My friend Eddie, the propreitor of Yoga Soup here in Santa Barbara, loaned me the most delightful art book: Light Coming Through: The Paintings of Kongtrul Jigme Namgyel. Thank you !
Eddie humbly told me that Kongtrul Jigme Namgyel is one of his spiritual teachers. In the forward of this beautiful glossy book full of abstract art and a few essays, this buddhist equates painting with meditation . I could not agree more that painting and meditation are something of the same thing. I have said before that when I paint time stops and 'me' disappears. I feel I am simply responding to spirit as I allow the ideas to flow through me. This book truly encapsulates this essense of being when painting.
Kongtrul Jigme Namgyel’s training in the arts began at an early age with the practice of calligraphy, music, ritual dance and other traditional Tibetan arts. After his introduction to Western culture, he became increasingly interested in modern art, particularly abstract painting and the work of Picasso and Kandinsky. He began painting under the guidance of his teacher, Yahne Le Toumelin in the mid 1990’s.
Ms. Le Toumelin, who is based in *Dordogne, France, teaches a unique style of oil mixed with glue, applied with special palettes. Kongtrul values abstract painting as a complement to his meditative discipline. His training in abstract painting evolves directly from his training and experience in meditation.
A life of retreat reflects in the work, and in turn, the work speaks of the value and importance of a life dedicated to cultivating wisdom. As he notes, meditation and art share the same creative source.
*After following this link I now want to go and visit Dordogne!! The casttles and the caves call the adventurous spirit within me!!!
See more of Kongtrul Jigme Namgyel’s work at:
http://www.tibethouse.org/Art/Past_Exhibitions.html (scroll down)
Purchase the book at:
Mangla Shri Bhuti Store
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment