Bodhisattva Katrin

Bodhisattva image from March blog.

Last month I posted an image of a Bodhisattva I had created. My Australian friend (and self-declared sister), Katrin Ogilvy was quite taken with it, as she identifies as one who is on a path toward enlightenment. In dialogue, I suggested that I would like to make one that is specifically for her. I began to imagine what it might look like for the Bodhisattva statue to be on a map of Asia with the continent of Australia as her base.

I used the draft copy on the left, cutting out the figure. 

I asked Katrin to send me a photograph of herself. When I received the photo below, it seemed to me that it was already a picture of a Bodhisattva but that Katrin needed to recognize that in herself. I altered my initial image. I cut out the figure on the left map, placing the cutout on a pinkish-lavender matte board and pieces of the map at the edges of the matte board rather than as part of the central image. I glued everything onto the cutout, covering all of it except her orange earrings. 

Katrin exudes compassion and peace, the
qualities of a Bodhisattva. 

I decided immediately to use the pink of her sweater for some of the drape on the Bodhisattva statue that had captivated her. But I felt she needed more from the photograph for her to actually recognize her own Bodhisattva image. So I added the Irises from her garden. At one point I tried adding the bricks behind her image but it was too much. Instead I used slices from a photo of Vietnamese women setting lights out on the water. At one point I had considered using one of the lights in her headdress.

The only part of the draft copy on the right to make it into
the composition were some islands I used for her necklace.

Knowing Katrin’s global mindset, I considered placing the word ‘world’ at her feet but words did not seem appropriate, so instead I placed a golden half-sphere as the foundation for her image.  I also used gold foil for her headdress and her power symbol. One time-consuming activity was adjusting the size of the photo she sent in order to put her face on the statue. 

I honor and respect Bodhisattva Katrin.