"No mud, no lotus"

"No mud, no lotus"
(2009 mixed media)

I have been looking through some older artwork and came across this older mixed media piece that I created after reflecting on a beautiful 2009 Thich Nhat Hanh podcast where he compared lotuses and mud to suffering and happiness.

I found a photograph of a lotus and I loved the pattern of the stems underwater and the colours of the lotus flower and leaf floating on the muddy brown water. I created this using ink, watercolour and gouache.

About the symbiotic relationship between the lotus and the mud, Thich Nhat Hanh wrote:

Excerpt from book: "No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering" By Thich Nhat Hanh

I am troubled by the fact that I haven't managed to do very much painting or sketching lately. I've been stuck in what Thich Nhat Hanh calls the "mud of life".

The good news (according to Thich Nhat Hanh) is that "if you know how to make good use of the mud, you can grow beautiful lotuses".

I hope to be posting more "lotuses" (creating more art) over the next few months.