I come from California and surely left part of my heart there when I set out to forge my creative path in the world. That path took me through Boston to India, where I arrived — already at home — in the hill town of Dharamsala.
There, in the shadow of snow mountains and under the tutelage of Tibetan masters, I learned to make a rare and beautiful form of textile art – the appliqué or pieced silk thangka.
Thangkas are sacred Buddhist images of enlightened beings. Practices with these images are designed to help us wake up to our own lives, to be present in our experience and to clearly see our reality. This awakening reduces our suffering and increases our compassion and contribution to others.
Most thangkas are painted on canvas, then framed in a brocade border. In my thangkas, however, the images themselves are stitched patchworks of satin and brocade.
Having completed a four-year apprenticeship and made silk thangkas my life’s work for 16 years, I’m one of very few people in the world familiar with this particular intersection between art, textiles, Buddhism, and Tibetan culture.
Are you also among the few? I invite you to explore this intersection with me.
If you love fabric and colors, are interested in Buddhism, or have a passion for personal growth, then we have a lot to share.
After eight years in the foothills of the Himalayas and eight more in the fashion capital of Italy, I’ve become an international nomad of sorts. My cats, Sushila and Crusca, make me miss Milan when I’m away. The ocean and openness call to me from California. The mountains of Dharamsala are never far from my mind. Nor the chanting and trumpets that awoke me so many mornings there. I’m glad a new study suggests that living abroad may increase creativity!
So here, on my blog, I invite you to be at home with me. Pour a cup of tea (Earl Grey, salty butter, or Indian chai — your choice).
Get to know silk thangkas and explore questions about their history. See how tradition can be kept alive through adaptation. Share textile art techniques from ancient and modern worlds. Use all of life’s opportunities to become free to live joyfully in beauty.
I make silk thangkas on commission and new images for sale. I teach my skills via internet to dedicated students around the globe. And I’m on a curiousity quest to discover the origins of these techniques and the cultural interconnections they reveal.
For more info about me and my work, browse the posts, e-mail me, visit my website, follow me on Twitter, and view the film Creating Buddhas: the Making and Meaning of Fabric Thangkas (trailer online).
