One of my more recent Tantric paintings, this lovely and peaceful mandala has emerged in a manner quite different from any of my previous work. New techniques include glazes, dimensional paint and an open style not usually found in traditional Tibetan Buddhist art. More a thangka than a geometric mandala, it is nonetheless square with four stylized "gates" around the inner temple where the deities reside.
Mandala painting, for me, is to enter a process whereby human talent and skill are surrendered to the inherent wisdom of the mandala and what is to be revealed on canvas. The task of the artist is to bring forth a perfect universe (or microcosm) which can be entered in meditation and serve as a doorway to one's own inner wisdom. It's not about real people or the world we know so well.
The artistic inspiration for "Buddha's Dream" comes from a Japanese sliding screen at the head of my bed and a small bronze statue of Vajrasattva and his consort Vajratopa that sits on my night table. They represent the Buddha as cosmic consciousness prior to division and manifestation in the physical world and are also a powerful image for purifying mind and body.