A Student

Janis has initially limited herself to just one student - this young artist has proven to be a willing learner and has rapidly developed in her art skills. Here she is working on a sketch of a baby - babies and young children are difficult subjects because of their rounded and less-defined facial features. This effort is coming along quite well.

Exhibit: Woman This Is Your Story

The Exhibit opened February 18, the day after we returned from Nepal. It is the outcome of the Creative Conscience Workshop this Fall sponsored by Reflections Art Gallery, a project of the Art For Change Foundation.



Janis' painting that is actually titled in Hindi meaning, "Please Don't Urinate Here," which reflects an issue here that probably can only be fully understood by observing the public bathroom behavior of many men.










Chuck's "Girl On The Path"


A few of the other paintings exhibited...









This is a piece done by our friend from Orissa, one of the original batch of interns at Reflections Gallery.
Here he is working on another painting/drawing/etching.

Delhi University Workshop

Monday, February 23, we collaborated with the "Art For Change Foundation" (Reflections Gallery and "Creative Conscience Workshops" are two of their projects) in a 4-hour seminar at Miranda House, one of the North Campus University sites.









This young man painted for the first time ever in his life! He was courageous and produced a conceptually strong painting depicting his dream for India.

Vikhor is one of the artists connected with the Gallery and currently serves as curator for the Gallery.

Janis getting ready for our presentation.


The representatives from the Foundation with Janis & Chuck and one of the participants.

Nepal #5 - Last Nepal Visit Posting!

Met New Friends
#1 "Mr. Green" - Janis met this young man at the Kathmandu Airport as a result of a security issue. Without thinking of the security implications, we packed in Janis' carry-on baggage about 30 sumi-e paintbrushes we had purchased. Unfortunately, some had pointed handles - thus the security concern. At one of the last security checks, the inspectors refused to allow her to take them in her carry-on bag. The "only" alternative was to take the brushes back to check-in and put them in checked luggage. As she attempted to do this she met "Mr. Green," a young Airport Security Supervisor who it turned out had much clout. As Janis described our situation "Mr. Green" shared his deep personal passion for writing and a great fondness for the visual arts. Instead of a tense, frustrating security issue, this interaction became an open opportunity for sharing Kingdom values and resulted in Janis being allowed to carry-on those "dangerous" paint brushes!

#2 "D.V." - we met this young woman following her initial invitation for us to visit her shop. We weren't able to at the time, but saw her later that day as she was returning from daycare with her daughter. We exchanged greetings again. The next day we visited her store(s) - as it turned out, she has 3 stores! She has a small shop selling bottled water and a few grocery items, a dry-cleaning business, and a hand-knit clothing store. The last is where we met her. She was delighted we came back - not because we were potential customers, but because she loves foreigners and loves to talk to talk with people from other cultures. We moved to amazing depth of relationship in an extremely short time. She was very saddened to hear we were leaving the next day and asked us to return before we left to say good-bye.

"D.V" in the hand-knit woolen shop...

"D.V" and her husband in the water shop...







"D.V." & Janis...

"D.V." & Chuck...

Nepal #4 - Renewed Relationships

#1 Janis met the husband of this amazingly ambitious, courageous, godly couple at the 2007 Creative Conscience Workshop. On our last full day in Nepal this time we met as couples and got acquainted with their efforts to bring Kingdom values to the forefront in Kathmandu, specifically in the areas of trafficking and the underprivileged. They've invited us to return and possibly conduct a Creativity Workshop there in the future.

#2 This courageous lady we met last August when we visited. Though coming from a humble village upbringing, and by her own description is "un-educated," she has started a restaurant to provide her daughter with an English-medium education and to provide her with more options than she had. One of her employees also has a daughter, a 3-year old, for whom she hope to arrange a sponsorship at a nearby school. The sponsorship is for the monthly tuition of Nepali Rs. 560, which is way beyond the resources of her mother and father. NRs. 560 converts to only about $6.50 US currency!

Outside seating at the restaurant...


The Owner...










Janis with the owner and her helpers...

Greeting "Nepali-style" - Nepal Visit #2

Janis was privileged to experience what may be a novel Nepali-style greeting one afternoon as we were walking along the narrow streets of Kathmandu's Thamel area. She felt a bumping on her backside. When she turned around, there was a kindly older lady bumping her on the bum with a package. Smiling broadly she said, "Namaste!" [English translation - "Hello!"]

Apparently she was quite anxious to meet Janis!

Nepal Visit #1

Land of Warmth Contrasted By A Dark & Cold Side

We just returned from our 6-month out-of-country trip. Because of lower expense, closeness, ease of travel, and a growing network of relationships, we again visited Kathmandu, Nepal.

We were struck once more by the warmth, friendliness and hospitality of the Nepali people. We were also reminded, however, of a far too common fatalistic point of view toward life and of a prevalent lack of hope for life in Nepal.

Also this time we sadly experienced many more opportunistic interactions - perhaps largely due to the downturn in the world economy and its negative effects on tourism in Nepal.

And then again, some of the darkness and coldness we experienced may have been from the 18 hours per day scheduled electrical power cuts (not to mention a few additional unscheduled outages)! No more complaining here!!!

A few images of visual contrasts...

Kantipur Temple House Hotel where we stayed...













The vacant lot and alleyway immediately next to the Kantipur...

Visitors & A Holiday

This young man is the son of an Australian couple who are in Varanasi working with "travelers," those who many identify as counter-cultural and who are on a "spiritual" journey. The wife came to our Creativity Workshop last fall in Varanasi. They stayed with us several days in January on their way back to Varanasi from some meetings elsewhere in India. One of their objectives in Delhi was to get a violin for their four-year old son who has been expressing an interest in learning violin since he was two! This is as he is just picking it up for the first time - the remarkable thing is his first bow strokes produced music, not screeching so often associated with beginner violinists!

Below are pictures from our small balcony during one of the many parades that go by our building. This was a remembrance accompanied by many colorful costumes, musical instruments and martial art implements unique to the Sikh culture (in the second one they are washing the street before the group of women in the first picture) .