TMC News, September 2008 1

Laura Santi, Thangka Painter

It began simply enough. Ten years ago . . . summer retreat . . . plans for outdoor

decorative banners that resembled thangkas . . . the opportunity to paint a large-scale

image of Vajra Varahi, goddess of the Chod. From that moment Laura Santi was

hooked.

Shortly thereafter she had a vision of being asked to paint

an image of a particular deity. Checking with Swami

Chetanananda, then guided by his inspiration and support

(as well as his vast library of art books), she soon entered a

new world, a world in which her spiritual practice and her

personal creative expression merged.

Laura’s undergraduate college degree had been in graphic

design, her professional training in acupuncture—she

specializes in Chinese “Five Elements” acupuncture—and

homeopathy. She has practiced meditation since 1979 and

in the past studied martial arts (aikido) for several years.

With such a diverse range of interests, blending them into a

coherent whole has been a fascinating challenge. Painting

thangkas builds on all her strengths—visual and aesthetic sensitivity; understanding of

energy channels and how energy flows; a deeply introspective streak; the ability to focus

her effort for sustained periods of time; and a willingness to open herself to new

dimensions of awareness, knowledge and skill.

To date Laura has completed eight thangkas, with

several more in various stages of planning.

Largely self-taught, she has learned from each

project. Whether it’s the history and levels of

meaning of a deity, details of iconography, the

mathematics of design, refinements of medium

and technique, or how best to incorporate the

patron’s wishes and needs into the design, each

painting takes her to a new place artistically and

spiritually.

For example, Laura’s first thangka was of

Amogasiddhi, one of the five buddhas and

guardian of the north. As inner preparation, she

read up on the deity—who he is, what he does, all

his attributes, and the many ways he has been

represented over time. She steeped herself in the

literature, imagery, and vibration of the deity, and

TMC News, September 2008 2

after 120 hours of intense labor, her painting was

complete, imbued with the power of the deity.

Other paintings soon followed. Some were straight

commissions, others created in exchange for services

or as gifts. To date they include Green Tara, Phowa,

Vajra Varahi and her retinue, the Five Inner Offerings

(which sits on the Tibetan altar in the meditation hall

of the Portland center), Troma Nagmo, and

Chakrasamvara (a birthday gift this year for Swami

Chetanananda). Soon to come are thangkas of Eight

Manifestations of Padma Sambhava, a 1000-Armed

Avalokiteshvara, and Swami Rudrananda (Rudi).

Most of Laura’s paintings are done to

order. For each client she takes into

account any requirements they

impose, whether it’s simply the

dimensions or the inclusion of

particular subsidiary figures, setting,

or other design elements. As Laura

says, “It’s not so much fun to do

something just for myself. It’s much

better to have a reason to create

something for someone else. A

commission creates a flow, has value

for another person, and gives me the

opportunity to ponder the deity’s

energy attributes and iconography

and then put together the image in a

way that best serves that person.”

For example, the portrait of Rudi that she

is working on for Swami Ganeshananda

will include not only elements from

portrait photos of Rudi, but also a

Norwegian fjord landscape background—

particularly suited to the Norwegian-born

Swami.

In addition to the elements you see, there

are also things you don’t see—such as the

mantra OM AH HUNG that is painted on

the back of the thangka over the head,

throat, and heart of the main deity. Lama

TMC News, September 2008 3

Wangdu provided Laura with the syllables written out, and she traces this for each

painting. Thus each painting carries an extra special blessing.

Laura’s working method is varied. She may begin with

enlarged photocopies from catalogues, which she then traces

to get the essential linear image. Or she’ll take a photograph

and then enlarge or trace from the photograph. Some

elements are total inventions, while others are derived from

pre-existing pieces. Most often she picks details from

existing images and recombines them. The increasing

freedom from straightforward copying to finding an

appropriate contemporary interpretation of a deity has

brought Laura to a new level of mastery and creativity, each

time increasing her enjoyment and sense of fulfillment.

Likewise with the paint

medium. Gouache, with

which she has been long

familiar, is a traditional

water-based medium using

mineral pigments that are

ground from such

substances as malachite.

She experimented

combining gouache with

acrylics to better control the

subtle modulations and

smoothness of color application, learning later that many contemporary Tibetan artists

use whatever pleases them, and that at least one also uses a combination of gouache and

acrylics. These days, however, she prefers just gouache—similar to watercolor, but

ground more coarsely so it’s more opaque. She has also found an Oregon supplier of

natural gouache pigments—one of only three such sources in the world. This not only

feels more appropriate to the tradition, but also minimizes her exposure to toxic paint

fumes.

For Laura, painting is really fun. It’s become a

central activity during her free time, and she devotes

much of each Sunday to her current project. She

even built a loft in her living space as a tiny but

functional painting studio, filled with natural light

and fresh air from two skylights. It’s also filled with

art books, jars of pigment, sprays of delicate brushes,

and a refined collection of her favorite Japanese

ceramic lidded bowls (the lids of which make perfect

palettes, conveniently easy to hold and easy to clean). It’s both a beautiful jewel of a

space and a perfectly quiet and isolated meditative environment. Fun, indeed.

TMC News, September 2008 4

At the same time, Laura says, painting is also about overcoming fear. In fact, she says,

“Fear is the only thing that gets in the way of making an excellent painting. The practice

of letting go, not being afraid that a line won’t be smooth, or that I can’t execute a certain

technique, and continuing to let go into the flow of the process, is an important part of my

sadhana.” She’s careful to be precise with line and flow—she generally uses very fine

brushes for detail work, and notes that gold areas need to be applied in many layers—and

says she loves the moments when she is so tuned in that she can actually let herself go

and paint the backgrounds freehand with the same precision and flow that infuses the rest

of the painting.

Forging a direct link between spiritual practice and personal creative expression is one of

the surest ways to insure continuity between one’s inner and outer life. It’s also one of

the most genuine ways to share one’s practice in a way that uplifts others. Laura’s

artistic gift serves our community with its beauty and authenticity, and in the process of

serving the practice of her clients, she has become not only increasingly proficient in her

craft but more deeply tuned into her own practice.

For a look at Laura’s complete portfolio, click here. If you are interested in

commissioning a thangka from her, you may contact her directly at info@laurasanti.com.