March 19, 2009 - Traveling to Jaipur

I woke early this morning to the sounds from the local Hindu Temple softly moving through the skies and my stomach telling me that it didn’t like me very much. Believe me, it is no fun being sick in India; especially when you have a full day of traveling. We traveled along some of the bumpiest roads I have ever been on and my stomach was churning; at times it was almost unbearable. I tried to sketch in the car to take my mind off my sickness but a lot of the time the roads were so rough that I couldn’t even scribble out a sketch.

Because of the amount of time spent traveling during our trip I have decided to sketch while in the car. This posses a couple of unique problems: 1. No road is very smooth here in India and 2. The scenes pass by so quickly that it becomes difficult to document what I see.

I have had to use a particular sketching style while traveling that takes advantage of the motion of the car and irregularities of the road. I have had to allow for the impurities of such a working environment to become part of the beauty of the sketch. Understanding the conditional context surrounding my sketching will allow a broader understanding and appreciation for what I have been creating. The sketches that I have produced provide a unique mapping of the landscape. Instead of understanding the landscape through a road map, topographic map, or other standardized mapping method these sketches provide a mapping unlike any other. I have seen the change from flat plains of wheat and brick yards to soft rolling hills and dry rocky mountains. Animals have changed as well; cattle to camels to monkeys and even to elephants; all of which are in the streets. The people have also changed. One man told me that every few kilometers the food, language, music and the people change; providing for a unique experience even if one does not travel far.

It has been a very different experience having to sketch virtually on the run. I have had to process information quickly and produce a mental image from which to sketch. I have found this fairly challenging. I have had to quickly deduct what is important from a scene and document the intent and my interpretation of what is being processed through my eyes. Although this is challenging I have found it very satisfying. Not only has it kept me mentally engaged but it has heightened my awareness. Capturing the essence of something is perhaps more important than creating an exact replication.

While visiting the city of Hansi I was able to take a motorcycle ride through the streets to the fort atop a small plateau on the edge of town. The experience was much different than in a car. We sped pass people and vehicles; coming within inches of what I am sure would have been a disastrous ending to my leisure ride. The fort’s main gate is an impressive monolithic mass that seems to slice into the hillside demonstrating its power and dominance in the landscape. The fort also contained a Muslim Temple and there was a lot of commotion happening around that site. The individuals whom we were visiting in the city (who where Hindi) would not even consider going close to the Muslim Temple and directed us to leave. I could feel the tension that exists between Muslims and Hindus in that very moment.