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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Week 3: On my own
As last week was Losar, the Tibetan New Year, school was on holiday for a week. That didn't stop me from sharpening my pencil and wetting my brush. I produced some really awful stuff during that week, but below you'll find one of the better examples, created on one of those days when nearly everything goes just right.
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Thursday, February 22, 2007
Happy Losar!
Tuesday was the last day of the three day New Year holidays, known as Losar by the Tibetans. Whereas the first two days are rather quiet, with families visiting temples and accepting visitors at home, the last day is more public, with families out circling the stupa and showing off their new year finery. In the afternoon there was a Losar party at the nearby Hyatt hotel grounds, featuring live music, dance, and lots of food and beer.
Below are some photos taken around the stupa, fol owed by a few shots from the party at the Hyatt. In the first band photo the singer is my art teacher at Shechen.
Below are some photos taken around the stupa, fol owed by a few shots from the party at the Hyatt. In the first band photo the singer is my art teacher at Shechen.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Lama dance
As in many parts of Asia, the Tibetans follow a lunar calendar and so tomorrow marks the beginning of Losar, the three day Tibetan New Year. Among the many events are the lama dances performed at many of the monasteries. Here are a few photos from yesterday's performance at the White Gompa.
Shivaratri
Today in Nepal smoking marijuana at the Pashupatinath Temple was open and legal. It's one of the traditions associated with the sadhus, the nomadic Hindu mystics who live on alms, and open season on this Hindu holiday celebrating the birth of Lord Shiva, one of the most revered of the Hindu pantheon here in Nepal. For more, have a look here or here.
Below are a few photos from today's visit to Pashupatinath, a huge sensory overload induced by the crush of thousands of people; incense, fires, and marijuana burning everywhere; cremations on the river; and always beggars underfoot.
These fellows were rolling themselves across the temple grounds, rolling for Shiva.
Lots of these guys around smoking ganja. Many come from India for the holiday.
This was a real cremation taking place on the Bagmati River. The children of the deceased have their heads shaved in a mourning ritual.
The temple and the Bagmati river.
And in case you were wondering, I didn't smoke a thing today. ;-)
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Below are a few photos from today's visit to Pashupatinath, a huge sensory overload induced by the crush of thousands of people; incense, fires, and marijuana burning everywhere; cremations on the river; and always beggars underfoot.
These fellows were rolling themselves across the temple grounds, rolling for Shiva.
Lots of these guys around smoking ganja. Many come from India for the holiday.
This was a real cremation taking place on the Bagmati River. The children of the deceased have their heads shaved in a mourning ritual.
The temple and the Bagmati river.
And in case you were wondering, I didn't smoke a thing today. ;-)
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Thursday, February 15, 2007
Visit to a thangka workshop
Last Sunday, 11 February, I had the chance to visit a thangka workshop located just a couple of blocks from my guest house down a typical narrow alley with an unpaved road. Housed in the 4-story building are the offices and studios of the Dharmadhatu Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the condition of painters and the socially and economically disadvantaged.
I learned about DD at one of Boudha's thangka shops, places I visit from time to time to chat with the sales people, owners and painters. At one small shop the sales person was telling me about an organization he belonged to that was attempting to assist poor thangka painters to get more money for their work through the formation of a cooperative studio and retail outlet.
The retail shop hasn't yet materialized, but you can have a look at some photos of the workshop below, as well as learn more about the organization here, and have a look at some of the art being produced here.
In these first two photos you'll see a young man tracing what are some very intricate designs. As thangka are for many people a means of survival, it is more important to be able to produce something that you can sell, rather than mastering a skill before producing your first bit of work. You'll see another set of photos below of another artist tracing an image onto canvas. In this case, the artist is working with paint. As I study at what you might think of as a more traditional "school," there is no theoretical or economic necessity to practice tracing.
Below are two young artists, both still in their teens, if I remember correctly, applying shading to the four corners of mandalas. The technique requires applying dark layers of colors in the far corners and making the color increasing lighter as it moves to the center, producing the appearance of fading. This is some of the simplest painting work and it is often what new apprentices learn first, as once they master the technique they can begin earning their keep. Below you'll see some more photos of a room full of women, all beginners and all practicing shading.
Here is the backside of a large canvas. Notice the paper attached to the canvas and the light directed at it. The artist is on the other side copying the image to the canvas.
Below is the master artist of the workshop doing some of the more delicate finishing work, such as adding gold. Notice the shading and most of the content is finished.
