The Zen master is where you find him; and sometimes he’s on the side of a dumpster. It was Mary who pointed me in the direction of enlightenment. This back alley Budah’s location is off Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock. I call this the GRIM version of the anointed one. Me? I like my Budah fat and jolly. That’s how I made him. The pupae looking body isn’t bug at all. Actually, the body was cast from the weights off a cuckoo clock. Enlarge the photo and see for yourself….you might recognize the mustard colored tweed from Trash Tueday #7
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For clarifications sake:
The little fat guy is not a true representation of Buddha. His name was P’utai and he was a Chan (Chinese Zen) Buddhist monk. He is often depicted as being fat and happy because even though he lived an ascetic lifestyle he found freedom through the teachings of Buddha…and being fat in China was once a sign of wisdom and good fortune.
Very cool. Are your Buddha’s something new that you are working on?
Far more appealing image than several other iconic figures in other religions.
Love your P’utais! So inventive you are.
Yes, now I can see, cuckoo clock weights.
At first glance they looked a bit like weird mezuzahs. :)
Love the Buddha heads.
The old post that you linked to inspired me to purchase three disco balls from Stats, which I mailed to friends going through chemo and stem cell transplants.
I like my Buddhas on the happier side as well.
http://dailypensacolaphoto.blogspot.com/2009/02/bob-crowe-sunday.html
The weights from the clock reminded me of my grandparent’s cuckoo clock that I grew up with. Excellent mashup PA. Are they going to be part of an installation?
These are fun! I also saw Buddha mezuzahs when I first looked at them all lined up. So, these are castings that you’ve painted? How big are they?
Tres interessant. That’s a good use of cuckoo clock weights – talk about imaginative. (What happened to the clock? Or is it, you can use your weights and have them too?
What it made me recall was these little sugar babies – white sugar baby bundle with face candy I loved to eat as a kid in Yugo.
Margaret: Thanks, they’re fun. I did these awhile back for a class I took in making molds. I had plans on inserting them between tiles as fillers. This was back when I was having trouble getting uniformity between tile sizes. Different clay; different shrink rates.
AH: In the wrong hands
Mel Gibsonmy Buddah wouldn’t be laughing. What is it with us northerners and a need to see every drop of blood? Too many dark wintersDina: It looks like I managed to throw in all the major religions onto my laughing Buddah’s. I could make a case for the half moon shape of the cherios above the little fellas head as representing Islam. The Pupae body; Charles Darwin. Turtles; Native Americans. It’s all here, now lets kill each other over it!
Susan: I may have to pick up another ball myself. As of Monday my sister joined the group. Ovarian; caught early. I’m going to have questions….ugh
PJ: Your Buddah is the perfect blending of the two styles. I have a Thai spirit house my sister picked up in her travels. I have it in my garden and I keep one of the guys by the front entrance. Sort of like a Mezuzah. I also give them as gifts.
Jean: You and Dina both. A little over eight inches in length. They’re made from stoneware which is the hardest and most unpredictable of ceramic processes. The glazes tend to be muted in color. Here I’ve worked with three different colored clay bodies (red, white, and dark brown). I’ve also rubbed an oxide into the white Buddah faces to bring out the features. My ceramic instructor (I have two) seems to be amazed at what I get away with.
Tash: I think one of them may have belonged to my families cuckoo clock. I originally used the weight to roll over the clay (adding texture). Did a pretty good job. The second weight I think I either got at a garage sale or swap meet. If you should come across one (and it’s cheap) grab it for me. I’ll reimburse you or make you one from it. Your sugar baby bundle…That could be Tre interestant if I do say so in french.
the head of the snake is from the weights as is his rattler
http://pasadenaadjacent.com/2008/09/12/the-kiln-gods-did-me-wrong/
I always kind of liked the kick-ass Norsk gods and goddesses. Thor, Odin, the three Norns. No one dared beat them up.
Love reading about your spirit house!
And all the rest here.