Before We Begin

Before We Begin

Medium: Original Oil on Canvas Size: 14 x 14 inches

Growing up in India, coconuts were never just something I associated with food. I saw them everywhere around religious ceremonies, temple visits, pujas, and especially at the beginning of something new.

There is something I have always liked about that tradition of breaking a coconut before taking an important step, almost like asking for a little protection and good fortune before you move forward.

I painted this because it is such an ordinary object, but for me it carries so many familiar memories of home, family, faith, and new beginnings.