India 

Five years ago my wife and I traveled to India on a mission to see the Bengal tigers. We did not fully appreciate just how elusive these wonderful creatures can be. We only managed to see two, but we did see numerous other animals and exotic birds. We knew from our previous visit to India that there is a great deal more to India than tigers.  It is such a scenic, diverse and culturally rich country. For a photographer, or artist, every vista is worth a photograph or could be the subject for a painting.  On one of our drives between tiger preserves we passed this lady on the side of the road.  All women in India wear beautiful saris regardless of their social standing.  I don’t recall exactly where the photo of this lady was taken, but she was wrapped in what appeared to be a babies blanket with a sari underneath. This was a most unusual sighting to see a lady wrapped in a babies blanket, but, as we were to discover, it can get quite chilly in parts of India depending upon the location and time of year.

Indian Holy Man

While waiting in a train station during our last trip to India we encountered quite an assortment of local travelers. Our group comprised the only westerners in the station and we turned out to be as much a curiosity to the Indian travelers as they were to us.  I must say they could not have been friendlier. At one point two of what appeared to be holy men walked up to us and my wife took a few photos of them.  I used a photo of one of the gentlemen as a reference for this painting. He was a very jovial fellow and had such an expressive manner about  him. In painting his face I was amazed at how his deep furrowed wrinkles and his subtle smile took on new dimensions as the painting evolved. I am never quite sure where a painting will lead me.