PAPUA NEW GUINEA

This island country is rich and diverse in all forms of art, music and costume. For such a small nation, it has an amazing number of cultural groups - nearly 1000 - each with its own language and custumes. Saksak, a starchy extract from the Sago Palm, is one of the main staple crops in this agrarian society. Attending the Mount Hagen sing-sing, which can only be described as “the greatest show on earth,” was the highlight of my visit to Papua New Guinea. Hundreds gather in their traditional tribal costumes to parade and showcase their finest apparel and dancing. The sing-sing is a thunderous event, a riot of color that goes on for days. It is a dizzying abundance of aesthetic riches that I thoroughly enjoyed rendering on canvas.