Padmasambhava with a Cloud of Dakinis

inspired by Padmasambhava’s cloud of dakinis. 
“Oh you who are encircled
With an entourage of dakinis
……
You must come here to give me your blessing”

 

purple red vegetables

Two recent drawings from observation.(I like to keep up my drawing skills with little sketchbook exercises). The onions are watercolour. The red cabbage is marker pens.

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.

Dakini on Horseback

 Here is a recent watercolour painting of a dakini with a sword.

And here is another red dakini riding a golden horse from years back.

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 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. 

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.

 

Hebe's chalice

 The myth tells that the goddess Hebe lost her chalice of youth and an eagle fought to recover the cup and returned it to her. Wherever the bird shed a drop of blood or a feather, up sprang a Rowan tree.

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

Red vase in winter

Another fruit of my digital experimentation working out how to make interesting and attractive images on my iPad.

Tulip season

Another quick digital sketch from observation

Robin

This is a tiny painting created for seasonal greeting cards

Sunbird

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

Amitabha (from my sketchbook)

Study in Alizarin and Burnt Siena

 One of Wednesday's quick sketches