From my time working for the Smithsonian at the Sackler Gallery, the experience I reflect on most often, was watching the creation of a Tibetan Sand painting. Over the period of many days several monks created one of the most dynamic and beautiful works I have seen. Witnessing the process, the humility of the materials, the work’s location and the monks changed my perspective on art, the creative process and the possibilities of art as a spiritual activity. The attention and sustained intent they lavished on making something so miraculous and sweeping it away has become a thread within my work and keeps me grounded from moment to moment, as I look for the most appropriate way to use the materials I have at hand for a project – as with the twig fence below that I just completed.
