Threads of Awakening

Today’s post comes in response to a reader. (Thanks for the push! It was time to get writing again.) So you bought a thangka or had one commissioned while you were on pilgrimage in India, trekking in Nepal, or otherwise traveling the world. Maybe you’ve commissioned a thangka from me or from a Tibetan or [...]

Read Full Post »

Hi everyone! Did you notice the new box to your right? I’ve got an offer for you. Ever want to get a closer look at the layers of silk that make up a fabric thangka? Want to search for the stitches? Or just want to ooh and ahh? Starting next Monday, you’ll get a close-up [...]

Read Full Post »

It’s finally here! The first interview in my intercultural artist series! Today we meet Dutch thangka painter Carmen Mensink. An enthusiastic and dedicated painter, teacher, and Buddhist practitioner, Carmen was trained by Andy Weber, co-author and illustrator of Images of Enlightenment: Tibetan Art in Practice, one of the books I often refer to for inspiration. [...]

Read Full Post »

I have been teaching fabric thangka making through email for several months now. My first student was a woman named Louise, whose passionate questioning gave me the kick start I needed to package my skills into lessons. She came to visit me last summer for a brief introduction and has been working diligently with my [...]

Read Full Post »

Works of art can be powerful vehicles for facilitating and celebrating change. Just as funerary arts are often associated with rebirth and renewal, most artistic genres are in a state of constant reformulation, reflecting ever-changing social circumstances and the dynamic nature of tradition. …arenas of contemporary artistic expression and practice are continuations of and departures [...]

Read Full Post »

In May, I explained how to hang a thangka. In that post, I made a distinction between the heavy ties at the top of the frame, intended to support the weight of the thangka, and a thinner cord at the front intended to hold the silk drape. Now, if you’ve had your thangka hung on [...]

Read Full Post »

So many of you made such wonderful comments on my latest work, “Beauty,” when I posted it on Facebook and on this blog two weeks ago. I’m just putting the finishing touches on the borders now and will attach a sleeve at the back for hanging. Today, I wanted to give you some background on [...]

Read Full Post »

Last weekend, the Green Tara thangka featured in the documentary film Creating Buddhas: the Making and Meaning of Fabric Thangkas moved to her new home in Escondido. (Yes, I did write “her” new home. I usually refer to my thangkas as the deities they embody, so this one is Tara herself.) Michael Essex, also known [...]

Read Full Post »

I have a new project in the works, to expand the conversation here. COMING SOON TO THIS BLOG AT THE INTERSECTION: a series of interviews with artists who work in cultural traditions other than their own I’ll start with western artists working in Tibetan traditions, because that’s what I know best. And eventually, I hope [...]

Read Full Post »

Okay, enough inspiration for now, let’s get back to something practical… Actually, I’d have to say that inspiration is one of the most practical and profitable things there is… So, well, on to something more physically tangible and directly thangka-related. Improper handling also causes great damage to these objects. The thangka form was devised to [...]

Read Full Post »