• Home
  • Mixed Media Art
  • Treasure Boxes
  • Soul Encaustics
  • Books
  • Temples, Huts, Forests
  • Early Works
    • Childhood & Teens
    • Paintings
    • Early Huts & Temples
    • Prayer Ties
  • Leslie
  • GALLERY
  • Contact

​​Prayer Ties

     During my trip to Japan and Thailand with my mother in 1979, the image that impacted me the most was a winter-bare tree just outside a temple. On the tree were hundreds of short lengths of white cotton fabric, each tied in a single knot to individual branches, each symbolizing a prayer for a loved one who had passed. The feeling of deep reverence stayed with me.
     It wasn't until
2007-2008 that I was able to create the series that resulted from that experience. I call it "Prayer Ties." 
     As I sat with a basket of leaves, as I cut each string and tied it to each leaf, I felt that same reverence. I was struck by how each leaf or pod or stalk was its own being, had its own unique presence. They taught me about "seeing" and recognizing the being-ness of all things. The act of tying became a meditation, bringing me to stillness within.
This first one I called "Prayer Wall with Beech Leaves." Of all of these pieces, this is the only one that didn't hold up to time.
​It measured 112" tall by 72" wide.
Picture
After creating the piece above, I felt driven to do the same with milkweed pods. It was winter but the woods road I walked was clear of snow. I went out, determining to find milkweed. As I walked the same woods road I had always walked, I noticed for the first time a small open field to my left. It was covered in snow and the winter husks of milkweed! I felt blessed. Below is the piece I created. It is called "Prayer Wall with Milkweed Pods" and measures 112" high by 72" wide. In 2024, it is still in good condition.
Picture
In the same field, I was struck by the shapes of boles in goldenrod, so I harvested them too. Below is "Prayer Field with Goldenrod and Boles." It measures 55" wide by 44" high. It too is in good condition after all these years.
Picture
I was fascinated by the simplicity of this piece, so I decided to try something like it. I love its simplicity and grace.
​It is called "Prayer Wall with Branches" and measures ​87” wide x 64” high.
Picture
I had to try one more. My mother gave me a big pine cone, thinking I could use it in my newest work. Below is the piece that came from that. I call it "Prayer Wall with Cone Scales" and it measures 57” wide x 44” high. I drilled a tiny hole in each cone scale before tying it.
​Again, I loved the individual being-ness of each scale. Needless to say, this one took me a little while!
Picture
I realized I wasn't done with the milkweed. It still holds a fascination for me. So I created one more piece with it. It is here below.
I call it "Prayer Windows with Milkweed Pods" and it measures 64” wide x 61.5” high.
Somehow, each pod, single or double, as I tied it and placed it inside its own window, became for me a sacred prayer being,
​perhaps a Tibetan monk, a dove . . . .
Picture
Because my studio now is so small, I can only re-create these by commission. I do not want to part with most of the originals. I can re-create them in the same size and/or create much smaller pieces that have the same feeling but more intimacy. Please contact me, if interested.
     HOME    MIXED MEDIA​ ​     Treasure Boxes          Soul Encaustics.     BOOKS    TEMPLES, HUTS, FORESTS    EARLY WORKS    CHILDHOOD & TEENS    PAINTINGS    EARLY HUTS & TEMPLES    PRAYER TIES    GALLERY    ​Leslie
CONTACT​
Copyright © Leslie Brooks, 2024
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Mixed Media Art
  • Treasure Boxes
  • Soul Encaustics
  • Books
  • Temples, Huts, Forests
  • Early Works
    • Childhood & Teens
    • Paintings
    • Early Huts & Temples
    • Prayer Ties
  • Leslie
  • GALLERY
  • Contact