University of the Ozarks senior art student Mirian Miralda will present her nature-inspired Senior Art Exhibit, “The Great Outdoors,” April 1-5 in the Stephens Arts Gallery.
There will be a reception to meet the artist at 6 p.m., April 2, in the gallery, located in the Walton Fine Arts Center. She will also discuss her artwork at a senior artist talk at 7 p.m. on April 10 in Baldor Auditorium, located in the Boreham Business Building.
A native of Honduras, Miralda’s art practice spans various media, including ink pen, oil painting, and photography. She draws much of her inspiration from the outdoors, exploring themes of nature, human immersion, and the Creator behind it all.
“Nature speaks of something beyond itself—of beauty, design, and an intentional Creator,” she said. “I paint because experiencing the outdoors changed the way I see the world and my faith. Standing before landscapes that stretched beyond what I could imagine, noticing the smallest details in creation, and feeling the quiet weight of stillness, I couldn’t help but see God’s presence in it all. My paintings are a response to that experience, an attempt to invite others to see nature as a testament to something greater.”
Miralda, who is scheduled to graduate in May with a double major in art and marketing, primarily uses oil paint, working with both landscapes and close-up still-life studies.
“The richness of oil allows me to create depth, light, and texture, drawing attention to the beauty of what God has created,” she said. “My still-life studies focus on intricate details often overlooked, while my landscapes embrace the scale and grandeur of the natural world.”
Miralda said her Land of Wonder artwork (pictured, below) reflects that sense of discovery and faith.
“The landscapes of Zion, the Grand Canyon, and the Arizona Trail remind me of the Creator’s hand in shaping the world,” she said. “Their beauty and scale make me feel small yet deeply connected to something greater. My goal is to capture that feeling—of standing before something so incredible that it turns your thoughts beyond yourself. Painting has become a way for me to express both my faith and my love for the outdoors. Through my work, I hope to offer others an invitation: to slow down, to notice, and to recognize the presence of something greater in the world around them.”
Miralda is actively involved in the University’s art community, serving as president of the Art Club. Her work has been exhibited in multiple student and regional exhibitions. She won Best of Show at the River Valley Collegiate Competition in Russellville in both 2024 and 2025, placed 2nd in 2023 and 3rd in 2024 in visual arts installations at the Arch Symposium, and completed a large-scale mural in the Ozarks Outdoors office on campus.
In the summer of 2024, Miralda worked as a communications intern at ANDA in El Salvador, and in the fall of 2024, she fulfilled a remote marketing internship for the Network of Christians in Business in Trinidad and Tobago. Since 2022, she has been employed at Ozarks Outdoors as a staff member and social media manager.
Topics: Art