Dated back to 493 AD, the Longmen Caves (龙门石窟) are one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Longmen Caves housed more than 100,000 Buddhist statues ranging from 1 inch to 57 feet in height. Sadly, many of the statues were stolen or destroyed during the second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). The remaining statues offer witness of impermanence. They also bestow comfort and hope, just like the cool breeze on a hot summer day.
My friend Paula Jull, an art professor at Idaho State University, took this photograph when she visited Longmen years ago. I transferred her image onto a canvas board, then added a bamboo branch from The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting. The flowers are colored from one of my black-and-white photos.
By adding the flowers and the bamboo branch in the front, I communicate my intention to transform history through our current actions. Although we can’t change the past, we can learn from it and create a brighter “history” for tomorrow.
The lakes gallery at Chi-Lin in New Hampshire is showing this artwork along with my 5 other pieces now.
My friend Paula Jull, an art professor at Idaho State University, took this photograph when she visited Longmen years ago. I transferred her image onto a canvas board, then added a bamboo branch from The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting. The flowers are colored from one of my black-and-white photos.
By adding the flowers and the bamboo branch in the front, I communicate my intention to transform history through our current actions. Although we can’t change the past, we can learn from it and create a brighter “history” for tomorrow.
The lakes gallery at Chi-Lin in New Hampshire is showing this artwork along with my 5 other pieces now.
Cool Breeze from Longmen. Mixed media. 10x8 inches. © Mei Selvage 2014
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