Following are several photos of the learner's room, a group of young ladies practicing shading. If you look closely, you'll see that they are shading blue skies and green hills, fairly typical background features in most thangka. Most of these women, I was told, are unskilled and without opportunities to lerarn a skill or craft. The DD Foundation provides this training for free.
And finally the founder and organizer of the Dharmadhatu Foundation, Buddha Moktang Lama, and his wife (whose name I don't have with me just now).
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I learned about DD at one of Boudha's thangka shops, places I visit from time to time to chat with the sales people, owners and painters. At one small shop the sales person was telling me about an organization he belonged to that was attempting to assist poor thangka painters to get more money for their work through the formation of a cooperative studio and retail outlet.
The retail shop hasn't yet materialized, but you can have a look at some photos of the workshop below, as well as learn more about the organization here, and have a look at some of the art being produced here.
In these first two photos you'll see a young man tracing what are some very intricate designs. As thangka are for many people a means of survival, it is more important to be able to produce something that you can sell, rather than mastering a skill before producing your first bit of work. You'll see another set of photos below of another artist tracing an image onto canvas. In this case, the artist is working with paint. As I study at what you might think of as a more traditional "school," there is no theoretical or economic necessity to practice tracing.
Below are two young artists, both still in their teens, if I remember correctly, applying shading to the four corners of mandalas. The technique requires applying dark layers of colors in the far corners and making the color increasing lighter as it moves to the center, producing the appearance of fading. This is some of the simplest painting work and it is often what new apprentices learn first, as once they master the technique they can begin earning their keep. Below you'll see some more photos of a room full of women, all beginners and all practicing shading.
Here is the backside of a large canvas. Notice the paper attached to the canvas and the light directed at it. The artist is on the other side copying the image to the canvas.
Below is the master artist of the workshop doing some of the more delicate finishing work, such as adding gold. Notice the shading and most of the content is finished.
Following are several photos of the learner's room, a group of young ladies practicing shading. If you look closely, you'll see that they are shading blue skies and green hills, fairly typical background features in most thangka. Most of these women, I was told, are unskilled and without opportunities to lerarn a skill or craft. The DD Foundation provides this training for free.
And finally the founder and organizer of the Dharmadhatu Foundation, Buddha Moktang Lama, and his wife (whose name I don't have with me just now).
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Can you use a computer?
I've been going to the local police office daily for the past week trying to recover the report on my stolen walkman that was promised to me on the 11th, the day after filing on the 10th. See my previous post on that particular experience.
The first day I went back the inspector wasn't in and no one knew anything about my report. The next day still no inspector, but the young man who talked with me asked if I needed this report in English. I explained I needed it for my insurance company and that I didn't think anyone at that institution could read Nepali. This office doesn't do English, he said. I looked disappointed. He looked contemplative. Finally he said he would get it done in English for me. Please come back tomorrow.
The next day the inspector was in, but my report wasn't yet ready. Someone had an English theft/loss report form, but it had a fat black streak down the right side from a malfunctioning printer. The inspector asked if I could wait a moment for them to print out a clean one. I said yes, but then the power went out. The inspector ordered tea and we waited to see if the power would come back. It didn't. The inspector asked me to fill out the form in pencil and they would type it up for me to collect today.
When I arrived today, the form wasn't ready. The scribe wasn't in. The inspector asked, what can I do for you? Well, I need the report, I said. If you like, I can type it for you. You can use the computer, the inspector asked. Of course. Ok, come here.
And so I not only typed up my own report, but also typed up a template for them for future use with unlucky foreign tourists.
So, now I've got my report. Plus a picture with inspector.
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The first day I went back the inspector wasn't in and no one knew anything about my report. The next day still no inspector, but the young man who talked with me asked if I needed this report in English. I explained I needed it for my insurance company and that I didn't think anyone at that institution could read Nepali. This office doesn't do English, he said. I looked disappointed. He looked contemplative. Finally he said he would get it done in English for me. Please come back tomorrow.
The next day the inspector was in, but my report wasn't yet ready. Someone had an English theft/loss report form, but it had a fat black streak down the right side from a malfunctioning printer. The inspector asked if I could wait a moment for them to print out a clean one. I said yes, but then the power went out. The inspector ordered tea and we waited to see if the power would come back. It didn't. The inspector asked me to fill out the form in pencil and they would type it up for me to collect today.
When I arrived today, the form wasn't ready. The scribe wasn't in. The inspector asked, what can I do for you? Well, I need the report, I said. If you like, I can type it for you. You can use the computer, the inspector asked. Of course. Ok, come here.
