When your in Asia certain parts have these small temples on the sides of roads and even on mt. hiking trails. These always keep me questioning what's watching me? This summer I have often driven my motorcycle to feed a pack of stray cats with my oldest daughter who found this motley crew of cats. As I drove we pass a cemetery, curious small temples or shrines among the small road and villages that are scattered on the 30 minute ride. I drew some sketches long ago and even asked about these temples to the locals. Some would say don't ask about them, leave them alone, you'll find trouble or trouble will find you. No matter what I did, I asked locals and they informed of the local mt. spirits, gods or creatures that wandered around, I was interested in any folklore or historical connections. I have done this in all parts of Asia that I have been to. The most unique was Bali and meeting a local village chief/ shaman and having him tell me stories of local folklore. This really troubled some around me, but to me this was just learning. The village chief in Bali described the local spirits and I took notes and drew sketches from his descriptions. The books were important part of my curiosity and in general helping to draw these as the stories were told to him through oral language. Below is my rendition of a Taiwanese road side temple or even a mountain shrine. What is watching us?
