Girl with Basket, 106.68 cm X 137.16 cm, acrylic, airbrush
This painting plays with a similar theme and colours. I was inspired to paint this girl after I had seen a poster of a Gopi from Vrindavan. “Gopis” are cowherd girls in Indian mythology. My mind was so stressed when I started this group of paintings that I did not have the energy to take on more serious work. So this series was done in a lighter vein and worked like a calming medicine for me. The girl has a basket in her hand. In it sits a little monkey who rings a bell. The monkey symbolises the Buddhist belief of the restless mind, often referred to as the “monkey mind”. The bell is very symbolic and has multiple meanings. Among other meanings, the bell rings in awareness of a higher level of reality and truth.
My mother, who is a tapestry weaver, really liked this painting. She made a beautiful tapestry based on it that is just the same size as the original. It is included here.