"In Preparation"

oil on panel

7.75 x 8 inches

The monks are getting ready for the opening ceremonies for the weeklong making of a sand mandala.

Painting in process . . .

Tibetan monks preparing for the opening ceremony, which begins the five day process of making a sand mandala. I will post the painting again when it is finished.

Creating A Sacred Sand Mandala

The colored sand to be used.

Early the first day, laying out the design.

Laying in the center of the mandala with colored sand.

This week a group of Tibetan monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery in India came to Bastyr University, where they spent five days creating and, ultimately, destroying a sacred sand mandala. The tradition honors impermanence of life.

Since this is near my home, I was able to stop by for a while on three days. My visits included the traditional opening and closing ceremonies, where the monks chanted and played instruments filling the air with rich sounds.

For five days the monks painstakingly laid millions of grains of sand into place in geometric shapes, containing a multitude of ancient spiritual symbols. Shortly after completion, the mandala was destroyed in a sacred ceremony as all the sand was swept into the center. Half went into an urn, and the remainder was distributed to the audience.

Then chanting, monks left the hall. They carried the urn to the lake. Once at the water's edge, the chanting began again and the sand was offered to the water in a ceremony with prayers for peace and healing the earth.

N.A.W.A. 121st Annual Exhibition

All Dressed Up is on its way to the National Arts Club in NYC, where it will hang in the National Associan of Women Artists 121st Annual Exhibition. The exhibition opens June 9th and runs through the 27th. Please stop by if you are in the area.

National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, NYC. Phone 212 475-3424

"April Flowers"

Most of the petals have now fallen and I decided the painting is finished. I did managed to capture some of the rich and subtle color changes I wanted.

This is one of those paintings where I really needed more time. Perhaps a better way to say that is that I would like to be able to get it right the first time. Then I am sure the flowers would last long enough.