I travelled across India in 2024 and took a series of photos. The image of a this child street musician captured my attention and I decided to paint it. He came from a gypsy tribe living in northern India at the boundary with Pakistan. He was charming, street smart and played the hand drum very well. He spoke sufficient English to communicate with tourists although I was told he had received very little  education. He was wearing his traditional tribal costume. I chose the image to paint because it reminded me of India. 
I loved the colours and patterns of his costume so I had to sketch the subject first in details, then applied the colours multiple times to achieve the right effects.
I have been painting for several years under the mentoring of Rex Turnbull at Studio 33 using primarily acrylic. This is the first time I have used watercolour.