The Friends, an oil painting.

Two friends sitting on the ghats (riverfront steps) by the Ganges river in India. Those who are familiar with the beliefs and practices of Hinduism know that the River Ganga is the most sacred river for Hindus. People strive to make a pilgrimage to the banks of the river and immerse themselves in its waters believing that whoever does so will be rid of their sins and achieve liberation. Some of the oldest temples and pilgrimage destinations for Hindus are located on its banks.

The Ganga is also the mother, the Ganga Mata (Mata="mother") of Hindu worship and culture, accepting all and forgiving all. Unlike other goddesses, she has no destructive or fearsome aspect.

These two women are old friends and know each other so well that a long silence between the is not uncomfortable. They are outside of space and time.

From the unforgettable Indian writer and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore:

The Ganges again! Again those ineffable days and nights, languid with joy, sad with longing, attuned to the plaintive babbling of the river along the cool shade of its wooded banks. This Bengal sky-full of light, this south breeze, this flow of the river, this right royal laziness, this broad leisure stretching from horizon to horizon and from green earth to blue sky, all these were to me as food and drink to the hungry and thirsty. Here it felt indeed like home, and in these I recognized the ministrations of a Mother.

A close-up of the face on the right:

The underpainting:

I like to work on my underpaintings before introducing figurative content, a process which allows me to explore freely before nailing down my composition. Of course, I know what narrative I intend to introduce and keep it in mind as I play with form, space, and color.

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