I painted in the basement.
I did a chubby, four-armed
Lord Vishnu, and Satyabhama
sitting on the expansive wing
of Garuda as he descends
to young Dhruva Maharaj
to give him a benediction.
The painting is crude,
but it captures the spirit
of Lord Vishnu, Satyabhama
and Dhruva Maharaj.

I painted in the basement.
I did Radharani and the sakhis.
While I was painting, Baladeva came to look
and said that the sakhis looked like
they were on their way to see Krishna
and that their lipstick and dress were
not in complete order. I took his suggestion
and titled the picture:
“Radha and the Sakhis on Their Way
to See Krishna – Lipstick and Dress
Not in Perfect Order”. I added
disarrayed cloths to the saris of the gopis.
I liked how it came out.

I painted in the basement.
I wrote the words:
“May we chant Hare Krsna?”
and below that the words:
“Yes, constantly!”
I put faces below the words.
They were all awkward, ugly heads:
a cross-eyed woman,
a man with petals on his head
and a washboard top of head;
a man with two heads,
and a menacing man with pointed teeth.
I made them as unfavorable as possible,
but indicated that anyone is eligible
and is advised to chant the holy names constantly.
This was unlike my previous two paintings
in which I implied that the ugly heads
were not qualified to be initiated
or to sit on the Ratha cart.

I painted in the basement.
I wrote the words “May we ride
on the ratha cart?”
I put the three Deities of
Jagannatha, Subhadra and Baladeva
on the right.
Then I put five grubby figures
at the bottom.
They were all very disreputable
with long hair and scars
on their faces and backs,
and pointy teeth.
Obviously they were not qualified
to sit on the ratha cart.
But I had fun executing the painting.

I painted in the basement.
I did Radha and Krishna
sitting together on a throne
holding hands.
A gopi sits
on either side of Them
making an offering.
Baladeva from Trinidad thought
the painting was nice,
and I did too.
It was not a polished painting
like the professionals or trained artists.
Just outsider “rough art.”