Amitabha

 This painting completes the set of three: 

Padmasambhava, Avalokiteshvara and Amitabha

Studies of White Tara

Exploring a circular composition and White Tara's association with the moon

 

From the Archive - Bodhisattva and Lotus (with Skull)

 This is a large oil painting (122 x 122cm) painted in 1999. In its presence I start to drown in the rich warm colour field and the sensuous quality of the paint. I enjoy the subtleties of the colour shifts some of which is lost in the photographed image.The image combines elements from different Buddhist icons.  The hand holding up the lotus comes from an Amitabha sadhana. The peacock feathers are a reference to Amitabha's peacocks which support his throne. The skull references the skull cup filled with the red nectar of great bliss which is held by Padmasambhava and by wisdom dakinis in their dance.

Night Peacock

 I painted a peacock on black paper using metallic watercolour.  It did not photograph well.  I tweaked the photograph as best I could using various filters, then copied it into the Brushes App and played with the image digitally, using various digital brushes and colours until I had an image I was satisfied with. 

Red Rose in Small Glass Bowl

 Another drawing from observation in the sketch book.  Another set of tricky shapes and forms to capture.

Amitabha Variation

A variation on one of my most popular Buddha images 

Pandaravasini and Phoenixes on Jewelled throne

 Experimental rendering of this deity. She personifies Amitabha's discriminating wisdom which sees the unique characteristics of all phenomena. Her element is fire and her jewelled throne is supported by fiery birds, the legendary phoenixes.

Pandaravasini: new variation

 I have a new version of Pandaravasini for the 5 Prajna set. I think this version works better within the context of the set of five, but it is a matter of preference.

The original set can be viewed in a post dated October 2021.

Pandaravasini Variation

The latest version of my exploration of Pandaravasini: the red female wisdom Buddha of love and fire and meditation. 

Here are my reflections on the significance of the variations in this version: 

Giving her a white top to wear: this aspect of the symbolism connects us to the purity of an absorbed meditating mind - her name means the white robed one. 

Playing with composition and the pictorial space by introducing new elements: the vases and flowers. Experimenting with a different way of visually describing the main lotus as something crystalline and like a jewelled throne.  For me these changes bring in the sense of the earth and riches (groundedness and jewels) which links to other figures in the mandala. The vases are the clear blue of the sky with hints of other clays - earth and sky together. 

Working towards more subtlety in the rainbow colours of her aura.

Mixed media on canvas. 

Pandaravasini - Red Female Buddha of Fire and Love

A current project is a painting on canvas of Pandaravasini. She is the consort of Amitabha, the red Buddha of the West. Amitabha is all about meditation and the transformation of neurotic craving into love for all. Pandaravasini is the personification of his discriminating wisdom which sees the uniqueness of all beings and all phenomena.

Here are three images I'm using as material, earlier work all about fire and warmth. (Pandaravasini sits on a lotus on a crystal throne supported by Phoenixes). The phoenix is a work on paper in an old sketchbook. The two versions of the figure are digital “paintings”.

Come back to see what emerges.

Pandaravasini

 Pandaravasini is a female wisdom Buddha, consort of Amitabha. She personifies discriminating wisdom which sees the uniqueness of all phenomenon.

Amitabha's Land of Infinite Light

 

Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light and Eternal LIfe is associated with the setting sun. He presides over Sukhavati, the archetypal pure land of bliss.

Three out of five Jinnas

This is a set of digital finger paintings created on the iPad inspired by the Mandala of the Five Buddhas.

Akshobya

Ratnasambhava

Amitabha

Amitabha (from my sketchbook)