Buddha Series Art Show

Thank you to all of my friends and family that attended.

Artist Statement

“The word Buddha in Sanskrit means “to be awakened” to a primordial reality of radiant compassion and self-existing wisdom. When expressed in art, Buddhas are not objects of worship, but mirrors of our innermost beings, icons of the journey from ignorance to illumination.” (Baker, Celestial Gallery). “The Buddha Series” is where I use the ancient teachings of yoga and Buddhist philosophy, and combine them with making art. I start with different images of the Buddha. The images range from those in classical Buddhist texts to contemporary laughing Buddha statues. Each new image and context sets the tone and energy of the painting. I use charcoal and spray paint to offset the marks of the acrylic paint. The image of the Buddha stays until I have worked into the painting so much that any traces of the figure are covered in layers of linear marks. Coming from an athletic background, I am physical with the application of paint. I place the canvas on the floor so I can walk around my painting and create active lines. Some of the paintings are playful and use dream-like interpretations of the Buddha, while others take on a serious undertone of contemplations of Buddhist philosophy and Tantric Buddhist meditation practices. My influences are Willem De Kooning, Kandinsky, and Francis Bacon for their line work, compositions, and use of color. I am also inspired by the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Pema Chodron, Deepak Chopra, Robert Thurman, Shri Kishna Pattabhi Jois, Shri Krishnamacharya, Christopher Baxter, and the Tibetan-style mandala and tangka paintings of Romio Shrestha. I want the viewer to put behind the concerns of their everyday life and ponder their innermost potential: the possibility of happiness and spiritual freedom. As the Bhagavad Gita says, “As I curve back within myself and manifest different forms, I realize that I am not in the universe, but the universe is in me; I am not in this body, this body is in me; I am not this mind, the mind is in me. And as I curve back within myself, I create the experience of mind, of body, of the universe and all of these infinite realms. That’s enlightenment: to know that the entire universe is a projection of my own being and I create within myself the texture and fabric of all that exists.”