This pen and ink drawing was inspired by two images. The first is a photo of those beautiful, mysterious African bilbao trees.
The second image is of the stunning Todai-ji Buddhist Eastern Great Temple in Nara, Japan (Great Buddha Hall), which I visited a few years ago. Along with being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this temple is also the largest wood building in the world, dating back to the early 8th century AD.
I gave the massive bilbao tree trunks movement by exaggerating their lines to suggest they were dancing. The leafy canopy became Japanese temple roofs. The tree in the center also has that enormous incense pot at the base. That pot is always burning at the entrance, sending smoke to the heavens. Most visitors purchase incense sticks to add to it, saying a prayer for good health. The tree trunks are filled with bold patterning.
Later I scanned the drawing to add simple areas of color and background texture using Photoshop.
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