Pema Namdol Thaye
“Pema Namdol Thaye is a renaissance man, such as Michelangelo or Leonardo Da Vinci, being able to not only master the brush, but also mastering all other forms of artistry, such as, sculpturing in wood, clay and wax, as well as architectural construction.”
– John Listopad PhD, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2000.
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About
Pema Namdol with Zangdok Palri Blueprints
Pema Namdol Thaye is a Master Tibetan artist who has garnered international acclaim as a painter, sculptor, traditional Tibetan architect, author and 3-D mandala specialist. In recognition of the high calibre of his work and contribution to the preservation of his cultural and artistic heritage he was the honored recipient of “Alien of Extraordinary Ability in his Field of Expertise” from the U.S. Gov. in Dec. 08. Meher McArthur, Asian art curator, author and educator, wrote in 2008:
“Pema is one of the greatest living Tibetan artists and possesses a unique grasp of the many facets of art, architecture, symbolism, geometry, Buddhist history, iconography and spirituality that is required to create traditional Tibetan imagery. His work is not only visually spectacular but has the power to impact people and change lives.”
This is of no surprise to those who know him. He was a prodigy child. Having an intuitive knowledge of his path in life, he spent the vast majority of his school days honing his skills on comic book figures – even then developing his own unique characters and exploring the medium in every detail.
It was also no coincidence that he was born into an artistic family, with his uncle, Ven. Lama Gonpo Tenzin, himself being an accomplished master Tibetan artist, model builder and calligrapher and the holder of an impecable artistic lineage. Upon recognizing his nephew’s exceptional talent (though not too impressed with the comic book figures!), he took charge of Pema’s training when he was 13 years old. Pema then immersed himself entirely in the rigorous curriculum demands of this highly specialized and complex 1200-year old Tibetan artistic tradition until he mastered it to a level only a few living Tibetan artists can claim.
Pema with Shi-tro Mandala - constructed in 2000
While serving as apprentice to his uncle, he learned the architectural construction of three-dimensional mandalas – the celestial palaces of the Buddhist icons he was conjointly learning to paint in the form of thangkas (scrolls). When he was just 14 they built the first 3-D mandala outside Tibet in Kalimpong, India, and then another for the “Tibet Exhibition” in Japan in 1985. Pema Namdol then constructed three more sole 3-D mandalas (with assistant artists and volunteers): one for the Voelkerkunde Museum, Zürich, Switzerland in 1990; a demonstration model for the Prince of Wales’ Institute of Architecture in London in 1994, England; and another, the Shi-tro Mandala for Universal Peace, for the Chagdud Gonpa T’hondup Ling Center, LA, California in 2000.
By the time Pema Namdol was 17 he recognized the need for a traditional Buddhist icon measurement (thigtse) guide. So having reached significant mastery in the area he commenced the writing and illustration of his first book, Concise Tibetan Art Book. Being one of the first of its kind, it was published by the time he was 20 years old.
Thangka Painting Book
This book catapulted him onto the international stage as it found its way into educational and national libraries across the globe. He was then sought out and invited as a guest speaker at the first International Art Symposium on Tibetan Art organized by SOAS and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, 1994. He contributed an article to a publication based upon this symposium and then published his second book, TIBETAN THANKA PAINTING: Portrayal of Mysticism, in 2000. His works and writings have also been cited in numerous publications ranging from Himalayan architecture and iconographic Buddhist art to those related to political and social sciences.
His thangka paintings – so detailed they require between one to six months of intensive focus to complete – and his 3-D mandalas, taking months to years of work, have been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. His work has been commissioned by esteemed Lamas such as H.H. the Dalai Lama, and by museums, scholars, Dharma centers, lay practitioners and art collectors.
Zangdok Palri Model in Progress
Dedicated to preserving a culture rich in philosophical symbolism and vast in view, he recently completed the construction of a scale model of the most accurate representation of the Zangdok Palri Celestial Palace ever built for Ari Bhod, an organization for the preservation of Tibetan Culture, Tehachapi, California. He is also developing a Tibetan Art Studies distance education course for those with the goal of learning the many complexities of Buddhist art.
At the age of just 19 Pema Namdol was so highly regarded by his contemporaries that he was offered the honorary position of Head Instructor at the National Thangka Painting School of Bhutan. Yet, his talent and fame have only increased with time and experience and since then his work, as with all things of quality, has developed more depth and refinement of character every year.