A Buddhist Story in Progress

This is the sketch I did in April at the monastery in Upper Pisang while trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. It was an amazing afternoon after a long hike from Chame to Pisang. We arrived in Lower Pisang around 3, got settled in our rooms, then hiked to Upper Pisang where many of the men in the village were engaged in an archery competition, then hiked further to the monastery at the top. There was one monk chanting and beating a prayer drum and I had an opportunity to meditate there for about 10 minutes. The group I was with was ready to head back down but I asked Madhu, our guide, if I could hang back and sketch for a while. He was concerned that I wouldn't make it back before dark but I assured him I would make it back. So, I found a spot to sketch out of the wind and enjoyed the time alone to draw and paint in the middle of the Himalayas a beautiful monastery and listen to the chanting and drums coming from within the temple I was sketching. 

This morning I continued working on the sketch I started back in April and plan to use it in my book project along with a Buddhist story. I posted this photo to Instagram as I was working on it.