Namaste!

This Boxing Dragon is hanging up her gloves and picking up her suitcase in a week to head east to India. During my six week away I will lead two tour programs, and as the major treasure hunter of the Boxing Dragons, I will also be on the prowl for new works for the Gallery. I am especially excited to be visiting India on this occasion as I will be experiencing the erotic temples of Khujuraho for the first time. I have wanted to visit these wonders for many years. I hope I don’t get over stimulated!

It is always very exciting to return to India, although in some ways it is not an easy country to visit. There are certainly some disturbing aspects to the culture that cannot be overlooked. However, the marvelous aesthetic, the fashion sense, the artistry of even the most humble Indian is amazing. The country assaults the visitor with its colors, its smells (most of them good!), the beauty of the country itself, its convoluted logic, the deep spirituality, the chaos, the food, the constant celebrations, the hospitality, all guarantees a compelling and life changing experience, even for a veteran visitor. All aspects of Indian culture indicate a deep well of creativity which is one of the reasons India is such a compelling destination. And of course the shopping is wonderful with so many treasures to discover!

I was last in India in November 2007. During that visit I developed some contacts in Rajasthan and acquired some miniature paintings in the Jaipur and Mewari styles. They are gorgeous!!! So I am determined to ferret out some more of these beauties and try to bargain even harder to bring home the savings to our Gallery clients. If you don’t know what Indian miniatures are…well stay tuned to my next blog entry which should be up on the website on January 21st.

Signing off for now,

Annie

PS. We are in the process of putting our entire inventory of paintings on the site, so you can look at what we have on offer at your leisure. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us, by email or by phone. We’d love to hear from you.