My friends at the academy, Pat and Matt often both practiced on the roof. They were both studying sitar, but Matt also plays guitar, so they were playing around with a Raag they had learned. Interestingly, they are both from the Pacific Northwest, where I call home, and they were taking off from college to study in India. When they return they will be studying jazz, Pat on saxophone and Matt on guitar.
I based this sketch on a young woman I had seen in Varanasi, a mixture of two different women actually. Since I wasn’t able to do a proper portrait with her sitting still, I just went from memory. I had been trying to draw faces that were recognizably Indian for a while, and this woman seems to be the most convincing. In fact, when I showed my sketchbook to some Indian guys they separately said “ooh beautiful, who is she?” as if they wanted to be introduced to her. Sorry guys, she only exists on paper.
Tulsi Ghat is the nearest ghat (steps that lead down to the river) to the music academy where I was staying and studying. Tulsi is the name for the Holy Basil plant, which they sometimes have growing at a temple, in a special raised planter with a cage covering the tulsi plant. There was a pretty scrawny one growing at this temple. I enjoyed this ghat most for the cool shade provided by the large ficus tree.
Travel Drawn 