“Walking Monk”  (2015)
by Bill James (1943-)
20 x 30 in., oil pastel on paper
Coppola Collection

Bill James is a talented artist whose range covers oils, watercolors, and pastels. His work is quite reasonably priced and he does commissions. I had been looking for the right person to translate some of the images that I had taken in Tibet, particularly of the local people and the monks, and Bill struck me as the guy to try. That sense is just an instinct more than anything else, about the style, color, tone, and mood with which the artist presents. All I can say is that I think I am pretty good at seeing the match.

Here is the original image that I took. There is an intrinsic graininess to everything in Tibet, so your pictures can end up looking like paintings to begin with.