Krish V. Krishnan's Blog

From Copan, Honduras

Conte Crayons 14 x 17

I stood below this grand monument, awestruck by the late afternoon sun licking the motifs upon its intricate stairway. A stela of a later king loomed nearby.

Built upon several other structures by the Maya king of Copan, this grand stairway retells the history of Copan in stone. My guide explains this has been the longest Maya text found ever, in 1260 glyphs carved upon 63 stairs narrating the story of the kings of yore and their valiant exploits in these lands.

Integrating the occult with history, this was also the secret pathway of the king to his ancestors as he ascended these steps to a grand temple perched above. Accompanied by chanting priests, here he would worship the kings of yesteryear and make his offerings to the many Maya Gods of the thirteen heavens. Incense from sacrificial altars would have clouded the place, adding to that sense of mystery.

Archaeologists in the early 1900s had found this place in an utter state of ruin, with only the stones making first 15 steps of the stairway mounted, and the others scattered on the forest floor. The Maya script hadn’t been decoded and eager professors had hastily rearranged the stones above based on visual appeal, completely scrambling a visual story that can never really be put together again!

All these months I had been wondering what the right medium was to depict such a scene – its eternal mystery, the puzzle and the incense smoke. I decided to employ a similar technique, keeping the architectural elements intact.

Check out my travel/art book Rambles into Sacred Realms

From Copan, Honduras

Scratchboard 8×8.

Here’s the 8×8 finished product of my Honduran Mealy Amazon Parrot whom I ‘befriended’ at the Macaw Mountain Bird Park and Natural Reserve .

Amazona Farinosa is supposed to be the gentlest of the Amazonian parrot variety – but I sure was scared to approach this one who seemed to be in a rather grumpy mood that humid afternoon.

I finished it a couple of days after my ‘rewarding’ demo at the Skokie Public Library. The folks who attended were simply mesmerized by this ‘strangely therapeutic’ medium.

Check out my travel/art book Rambles into Sacred Realms

From Evanston, IL

Photo

Presenting a copy of my book to Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

Check out my newly-released new travel/art book Rambles into Sacred Realms

From Athens, Greece

Scratchboard 11×14

The Porch of the Karyatids, Acropolis, Greece – Scratchboard 11×14 (From an old sketch, imagination and + my ref photo)

Some of you who attended my ISSA demo will remember this incomplete piece showing comely Kore maidens holding up an entablature in the Acropolis in Athens, and my demonstration of the reverse scratching or ‘back-rub’ technique as I call it!

Well, at long last I managed to complete this piece after all my travels and other life interruptions.

Check out my newly-released new travel/art book Rambles into Sacred Realms

From Copan, Honduras

Scratchboard 9×12

These animals were scurrying all over the place looking busy but very alert. I may have surprised this one by the thickets in the lodge where I stayed near the Pico Bonito Park in La Ceiba, Honduras.

Check out my newly-released new travel/art book Rambles into Sacred Realms

From Copan, Honduras

Scratchboard 9×12, colored in with Ampersand inks.

By the ancient Maya ruins here, I could see these large birds squawking above the trees. One made bold to perch near where I stood, inspecting my photographic paraphernalia with studied curiosity. I took several photos, also drawing some quick sketches noting the light and shade below the thick canopy. I spent the larger part of last week’s evenings and this weekend to complete this work.

Check out my newly-released new travel/art book Rambles into Sacred Realms

From Copan, Honduras

Pen and Ink 16×20

Over a long weekend, I attempted what turned out to be a rather complex pen and ink drawing.

I wanted to recreate the sight of a scarlet macaw that flew past me as I stood admiring the ancient ball court of a great civilization. The tarp protects a delicately-carved stairway chockfull of hieroglyphics which had helped decode the Maya script. What an unforgettable moment that was!

Check out my newly-released new travel/art book Rambles into Sacred Realms

From Cuero Y Salgado, Honduras

Photographs

Unbelievable fauna in Honduras – was I lost in paradise?

From Cuero Y Salgado, Honduras

Photographs

Unbelievable fauna in Honduras – was I lost in paradise?

My book Rambles into Sacred Realms: Journeys in Pen & Paint was released 2 weeks ago.

The book received 5-star ratings from The San Francisco Book Review and The Portland Book Review!

With nearly 120 pieces of my artwork, the book covers my travels and personal experiences in places of peace and power across Thailand, Belize, Guatemala, US, UK, India, Mexico, Cambodia, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Greece.