Mission Accomplished (Almost)

One of my 2015 goals was to complete both the Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia sections of Eve’s Imprint. I had been working on SEA since 2012 when I still held a full-time job. In 2014 during my residency in Italy I digressed to paint a volcanic eruptions banner, the largest single piece I have ever done. At the beginning of 2015 I was primed to return to my work on Southeast Asia and bring it to completion. It was not as hard as I’d anticipated and culminated with creation of the Ecosystems stick map in February.

So I moved on to Southwest Asia and was rolling along nicely until I had a fall at the end of August in which I broke my right hand and injured my left shoulder. These injuries brought my painting to a halt for about six weeks and then I had to work slowly for a while. I pretty much kept quiet about this fall because I am embarrassed about being such a klutz.

As the end of 2015 approached, I was determined to finish Southwest Asia, so I worked through the holidays, completing the pieces I'd envisioned on January 31st - New Year’s Eve day.

The southern end of the Red Sea shown as it enters the Gulf of Aden
at the northern coast of the Horn of Africa.

Genetic scientists believe that Homo sapiens left Africa by crossing the Straits of Grief at the southern end of the Red Sea 70,000 to 60,000 years ago. In other words, the horn of Africa (Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia) was our jumping off point for the maiden migration of Homo sapiens out of Africa into the unknown wilderness beyond.

Stephen Oppenheimer, a British scientist whose studies form a large portion of the 2003 discovery channel video, The Real Eve, opines that eating fish accelerated the growth of both the human brain and the human population. He says that perhaps the fish supply was strained by this population growth and prompted people to look across the Straits of Grief and long for the ‘green hills of Yemen’.

The grid images on the left side of Arabia and to the right of Iran are
from an Islamic map created in the middle Ages. The writing in the grid
gives the coordinates of geographic locations, to be used in determining
the direction of Mecca for prayers.

The Arabian Peninsula was not always desert. Apparently it has oscillated between fertility and desert more than once. Those migrants who survived the crossing of the Straits of Grief landed in a botanical garden. Some of these original migrants stayed in present day Yemen and after a time - as they multiplied - migrated north by land. At least an adventurous few continued by water along the coast, arriving in present day Iran.

On the left is Iran and on the right are Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The battle from the backs of elephants is a transfer of cave art.

Most likely some of those migrants, upon touching the shores of Eurasia, were captivated by the river-fed lands they gazed upon and decided to stay. The fertility of the land aided their population expansion and they followed both rivers and land further inland and within 10,000 years, many had settled in Mesopotamia (present day Iraq).

Once again, there were those migrants who preferred a maritime existence and they continued along the coast of present-day Pakistan. As they sailed, they dropped off a few of their number in various places. Perhaps there were pregnant women or small children who needed to stop for a while. And of course, as we all know, once you have paused and found a hospitable place that nurtures body and soul, why would you return to an itinerate life? Some of these coastal people eventually made their way north into the Indus River Valley where they created a culture that rivaled that of Mesopotamia. Others continued north into present-day Afghanistan. 

The tiles at the top are to indicate the height of the Himalayas
and how they formed a barrier to Asia. The map in the lower right
shows DNA mapping of migrations.

At least an intrepid few adventurers continued along and around the vast coastline of the Indian subcontinent. There they found fertile land, inviting caves, and the majestic and ferocious Bengal Tiger. It would have been a courageous covey of migrants who decided to enter a land ruled by tigers, elephants, and other dangerous animals. For whatever reasons, some migrants did indeed stay and before the beginning of the first millennium of the current era, some had reached the Bhimbetka caves in central India and inscribed their understanding of life on the cave walls. Most of my India and Pakistan cave art images are from these caves. Remember, until the mid 1940s, Pakistan and India were one country.

Other migrants found their way by water to the islands known today as the Maldives, the large island known today as Sri Lanka, and further to today’s Nicobar and Andaman islands. A goodly portion of these maritime migrants continued on into Southeast Asia.

Once I had my tiger and tiles done, I had to do a make-over
on the Nicobar Islands at the lower right.

I had a friend join me on New Year’s Eve and after viewing the newly completed Southwest Asia panels, she spotted the Southeast Asian Ecosystems Stick Map. She immediately pronounced, “You have to do a three-dimensional piece for Southwest Asia.” As soon as she said it, I knew she was right; I guess I didn't quite make my deadline after all.

We brainstormed how these adventurous migrants would have navigated from one place to another. In prehistoric times Homo sapiens were keen observers of natural and celestial patterns and gradually created navigation tools to help travelers make their way through distant lands and seas. I did some research and found that by the time of the Greeks an instrument called an astrolabe had been invented. Later I will tell you more about that and the 3D piece I now envision for Southwest Asia.

I apologize for the poor quality of my photographs. They do not reflect the sizes of the pieces: In inches, Horn of Africa is 10 x 8, Arabia/Iran is 16 x 20, Iran/Pakistan is 6 x 12, India is 18 x 24 and the islands are 4 x 6, except Sri Lanka is 4 x 4.