I asked my artist friend, Marianne, to do the artwork for the production of my novel. After reading Only Ghosts, Marianne had a vision that she explained to me over the phone. It seemed complicated, but I had faith in her. She, however, wasn't sure she could bring her vision to paper. She knew the emotion and pose she wanted, but her struggle was that she wanted the people to look like they came from the traditional Mithili Art. I thought this idea was particularly appropriate because Mithili art comes from the villages in the Terrai flatlands near India, where the novel is set. When Marianne and I visited Nepal in 1996, she was introduced to this art (perhaps sooner with some of the work I own). However, replicating the feel and style of this art is a challenge. She looked at photos and worked on this for quite a bit and then one day out this beauty came. The image above is of Hara and Shakar at Bhoot pool, and the bird is a Kafl Pakyo bird, which Marianne also researched for this drawing.
Here's a Facebook page of Mithili art: Mithila Art from Nepal
Marianne captured this art, didn't she?
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