Maia Nero’s trip to Angel Falls in the summer of 2012 ignited a productive period of landscapes and poetry. Nero recalls the spectacular Venezuelan landscape and the works it inspired. “It was an eight-day trip through an area called Kavac. I stayed with the Pemon Indians in their villages,” says Nero, an administrative assistant in Communication Design.
Nero hiked through the jungle to the highest visitor’s point at Angel Falls. At 2,212 feet, nearly 20 times higher than Niagara Falls, Angel Falls is the world’s tallest waterfall. “There isn’t anything more spectacular than seeing the longest dropping waterfalls in the world,” she says.
- As Nero entered the hiking path into the tropical jungle, sunlight burst through the trees. She captured the sight in a photo. “I worked from my photographs to maintain the integrity of what I was journeying through.”
Nero’s favorite from among her landscapes of Angel Falls is “Memories Caress Canaima.” “It’s of the second tier of Angel Falls, where the mist creates a canyon of water. If you look at it, you’ll see the water meandering between the trees.”
Hiking to a camp village, Nero saw cloud formations that inspired her “Caressing Dreams” landscape. “It was a difficult hike because the blades of grass were parched, very dry and tall — the mountains and clouds, the entire vision was so captivating you didn’t care that you were hiking in a difficult environment,” says Nero.
The painting “Cliffside” shows the Tepui Mountains. Tepui in the Pemon language means “house of the gods. ” Says Nero, “I shot that image while in a canoe heading for Angel Falls. It was incredible.”
The final painting, “Mothers Wings” represents for Nero “a light of hope.” The artist’s mother, who loved butterflies, had recently passed away. Nero “found” her mother in the jungle.
“A butterfly arrived on my wet hiking shoes and left before I found my camera. When I returned, the butterfly had disappeared. I stomped my feet and cried, ‘Please Mom, I’m here, come back!’ Within seconds the butterfly landed on my shoes, where everyone else’s belongings were drying from a canoe trip. The butterfly went inside my shoes, never touching anyone else’s belongings.”