I was haunted, not only by the abandoned street urchin, but by images of thousands of children roaming the streets of India, homeless, hungry, abused and diseased.
India is a colorful, fascinating country. It is a contrast of beliefs and values between the “chosen” and the cast off. The people are beautiful, intelligent, and forward thinking, yet their customs and traditions bind them to old belief systems that threaten individual growth and enlightenment. The few that find it, I call “The Found,” the name of my second painting in the series.
"The Found" -- 3/4 finished
The third painting, “Prince of Thieves” came from an article I read about how the abandoned children form families; the older taking care of the younger. To survive, they scrounge in garbage cans for food or steal. As they grow older, this thieving becomes organized and the innocence of childhood is lost forever.
"Prince of Thieves" -- Drawing
Many of the children are sold into the sex trade or use sex as a way to earn money for food. With no one to care for them, disease is rampant, and the street waifs quickly go downhill.
"Prince of Thieves" -- Acryllic underpainting
With extra money, most turn to drugs for brief moments of release from pain and loneliness. To my horror, one cheap drug they turn to is “white out” that little bottle of white correction fluid we use to cover errors on paper text. White out is poured into a cloth and little by little is sucked into the mouth of the user.
"Prince of Thieves" -- Starting oil paint overlay
With their small mouths covered in white, they eventually join others who laugh and walk like drunken sailors until they crash on the pavement and sleep. In some locations, the streets are covered with sleeping urchins. To make their plight worse, others steal what little they have while they’re asleep.
I hope my paintings not only capture the beauty of India, but the sadness of a people trapped in the past while trying to reach the brass ring of the future. Those who make it are to be admired and respected.
To see other paintings and series go to my web site @ http://carol-allen-anfinsen.artistwebsites.com/
Your paintings capture the pain these people experience daily. We, here is North America, really have no idea what their life is like. Thank you for your reminder - to do what I can to help the hurting where and when I can.
ReplyDeleteCarol, your paintings here and the descriptions of these children's lives literally broke my heart. What courage these children must have! What a will to live!
ReplyDeleteYour comments were very encouraging for me. I almost feel driven to complete this series and to move on to other areas that I feel strongly about. The downtrodden of the earth need a voice.
ReplyDeleteThese are truly incredible pieces of art; thanks for sharing! I particularly like the first image.
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking but always beautiful. Your compassionate soul is reflected in your every art.
ReplyDeleteYou are both generous and kind. Appreciate your comments, especially coming from people who are super talented themselves. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteVery moving art Carol. I have to say my favorite is your hands study, the "human touch" is an endless source of inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThanks, unikorna.
ReplyDeleteYou may enjoy looking at my "With These Hands" series on my web site: "With These Hands Wonder, With These Hands Love, With These Hands Hope" @ http://carol-allen-anfinsen.artistwebsites.com/