Online Exhibition Catalogue

The artworks shown here in the gallery are part of the collection

" SACRED COLOURS "

Buddhist Art for the 21st Century

All the pieces are gilded by hand with Gold Leaf of varying karat and colours, and other metals such as Platinum, Palladium and Silver. The gold leaf was produced from gold alloyed with different metals, which resulted in the variety of different colors.

The gilt finish is completed using techniques practiced since ancient times, and without the use of mercury and lead.

Please enquire for more info about these unique handcrafted artworks or how to commission a piece.

Open Studio by arrangement

Holy Objects, gilded sculptures, votive tablets,

giclée and archival prints, temple stencils and more

Amitābha

hand-crafted and gilded copper repoussé

with rose gold leaf, also green, white and fine gold leaf

mounted on brocade with gilt trim on frame

frame size 640 x 700mm - 6 kg

Bodhisattvas

Avalokiteśvara (Chenrezig)

gilded copper repoussé with platinum and fine gold, also green, white and red gold leaf

frame size 640 x 700mm - 6 kg

Mañjuśrī

gilded copper repoussé with platinum and fine gold, also green, white and red gold leaf

turquoise and coral gemstones, also garnets and malachite

frame size 640 x 700mm - 6 kg

Vajrapani

gilded copper repoussé with platinum and fine gold, also green, white and red gold leaf

genuine turquoise and coral gemstones

frame size 640 x 700mm - 6 kg

Prajñāpāramitā

hand-crafted gilded copper repoussé

with gold leaf, platinum leaf, purple silver leaf, and Swarovski crystals

The Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom personifying the concept of the Bodhisattva known as the "Great Mother"

frame size 640 x 700mm - 6 kg

Creating the Mañjuśrī sculpture in repoussé

Repousse is a technique where a sheet of copper is hammered onto an anvil and shaped into a 3 dimensional form. It is then chased with chisels and punches to complete the detail. Various elements such as the crowns and earrings are added. The hands are the only parts that have been cast.

Planning the repoussé with Saroj and Surendra Shakya in Patan

(below) My original Mañjuśrī drawing.

Saroj Shakya making the first push of repoussé on a sheet of copper

All the extra elements are soldered on (such as the hands, forearms, lotus stem with the Prajñāpāramitā sūtra, flaming sword, crown and earrings). The copper is then sealed with enamel in preparation for sizing and laying the platinum and goldleaf.

Mañjuśrī is a bodhisattva associated with transcendent wisdom in Mahāyāna Buddhism. The Sanskrit name Mañjuśrī can be translated as "Gentle Glory".

Mañjuśrī is depicted as a male bodhisattva wielding a flaming sword in his right hand, representing the realization of transcendent wisdom which cuts down ignorance and duality. The text supported by the lotus held in his left hand is a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra, representing his attainment of ultimate realization from the blossoming of wisdom.

Mañjuśrī is one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism, the other three being: Kṣitigarbha, Avalokiteśvara, and Samantabhadra.

In Tibetan Buddhism Mañjuśrī is sometimes depicted in a trinity with Avalokiteśvara (Tib. Chenrezig) and Vajrapāṇi (Tib. Channa Dorje).

Vajrapani

Green Tārā is the Bodhisattva of Enlightened Activity

Hand-crafted copper repoussé, with some elements (the hands and feet) cast from wax models.

green, yellow and white gold leaf, and Swarovski crystals represent the jewelry typically worn by the goddess.

The Bodhisattva of Enlightened Activity and the Mother of Liberation

frame size 640 x 700mm - 6 kg

Patan and Kathmandu Aug 2012

Tārā is a female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism and a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements. As a meditation deity the practice is to develop certain inner qualities and to understand teachings about compassion and emptiness. Tara is a multitude of Buddhas or bodhisattvas of similar aspect. These may more properly be understood as different aspects of the same quality, as bodhisattvas are often considered metaphoric for Buddhist virtues. She is considered to be the "Mother of all Buddhas," which usually refers to the enlightened wisdom of the Buddhas, while simultaneously echoing the ancient concept of the Mother Goddess in India.

for more repoussé - click here

more...

Photographic Reproductions
Archival matte paper
Glass prints
Aluminium prints
Giclée Canvas prints
gilded frames and mounting by special order

The jewellery is made from genuine coral, turquoise, garnet gemstones, and Swarovski crystals. A back plate has also been added making it possible to fill the sculptures with precious items.

The Different Colours of Gold

These sacred “objects of support” have been gilded with gold, silver and platinum leaf. By using a linseed oil based gold-size as an adhesive it eliminates the mercury used in fire gilding still common on statues from Nepal. This type of oil gilding allows different types of leaf to be applied on the same piece and the techniques go back to ancient times.

Pure gold when alloyed with other metals produces the different colours. Gold mixed with copper makes red gold, and when mixed with silver makes green gold, zinc produces a white gold, and when alloyed with palladium produces a light brown gold. Platinum leaf is a steely white and the purple leaf is produced by coating silver leaf in a purple resin.

There are hundreds of possible alloys and mixtures, however a mix of around 50/50 copper and silver gives the range of yellow gold alloys the public is accustomed to seeing in the marketplace.