I can still see and hear Gopal a miniature artist, sitting cross-legged on the floor of his little art shop, patiently telling me (again) that the shape of each leaf must be exactly the same. I’d say ‘yes’, while yet another oddly shaped leaf would appear from my brush.
The setting is in a hot, dusty, tiny part of Rajasthan – Bunda, a place I visited especially for its forts, palaces and stepwells.
For the few days I spent there, I dropped into Gopal’s shop in the mornings, watching him paint either in silence or when he felt like it, listen to him share snippets about life in Bundi and the Bundi style of miniature painting. A simple and contented life is what I felt he had.
And so it is…to learn something new from someone or about someone.
Gather snippets along the way in life, absorb what one’s inclinations, ability and level of receptiveness allow and add it to a mix that becomes a part of who you are.
The mango tree? Although heading towards end of summer, these are in abundance in Sydney at the moment. The trick though, is to get to the mangos before the fruit bats do.
Drawing connections 