illustrator
ago, and then did another series on the same theme last year. I was in Assisi, Italy this past November for an artist’s residency and that space had a perfect mix of old architecture and nature. It was a profound experience. I balance my work between documenting the things I see in front of me, and releasing the whimsical madness that comes out of my head. What do you do for inspiration? PM: I travel. It widens my horizons, changes perspectives of things, and keeps me mobile. What projects have you been proud to be a part of? PM: There are quite a few, such as volunteering for nine months in Varanasi for World Literacy of Canada, working
with women and children, painting and designing things as part of their sewing program. Also, illustrating a children’s book published by Oxford University Press as a fundraiser for the organization. What does the future hold? PM: I have no clue! I’d like to get my sketchbooks published. I’ve been chronicling my life through my watercolor journals for the last 18 years, and now I’ve got piles of them. I have sketchbooks on Cuba, Paris, camping in Canada, Varanasi, temple towns of Tamil Nadu, London, Bangkok, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, New York, Italy…the list goes on an on. I share them with a wider audience on my blog, but it would be great to get them out there as a series of books, which I hope to get started on this year. www.poolmagazine.in 31