And so I not only typed up my own report, but also typed up a template for them for future use with unlucky foreign tourists.
So, now I've got my report. Plus a picture with inspector.
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Week 2: First look
A few people have noted that I have not yet posted any of my own artwork. That is for a very good reason - it isn't worth presenting.
But here today is a first glimpse, my latest bit of drawing work completed just this morning. You'll see the teacher's version top left. The rest are mine.
Tomorrow we start Losar, the New Year holiday, so myself and a few other students will be practicing on our own for most of next week.
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But here today is a first glimpse, my latest bit of drawing work completed just this morning. You'll see the teacher's version top left. The rest are mine.
Tomorrow we start Losar, the New Year holiday, so myself and a few other students will be practicing on our own for most of next week.
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Snow!
For the woman in the neighboring room at my guest house, it was a wonderful day. She decided to stay home and enjoyed the rain and snow from the comfort of her room.
Me, I was out in it starting at 7:30am. The landlady let me borrow an umbrella, so getting to school wasn't much of a problem, but by the time we let out for lunch the rain had gotten harder and the roads were small creeks of mud. I went out to eat with our newest student, a young American woman, an art teacher by profession who arrived in Kathmandu only a few days ago from meditation retreat in Burma. Lizzie and I celebrated Valentine's Day with chocolate cake, brownies, and coffee and at the New Orleans Cafe.
Me, I was out in it starting at 7:30am. The landlady let me borrow an umbrella, so getting to school wasn't much of a problem, but by the time we let out for lunch the rain had gotten harder and the roads were small creeks of mud. I went out to eat with our newest student, a young American woman, an art teacher by profession who arrived in Kathmandu only a few days ago from meditation retreat in Burma. Lizzie and I celebrated Valentine's Day with chocolate cake, brownies, and coffee and at the New Orleans Cafe.
Most homes and businesses don't have heating and our school is no different, so it was rather chilly afternoon after we got back with wet feet and pant bottoms. There wasn't much hot water left at the guest house, so I had to settle for a sponge bath, hot tea and extra blankets to get warm.
Life here helps you appreciate very small pleasures.
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Sunday, February 11, 2007
A few grains at a time
You've probably seen this before on television or in a film about Tibetans or Himalayan culture, the tradition of sand mandalas. These are iconic religious images made entirely out of colored sand, laid on an outline a few grains at a time.
There is at present a week long ceremony going on at the temple where I'm studying, a ceremony I don't completely understand but that was explained to me as an annual event closing out the academic and calendar year. The Tibetans use a lunar calendar and the new year will be celebrated next week.
My classmates in the art school were charged with making this mandala and I spent a good part of the day going back and forth between school and the temple to photograph their progression. Here you see the outline of the mandala, as painted on a plywood making a box that can be folded and stored (you can see the crease in the center of the image).
This little bit of colored sand was used simply for a consecration ceremony. More colors and a greater volume will be used that what is pictured here.
The colored sand goes into a small metal tube that has a narrow band of ridges up the spine. The artist holds this in one hand and in the other a metal stick which he rubs up and down the ridges of the sand holder, the vibrations causing the sand to fall out the end of the tube.
The pictures here were taken over a period of about 7 hours. Unfortunately, I never got back to the temple to get a shot of the completed mandala before they wrapped the stand in banners and flags and then put a statue and a bunch of other stuff on top of it.
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There is at present a week long ceremony going on at the temple where I'm studying, a ceremony I don't completely understand but that was explained to me as an annual event closing out the academic and calendar year. The Tibetans use a lunar calendar and the new year will be celebrated next week.
My classmates in the art school were charged with making this mandala and I spent a good part of the day going back and forth between school and the temple to photograph their progression. Here you see the outline of the mandala, as painted on a plywood making a box that can be folded and stored (you can see the crease in the center of the image).
This little bit of colored sand was used simply for a consecration ceremony. More colors and a greater volume will be used that what is pictured here.
The colored sand goes into a small metal tube that has a narrow band of ridges up the spine. The artist holds this in one hand and in the other a metal stick which he rubs up and down the ridges of the sand holder, the vibrations causing the sand to fall out the end of the tube.
The pictures here were taken over a period of about 7 hours. Unfortunately, I never got back to the temple to get a shot of the completed mandala before they wrapped the stand in banners and flags and then put a statue and a bunch of other stuff on top of it.
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