Art Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Maggie InkMaggie Ink

Float on

May 7, 2011

When I die and the undertaker cracks me open, I’m pretty sure sand will spill out. I’m a desert girl. My bones are made of cactus and my heart throws tumbleweeds with every beat.

So tooling around the floating villages of Lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia was a glimpse into an unfathomable life.

Here the landscape ebbs and flows, dictated by an ever-changing tide.

Not only is this the largest lake in Southeast Asia, it’s also a UNESCO-recognized biosphere.

Small villages are perched on stilts around the lake. There are floating stations for diesel, markets for essential sundries, even places of worship.

All floating, all perpetually drifting.

Twice a year, their entire world shifts as the Tonle Sap changes direction. During the dry season, about November to May, the lake drains into the Mekong River. When the rains flow again, starting in June, Tonle Sap swells up once again.

PHOTOS: Kids of India

April 2, 2011

I’m a sucker for kids everywhere, and I love photographing them as I travel. Unfortunately, I feel incredibly awkward taking a photo of children unless I have permission, so I never end up capturing as many images as I’d like.

Here are just a few of the children I met during my month in India.

This boy approached me in Hampi, asking for a “country coin.” He lucked out. I gave him a U.S. quarter, an Argentinian peso, five Bolivianos and a stack of Ethiopian birr.

These little guys were bored as hell at a parade in Panaji.

Same parade. This kid’s mask creeps me out.

On our ashram field trip to Kanyakumai, a few of us girls found an abandoned school where we could change into our bikinis. One of my friends was standing directly behind me here, trying in vain to shield herself, as these children walked into the room.

Beautiful little boy in Hampi.

These girls are so gorgeous, aren’t they? They were sitting outside of the Monkey Temple in Hampi, looking so peaceful and calm despite the overbearing heat.

OMG

March 26, 2011

Forget Bethlehem.

A houseboat trip through the Indian backwaters of Alleppey brought me to the real birthplace of Jesus — where saints are crafted and God is created.

The St. Thomas Statuary, of course.

Egyptian blue

January 3, 2011

Before I arrived in Egypt, I imagined it in neutrals. The dirty khaki of Cairo. The warm, beige sand of Giza. The glow of ancient gold.

But now that I’m here, all I see is blue.

Streets of Johannesburg

November 6, 2010

I only knew Johannesburg from what I saw on the news as a little girl in the 1980s. Tanks rumbling through city streets, racial segregation and violence among the rubble.

It’s not fair, but those were the images that stuck with me, and it’s what I anticipated when I arrived in South Africa. Of course, the reality is a lot more complex and interesting than a 15-second clip on the nightly news. Not to mention, that was South Africa of the past, and the country has made great and wonderful strides toward a new future.

Unfortunately, many lovely Johannesburg homes are situated behind enormous walls, gates and coils of barbed wire, so I can’t really show you photos of those.

The city streets, however, are vibrant, colorful and electric — and welcoming to everyone.