Sharika 1, late 1980s

Oil on Masonite board

The smaller painting was made when Sharika was around 14 years old and she wanted to wear saris and act grown-up. She practiced wearing saris and pretended being in a Hindi movie. She would stand in front of the mirror to look at herself and practise walking, turning her body and head as if she was modelling. This is the first painting in the movie style large face portraits.

I found it very touching that my daughter was trying to show herself as grown up.  This inspired me to make this portrait which looks a lot like her at that time and it says everything!

She’s a Leopard Too: Tapestry

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.