opening day

Art of Giving 25th 26th May 2012

I had a restless nights sleep thinking too much about how the day would go today, thinking also of the many people with high hopes and expectations  from Nepal, waiting for news, "how many people came?" "how many paintings are sold"

I set off in the morning and mounted my faithful bike, "come I said its just another small mountain to climb, I know you prefer real mountains, rivers, and exhillerating roads to new horizons, but this is a good thing to do, the mountains will always be there waiting for us.

Along my little 7km commute to the Gallery there was a noticed increase in the usual attention, horn blowing and friendly gestures, people hanging out of rickshaws, thumbs up, waving, so it seems the mornings press releases had reached quite a few people, and that put a smile on my face and I increased the pace, cycling and weaving in and out of the bombardment of obstacles. Before I arrived in India I feared their traffic rules, or lack of them, thinking you would be a bit vulnerable on bike, but actually despite all the variety of obstacles, both organic and mechanical, it flows quite well, the faster you go and the more Gods you pray to the better the chance you have of making that gap....

 

Many people turned up, all very impressed with the paintings and the whole story of how it all came about. Himali, here explaining what, where, how, who, why and when.....to the thousands of questions that people are hungry to know.

 

Samples from my sketch book diaries and sketches drawn on site whilst staying in 'Darpuk' village in Nepal, were on display, along with a sample of photographs of the various places I had cycled through.

 

Dont say that you wiill never be able to do something and make excuses for not doing them .... this man has both his arms missing but paints amazing paintings with a brush in his mouth, a great example of determination overcoming these physical obstacles.

 

At the end of this day I had done about 7 portrait sketches, in between talking with many people about the journey, and what we are trying to achieve here, so a very full day and hoping tomorrow would bring some buyers.