Monk Drumming and Chanting beside Sacred Mask, Ladakh

Acrylic on canvas, painted in situ, 2005, 49 x 38, gold frame. This unusual painting was made at the Hemis Monastery, Ladakh in the Himalayas. Around Leh, the capital of Ladakh, there were fabulous monasteries, each with its own character. I was sitting in this one when a monk entered and began drumming on a drum suspended from the ceiling, using a curved drum stick.  With his other hand he held the old Tibetan texts for his chanting. The site was a real pilgrimage because of the power of this sacred mask. He finished just as I finished.