I WAS BORN CREATIVE, but as a child showed little interest
in drawing or painting. My parents who had met at an art gallery sustained hope
I would follow in the footsteps of my talented aunt noted for her lovely landscapes.
I, however, had other worlds to explore before discovering the beautiful and
sensuous meditative art of Asia and Tibet as well as the work of Carl Jung, the
eminent Swiss psychologist and artist, who introduced the "personal mandala"
to the western world. Here was art with power, passion and purpose, the art of
self-realization and enlightenment, an art form that caught my imagination and
gave my life focus!
As I picked up my brush and began to paint, I became
caught up in my own transformation to artist and healer, expressing this
metamorphosis on canvas in Tantric symbolism depicting the sacred union of our
inner masculine (method) and feminine (wisdom) principles. The mystical
"yab yum" (literally father mother) is often mistaken to represent human
sexuality, but instead portrays graphically the inner wholeness or balance
we must first achieve to realize our highest human potential. This message is
most relevant today, and I love both painting and explaining the meaning of my
mandalas to receptive audiences.
My artwork borrows heavily from historic traditions in
imagery, intricacy and technique but, like myself, is a blending of East and
West beyond iconography or religion. I was fortunate to learn mandala painting
in the Laguna Beach studio of Paul Heussenstamm, internationally known fifth
generation artist and lecturer on "Art as a Spiritual Path." It is a rare
opportunity for a contemporary artist to receive training outside academia in
the studio of a master. I continue as a full-time artist working on Paul's
magnificent canvases that now incorporate digital enhancement as well as my own
growing collection of Tantric mandalas.
My originals are large--30 inches square, acrylic on
canvas lavishly embellished with crystals and semi-precious stones, making a
striking and unique presentation. Since they require at least six months in
painting because of their exquisite detail and size, I prefer to offer smaller
but superb fine art giclées, either on canvas or velvet textured paper, that are
available to collectors at a fraction of the cost. My mandalas have been
presented at invitational art shows at Mills College, Esalen and the Agape
International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles. Via the Internet and my website
at www.JeweledLotus.com I also enjoy
ongoing and expanding contact with Tantric mandala enthusiasts the world over.
Rampal (Nadean O'Brien)
