden, gifts and natural goods. Visit goodearthnaturestore.com for updates.
