Texture- Dave Gillstrap

Another quiet night at SW central.
Eating candy, watching CLUE and cruising through a few external hard-drives for pictures to post. Tonight’s winner is of my friend Tom, taken in ’05 by Allen Falkner at the first SW event in Philadelphia.

Tom came to the event with a breath taking full torso cutting of the White Tara by my friend Dave Gillstrap; one of the most impressive healed cuttings I’ve ever seen. The image I’m posting today doesn’t do it justice; I was more impressed with the texture of the healed work than the design itself. Check back soon and I’ll find a more design specific photo.

Tom had this to say about the choice of imagery:

“Tibetan Buddhism has always peaked my interest, beyond mere musing to heavy rumination about devoting my life to its practice. When I was looking for some images of sanskrit sutras, I came across a beautiful image of White Tara, the protectorate deity of Tibet. Not only is she the mother of all Buddhas, she was born from the tears of Avalokiteshvara (whom His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the embodiment of), who is the Buddha of compassion, and she protects all living things. Now, Tibetans walk long distances for years to holy places as a form of spiritual cleansing; the more arduous the journey, the more cleansing received. They carry images of Tara (not the normal Green Tara, but White Tara), and pray to her for long life, good health, and a safe journey.”