Week 123

There is a sect of Tibetan monks that spend their lives making gorgeous sand mandalas, only to destroy them moments after completion. They train to make them. They spend hours and hours to bring each intricate design into fruition. When the final accent has been placed, the artwork is then immediately swept away. It is said that the monks destroy the mandala to mirror the temporal nature of this life. The ritual ends only after the collected pigmented sands are released into moving water, thought to bring restorative powers to the rest of the world. 

The art itself is mind blowing in its detail and skill. However, it may be argued that the true art form there is the ability to let it go. To exist in the space of creating for the sake of creating itself.

I’d been so excited about painting the thick mossy rocks and incredible spectrum of greens in our photo inspiration for this. As we set out to begin this one, Laert challenged us to instead use a cool palette of blues only. I decided to let go of my hunger for greens and remember the deeper desire to be fully in this journey - instead of fixated on the end. The process was liberating. 

As we stood back to appraise our work, the deep coolness made the hot summer river a flowing phantasm. It was thrumming with a different energy, soft and mysterious. The magic of night washed over us as the rippling water passed by. The journey of creation is the ritual the monks prized. And perhaps, it is in that space that the healing powers also reside. 

Flowing Phantasm

27” x 36 | Oil on Panel