A descendant of samurai, Rima Fujita was born in Tokyo, lived in New York City for thirty-two years, and now resides in California. She’s internationally recognized for her method of working with vibrant colors on black canvas and was described by the Dalai Lama as “an artist who creates beautiful art.” Fujita’s works often express a sweet otherworldliness and kindle feelings of yearning and stillness in the viewer. She draws inspiration from her dreams and meditation practice as well as Buddhist and Bushido philosophies. Her picture books include Save the Himalayas, The Day the Buddha Woke Up, and the recently released The Extraordinary Life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In 2001 she established Books for Children, an organization that produces children’s books in Tibetan and donates them to Tibetan refugee schools in India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Home Calendar
Yuletide at Spokane Art School – Yuletide is a fun, holiday indoor event of fine arts and crafts, great for the beginning of gift giving season. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 811 W. Garland Ave. Free. (509) 325-3001.
Second Friday ArtWalk – Stroll the streets of downtown Coeur d’Alene and check out locally and nationally acclaimed artists. To see which businesses and galleries are participating, visit artsandculturecda.org/artwalk. Friday, 5-8 p.m. Free.
Holiday Art Show – Sip on award-winning wines while shopping for handcrafted creations from local artists. Featuring artwork, candles, woodworking, jewelry and more. Saturday noon-5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 12, noon-4 p.m. rbor Crest Wine Cellars, 4705 N. Fruit Hill Road, Spokane Valley. Free. (509) 747-3903.
Adult Paint Class – Recreate the Art Sherpa’s “Autumn Tree with Waterfall Moon” using cotton swabs, paint brushes and acrylic paint. Thursday, 3 p.m. Endicott Library, 324 E St., Endicott, Wash. Free.
Watercolor Studio Instruction – This class is open to individual watercolor projects and teacher interaction on a variety of themes. Fridays, 1-3 p.m. through Dec. 15. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave. $120. (509) 325-1500.
Paint Night – Learn how to paint a fall-inspired piece and drink beverages with a guided demonstration by Deborah Loy-Linde. Register at thejacklincenter.org. Friday, 6-8 p.m. Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center, 405 N. William St., Post Falls. $45. (208) 457-8950.
Baskets A Batch – Make baskets of various styles, colors, and sizes. Bring needle-nose pliers and a sack lunch. Register at createarts.org. Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Create Art Center, 900 W. Fourth St., Newport, Wash. $25. (509) 447-9277.
Sewcial Club – A community of makers for stitching with a focus on mending and altering garments. Staff will be on hand to offer suggestions and brainstorm solutions. Bring projects to work on in the company of other makers. Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon. Art Salvage, 610 E. North Foothills Drive. Free.
Fun, Funky Fellows: Illustrative Character Design – Have some fun finding new ways to stylize people and humanoids. Learn to break down individual facial features into simpler shapes and proportions, create characters from imagination and from personality-building, and draw full body portraits in dynamic poses. Saturday, 11 a.m. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave. $53. (509) 325-1500.
Cooking in the Greenhouse Featuring Chef Teague Tatsch – An exclusive cooking class featuring Chef Teague Tatsch as he shares insights into his craft and celebrates the incredible flavors inspired by Sichuan cuisine. Sunday, noon-2 p.m. Ritter’s Garden and Gifts, 10120 N. Division St. $50. (509) 467-5258.
Preparing Gardens for Winter and Spring Planning – Learn what it takes to prepare garden beds for the winter months ahead, and the things to do and not to do to prepare them for spring. Tuesday, 4:30-5:30 p.m. New Leaf Nursery, 12655 N. Government Way, Hayden. $30. (208) 762-4825.
Build a Terrarium – Build a terrarium with our plant expert. Learn how to build one, what each layer does and how to take care of the creation. Sunday, Nov. 12, 2-3 p.m. Ritter’s Garden and Gifts, 10120 N. Division St. $50. (509) 467-5258.
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Bill Viola
Bill Viola, “Catherine’s Room,” (detail), 2001. Color video polyptych on five LCD flat panel displays mounted on wall, 15 x 97 x 2 1/4 in. 18:39 minutes. Performer: Weba Garretson. Photo of work by Kira Perov. portrait by Jonty Wilde.
Inspired by Zen Buddhism amongst other spiritual traditions, Bill Viola’s video installations focus on the experiences of birth, death, and unfolding of consciousness. Since the early 1970s, Viola has used videos of water imagery, human forms, and light (often rendered in slow motion) to investigate the marvels of insight as a pathway to wisdom. It is the sense of serenity he expresses in his work that separates Viola from other video artists. During a 2004 interview, Viola described discovering Buddhism in Japan. “The sense of a palpable stillness and silence, reflected in the serene image of the Buddha’s face, was so different from my memories of being in church,” he said. “This left an even deeper impression than the art and architecture I was ostensibly there to see…. During that period I had several experiences that changed my life and my understanding of art and its place in spiritual practice.”
Kazuaki Tanahashi
Kazuaki Tanahashi, “Enso,” 2002. Acrylic on paper.
There’s no mistaking a Kazuaki Tanahashi enso. Sometimes called “a Zen circle” in English, an enso symbolizes enlightenment. Creating an enso can be a contemplative art, while the final product can serve as a meditation aid. They’re most often rendered, using one or two strokes, on white paper with black ink, but Tanahashi creates vibrant ensos in oceanic blues and greys or fiery reds and oranges. He was born in Japan in 1933 and, as a boy, studied with Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido. Today, Tanahashi is a trained calligrapher known as “the pioneer of one stroke painting.” “The quality of the line is what matters most—how deep, strong, or honest it is,” he explains. “If your personality is interesting enough, the line will be interesting. To do this, you have to be fearless.” Tanahashi is also a Zen teacher, author, activist, and translator of Buddhist texts, most notably of works by Dogen.
Tsherin Sherpa
Tsherin Sherpa, “If You’re Happy and You Know it…Clap Your Hands,” 2012. Gold leaf, acrylic and ink on linen, 58 x 48 inches
Having studied Tibetan thangka painting since age twelve, Tsherin Sherpa mixes the modern with the ancient, the sacred and the silly. Traditional thangkas can depict Buddhist deities, the wheel of life, images of the Buddha, and mandalas. Sherpa’s paintings reimagine the thangka, incorporating secular motifs and symbols in playful, startling ways. (Think deities in polka-dotted underwear.) Sherpa grew up in Kathmandu, near the Boudhanath Stupa, a sacred Buddhist site, but moved from Nepal to California in his thirties where he’s found himself fascinated by America’s barrage of advertising imagery. In an interview with the Asia Art Archive in America in 2011, Sherpa reflected on why early Buddhist artists created Buddhist artwork. “Were these early painters actually trying to use this image to preach or inspire?” Sherpa asked. “Now…I’m making these images to pay my rent! It is ironic how over time, the image has become more of a commodity…. Its purpose has transformed.”
