MONKEY PLUNGE
Jaipur 2018- 2020—Drawn from photos I took at the temple.
PINK ELEPHANTS
Under their grey freckles these fine elephants are… pink!——-Yes, I rode the elephant, that’s my foot up there. These girls are in an elephant sanctuary in Jaipur. Paying to ride them helps to support them. The place is huge, with pools and trees and lots of space, and the elephants are beautiful. And boy, did I get a lot of crap on Facebook for riding an elephant, from misinformed people- it’s the African elephants you’re not supposed to ride.
RUPENDER & THE WATER PALACE
Looks like it’s floating, doesn’t it? Nobody is there anymore, because those lower floors are plenty damp. But oh, what it must have been like! Rupender, of Bhati Tours, took us to the Taj Mahal, drove me all over and waited while I drew. Such luxury!
BANYAN KIDS
No town square or market is without its knotted, shaggy old banyan tree. After Istanbul, where the municipality cuts the crowns off all the trees, this was a constant delight. I sat down to draw this one near where I bought my undecorated marble Ganesha, and the kids were coming home from school…
NEXT: TOTEM. Museums & Archeological sites in Turkey, where millions have been spent to preserve the region’s incalculably rich cultural history.
T O T E M
FRONTSPIECE: MY NEW BOYFRIEND
-My new boyfriend at the Archeological Museum, Hatay, Antakya. I love these battered old hunks – There are plenty that are more intact but I’m not compelled to draw them.