ORIGINAL Watercolour painting by artist Jodie Westall Kimpton

‘Mr Giggles’ – ‘Mangale’ Nepal

300gsm Watercolour Paper

Professionally framed with a single mat, white stained real timber  frame behind glass’

38cm x 45cm

Manale …or Mr Giggles, as we lovingly call him.

I met him while volunteering with Aussie Action Abroad in Gandaki, a small village in Nepal, in 2020.
Manale is a non-speaking, gentle man who collected and washed dishes at the guest house where we stayed while we painted murals at the local school in the Annapurna region. No one knew his exact age or his history—only that he had been taken in as a young boy and had remained there ever since.

He was always the first up and the last to bed, quietly watching and processing the world around him. His joyful giggle was his way of communicating, and his presence left a lasting impression on me. I felt compelled to honour his story, so when I returned home, I painted his portrait.

My watercolour students saw the painting and asked if they too could paint him, turning it into a class project. I later designed and printed greeting cards as a fundraiser for @AussieActionAbroad, with 100% of profits returning to the village.

Graeme Kent, the CEO, spends months each year in Nepal organising volunteer groups. I gave him a bundle of cards to take back to Manale—and as you can see in the photo, he received them with his signature GIGGLE.

Through the wonderful work done by the Australian-based NFP organisation @aussie_action_abroad. If you are looking for a volunteering experience that can change your life, visit their website for more information.

You can read more about me the artist here!