“Rajasthani Hanki” – 100 layers in Photoshop

One of my images, “Rajasthani Hanki” was juried into the current exhibition in the Art Works Downtown gallery, “New Avenues: digitally influenced art”. Yes, I know, I don’t usually photoshop my photography, but I sure had fun with this one.

From my notes about the image: “Rajasthani Hanki” was created in Photoshop using over 100 layers of carefully  chosen details from digital images I made in the cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur in India’s state of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan is in northwest India which abuts Pakistan on it’s western border. Historically the state has been composed of a number smaller principalities which were united into what became the largest of India’s states at the time of Independence in 1947.

Prior to statehood, the major principality in Rajasthan was the city of Jaipur (2.3 million population today) , which became the state’s capital. Another, smaller, sister principality was the city of Jodhpur, population close to one million today.

In this piece, the central image is that of a young woman selling posters of sacred Hindu imagery along a major market street in Jodhpur. This is surrounded by lacy balcony details from City Palace in Jaipur. Next are a series of women in the picturesque, walled Old Market in central Jodhpur. The remaining, lacy effects which complete the ‘hanki”, are of a variety of architectural details from various palaces in “Pink City” of Jaipur.

To summarize, photos of the women are all from Jodhpur. All architectural details are form royal palaces in Jaipur.

Cultural note: Marin County and internationally acclaimed Indian musician, the late Ali Akbar Kahn was court musician to the palace in Jodhpur for several years prior to Indian Independence.