Meditation

2017
20 x 20 in.
Mixed Media on Canvas

Collector’s Notes

Composition:
At the base of the canvas, a serene figure of Buddha sits in stillness, radiating quiet energy beneath three spiraling, tree-like blooms. Their concentric rings seem to pulse outward, echoing the cycles of thought, breath, and awareness cultivated through meditation. The textured background, layered with intricate markings and fragments of text, evokes the passage of time and the weight of human experience.

Color & Texture:
Earthy tones of turquoise, ochre, and bronze provide the grounding field for the fiery reds, oranges, and golds of the spiraling blossoms. The tactile surface, enriched with marble powder, fiber, and paper, lends the work a physical depth — embodying both the roughness of life’s trials and the clarity that arises through practice.

Medium & Technique:
The artist employs a mixed-media approach — acrylics combined with marble powder, paper, and fiber — to create a rich interplay of texture and symbol. The spirals recall both the organic growth of trees and the inward journey of meditation, while embedded text alludes to knowledge, wisdom, and the transformative power of awareness.

Style & Story:
Rooted in Buddhist symbolism yet expressed through contemporary abstraction, the piece connects the universal human practice of meditation with the imagery of the Bodhi tree — under which the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. The spirals stand as both flowers and mandalas, reinforcing the union of inner growth and outward awakening.

Emotional Connection:
This painting radiates balance and contemplation. It reminds the viewer that meditation is not an escape from the trials of existence, but a practice that allows one to rise above them with clarity and calm. Its rhythmic forms inspire peace while its textures ground us in reality.

Context & Significance:
Painted in 2017, Meditation reflects the artist’s exploration of mindfulness as both subject and process. By layering rough textures with luminous spirals, the work acknowledges the obstacles inherent in human life while celebrating the beauty of awakening through awareness.

Message from the Artist

With this piece, I was drawn to the paradox of meditation: its stillness, yet its power to radically reshape our inner landscape. I painted Buddha beneath the Bodhi tree not as a distant icon, but as a reminder of the possibility within us all — the ability to meet life’s turbulence with clarity and grace.

The textures of paper, fibre, and roughened surfaces were intentional, standing for the trials and interruptions that mark human life. By embedding fragments of text in the trees, I wanted to suggest knowledge that surrounds us, waiting to be absorbed when the mind is quiet enough to receive it.

For me, this painting is a reflection on awakening — not as a final state, but as an ongoing practice. Each time we turn inward with patience, we inch closer to light, even amid the shadows.