With the start of 2008, one of the things that I wanted to do this year was take some kind of art class. I wanted to do something that would allow me to think in other ways rather than through the viewfinder. For ages, I’ve really wanted to take a formal class in printmaking (etchings, intaglio, lino and woodblock, etc.)…do illustrations…and paint. But I realized that almost all of the things that I want to do involve drawing of some sort. Or at least the technical basis that comes along with drawing.
I’ve taken some bio illustration classes in college: learning how to draw plants, wildlife, and smaller natural subject matter. But it’s been a long time and I’ve never really worked with subject matter other than nature.
Well, I signed up for a semester of Drawing I that I go to once a week with my drawing paper and pencils in hand. And the best part is…it’s FREE! There’s about 30 people in my class, which seems to have gotten smaller since we began three weeks ago. In just the three weeks of class, I feel as though I’ve learned so much and my teacher is fabulous. It really seems to have become a highlight of the week for me and I find myself wanting to draw more and more. It seems to be motivating me in other creative aspects as well. I’ve been doing a lot more photography and I’ve been viewing things differently…and asking myself, “I wonder if I could draw that”. So we’ll see what happens.
Yesterday I ventured out to Philadelphia Cathedral in west Philly with Albert to see Losang Samten work on a mandala, which is a 6-foot circular colorful sand painting that is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist art form. The mandala that Losang is creating is the “Wheel of Life” and represents the universe and many aspects of life. Each mandala has the same concept, but no two mandalas are alike.
He grew up in Tibet where he was a personal attendant to the Dalai Lama. Losang escaped Tibet in 1959, in the same year as the Dalai Lama. Losang introduced the mandala art form to the USA and founded the Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia in the late 80s.
I was familiar with mandalas after seeing the movie Kundun (directed by Martin Scorcese) in the theater over 10 years ago and it has remained one of my favorite films. Little did I know that Losang was one of the main actors in the movie, playing the role of himself: the Dalai Lama’s attendant. He also served as a religious advisor and master sand painter in the film.
Here is a photo of me with Losang (in mid-laugh) taken by Albert.
Losang working on the mandala on a raised platform with the entrance to the Cathedral in the background.
Two metal tubes containing colorful grains of sand are rubbed together, releasing only a minimal amount of sand.
This is how much of the mandala has been created so far when we visited yesterday. Losang started the mandala on January 13th. Through January 27, creation of the mandala is open to the public during the hours of 10am-4pm (he takes a lunch break from noon - 1pm). You can also view the creation process of this mandala on the Cathedral’s website. In addition to the mandala creation, there is a photography exhibit of recent photos from Tibet by photographer, Jeff Donovan. The Cathedral itself is also worth checking out.
The creation of the mandala is part of Philadelphia Cathedral’s pilgrimage for peace that runs from January 13 - February 3. There will be a ceremony on February 3 at noon when the mandala will be swept away and returned to nature.
