for the Year of the Fire Horse

 

Elemental Sprites

 My take on offering goddesses - more to come - 

two elemental sprites with offerings 

I used earth pigments - watercolour on paper

For the Year of the Wo Dragon

 A few Dragons to mark the Chinese Year of the Wood Dragon

Fire and Phoenix

A few fiery sketches in my continuing exploration of the elements. 

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.

Bonfire detail from recent commission

This is a detail from a recent commission of a painting of Prajnaparamita. It is a gift for someone and was commissioned by her friends. This part of the image symbolises the group of friends who funded the painting My intention was to communicate feelings of warmth, connection and friendship along with something a little mysterious.

 

Naga Princess

A wisdom deity linking the ocean depths with fiery heavens and airy space. A winged creature who is part naga, part  human and protected by snakes.

Fiery Seahorse

Latest of my seahorse sketches, this one is a digital drawing done with the XP Brushes App on the iPad

Rainbow slippers and fire birds

Butter Lamp

Here is a study on the ongoing themes of warmth, worship and fire  - 

Sunbird

....continuing the theme of the Phoenix....

Fire Dragon

Today's creature from the imagination

Dragon of Air and Fire

Here is another dragon.  She is perched on a rocky outcrop of volcanic lava.

A Dragon in the Mist

 

An old theme revisited. 

A wee drawing from my sketchbook.

A dragon emerges from cloudy space.

Stupas for My Dad