Indian Miniature paintings are often commissioned for books and are usually executed on paper. You will also see similar styles of painting on a larger scale in palaces such as these at Bundi, a small town in Rajasthan.
In the dry landscape of Rajasthan there are no rivers. Stepwells are like huge inverted pyramids with hundreds of steps cut deep into the ground in search of water, something that's fascinated me for years.
This Gond drawing depicts a magical world where the deer's antlers morph effortlessly into the branches of a tree, with numerous side branches, leaves and buds. Symbolic of the interconnectedness of all life.
Later in the afternoon two horsemen ride into the village, it seems the monk wants to buy barley from them. An hour later they return to camp with two bottles of Godfather beer, for us!