Sitting in the Los Angeles airport with my buddy George sketching people coming and going while I'm waiting for our flight to China and then onto Lhasa, Tibet. I constantly kept the art journal going with a stream of paintings and drawings of people, portraits, animals, landscapes of all types, temples and holy men.
Lining up for check in at the ticket counter at Air China. Of course it being Southern California there was a fellow that brought a surf board along for the ride. Ballpoint and gel pen on paper.
A quick little pen sketch of our jet lining up for us to embark with me, George and Jameson heading off on 17 hours flight to Beijing.
Sunrise over a small erupting volcano over the McKinley Range in Alaska. Jagged peak with dim warm colors and jigsaw shaped lakes and cloud banks. Nine hours into the flight and I'm drawing a boring little still life of camera and coke cans.
George (in hat) watching the Simpson Movie and Jameson reading Travels with Charlie. I don't know what I would do if I didn't know how to draw during the flight. 8X6" pen drawing in a moleskin sketchbook.
A woman clutching and counting her "worry beads", black egg goo that soaked through my sketchbook, and a couple of Air China stewardess portraits. We had gone through 2 sunrises and sunsets in one plane ride.
Parents teaching their daughter (who reminded me of "Boo" from Monsters Inc.) to write a letter to her grandma. Flying from Beijing to Chengdu, China
George momentarily hanging out in the Beijing Airport.
The flight from Beijing to Chengdu. Not the half-assed, rattle-trap plane I thought I would be on. My father-in-law flew C-40s out of this airport during WW II.
Bridge over river on the way to Lhasa, Tibet. Seems Air China lost our luggage and we couldn't get a hold of it for a couple of days but Lhasa was definitely in another world...couldn't believe we were there.
Downtown Lhasa. Spent a day just acclimatizing for the elevation
View from our hotel in Lhasa. Nice little place but we spent a lot of time wandering the city during the day and night. Lots of Chinese soldiers and police patrolling the streets.
Standing in front of the Portola Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The main courtyard was a large concrete plaza dominated by Chinese police looking for anyone that might be a protesters
Heading up the to the entrance and into the inter chambers, temples and hallways in Portola. It was quite strange heading up into a ancient amazing religion and culture and this was this long trek up these stairs was our introduction.
Leaving Portola Palace and weaving our way down back into the city and the main garden.
A group of supporting monks tending to the needs of the Penchen Lama who was there in Jokhang for a special blessing occasion. They wore masks to either keep from getting sick or filter the air that was thick with smoke from yak butter candles.
I did this drawing after the ceremony. I was given a yellow scarf and instructed to walk up to the very young Penchen Lama and bow. The scarf was lifted of by one monk, the lama would then bless it and then it was handed back to me and on of the priests wrapped it around my neck. This was done in a very dim room with pilgrims lining a stairway down to the chamber
A couple of farmers washing their hands at a spigots in front of a large patch of Black-Eyed Susan flowers.
Walking up the stairs to the Portola palaces entrance. Looks crowded but the crowds were pretty sparse. Tourists, Tibetan and pilgrims walked up these stairs. It a good amount of effort considering it was at about 13,000 ft elevation
Main entrance to the palace. Beautiful carvings and paintings lead into the main temple chamber.
As we climbed up the stairs an old woman tottered up and held onto the door for support and then disappeared inside
The main Dalai Lamas palace complex and apartments at the top of the mountain
The main entre stairway. Common people on the left, priest on the right and the Dalai Lama goes straight up the middle.
Found this strange little still life around a corner. A bent can of yak milk and everything else painted red ochre.
On our way to Jokhang Temple, one of the holist sites in Tibet. The central courtyard has a line of prostrating pilgrims and Buddhists in line to visit.
The main entrance to the Temples main doors. Many pilgrim spend days kneeling and chanting before entering the compound.
Many will spend day and night staying here, belongings and sleeping blankets in hand. These too ladies strung beads and sold them for food. The thermos hold hot yak butter tea - a item we would see throughout Tibet.
Various pilgrims from many lands. the hand mittens are for protection as they kneel, prostrate and then slide forward with hands against the pavement, locked in prayer
A mother straightening up her daughters outfit before entering into the temple for a blessing from the second Panchen Lama. The yellow bag is a barley flower for an offering
Inside Jokhang Temple the halls and corridors were decorated brightly. When yo entered the building it was all very dim flickering lights and yak butter lamps
While walking through the dark passages I turned a corner and tripped over a teapot and fell into the lap of this understanding monk. At first surprised, he laughed, picked me up and then gave me an amulet to ward off bad spirits
The monks and priests apartment windows
A group of supporting monks tending to the needs of the Penchen Lama who was there in Jokhang for a special blessing occasion. They wore masks to either keep from getting sick or filter the air that was thick with smoke from yak butter candles.
In a light rain a monk runs from on complex to another.
On the roof of the Jokhang Temple with these giant golden totems gracing the crest. It was cold and windy that day but amazing to be in such a special place. In 2019 there was a massive fire in the Temple and this section burned down, engulfed in flame.
The next day we thought we would explore the neighborhoods of Lhasa and the perimeter of the Portola Palace. This is along a kora/holy walking circle at the base of the Portola. The gold cylinders are prayer wheels to be constantly spun in praise of Buddha.
The main shopping district in Lhasa, Barkhor Street where you buy everything from ancient coral and turquoise jewelry to the flimsiest plastic Chinese toys imaginable.
This little guy was coming home from school through the market, put on this disguise and followed us around the market mugging it up the entire time.
Tibetans traveling through the market below Portola. Lots of hustle-and-bustle going on around this location
Grain and spice merchants at the base of the walls and towers that ring Portola Palace
Meat and yak butter sellers right across the street.
Small sacred shrines that are placed in the walls around the market place. Small offerings such as money, flowers and food are placed on a ledge.
While sitting on the curb sketching people this little Tibetan boy came up and we "talked" for a while. Didn't know each others language but I showed him some sketches and gave him a couple of lessons. He was very cute. I had been told Tibetan were shy and scared to have there pictures taken or talk to Americans. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
At the end of the day George and I dropped in for dinner and some weak Chinese beer at a local restaurant. One day down a month-and-a-half to go.
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