Padmasambhava at Tigers Nest

Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, is a highly revered Buddhist mystic who brought Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th Century.
The painting shows Padmasambhava in Bhutan alongside the monastery he founded there, “Tiger’s Nest”, so called because it is said that he flew across the Himalayas on the back of a pregnant tigress to spread the teachings of the Buddha. Within the painting there are many details including the tigress, the local Monal birds of Bhutan, an elephant and offerings of sound in the form of bells.
‘Emptiness’ is offered in the form of a mirror and other traditional offerings are depicted also. In the sky the sun and moon are seen as well as a plane, symbolic of the prophecy he spoke, “When iron birds shall fly … (Tibetan) Buddhism will spread across the Globe”. In the bottom left the artist has painted her teacher as a man spontaneously dropped to his knees as he sees the vision of the great teacher before him. Padmasambhava’s mantra is written within a banner - a request that he bless us with his great spiritual accomplishments.

Follow

Leesl lives in Brisbane and works at South Bank Tafe - often spending many hours in the art classes assisting students. Over the years she has honed her art skills and especially considers drawing and painting from life an essential and key foundation for her work. Leesl paints with acrylic, oil and gouache on canvas and paper and enjoys picking subjects that interest her, such as the ocean, local landscapes and buildings, as well as portraits of her friends and family. On Instagram she can be found as 'dog tag pet portraits' and accepts commissions for animals. With an amazing attention to detail pictures are lovingly crafted.
Leesl has studied with renowned Thangka artist Andy Weber for many years and creates Buddhist images from the tradition with a modern aesthetic. Leesl continues her en plein aire work on day to day basis. and takes commissions.