Summer, 1998

Print Size 20"x 30"

The source of the inspiration for this image comes from both an Eastern and Western perspective. For several years now, I've been incorporating Buddha images into my art, representing the Eastern influence. The Western influence comes from the work of many of the modern painters, who experiment with a repeating pattern that are slightly varied.

In a subtle way, this painting represents the damage to important cultural relics done by Western souvenir hunters seeking to take these treasures back to their museums and private collections.

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The raw elements below represent the source material that helped to inspire the overall concept of the painting.

Ancestor Worshipping Buddha at Longman Caves, Luoyang

This Buddha, carved between 672 and 675 AD represents an important example of the peak of Buddhist cave art. The expression on his face is peaceful, calm and understanding. In this painting, the repeating heads represent the unfortunate reality that many of the sculptures found at Longman have been beheaded in order to grace Western art collections.

A pile of twigs in a small village in Central China.

The wonderful organic texture of this pile of twigs caught my attention. They were collected and bundled so neatly together, but yet offered a rich image of unorganized chaos. I chose to use this image in this painting to give each Buddha a random organic texture as well as to represent the scars left behind by the Western raiders on Longman caves.

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