About
Maitreya Buddha is the Buddha of the future, believed to reside in the celestial realm of Tushita Bhavana. According to Buddhist tradition, he will one day descend to our world to teach the Dharma and guide all beings towards liberation from the suffering of samsara. Maitreya is traditionally depicted in golden-yellow, with his hands held in Dharmachakra Mudra, the gesture of teaching. The Uttaratantra teaches that simply seeing an image of Maitreya can help purify the mind and inspire spiritual awakening.
In this course, students will learn to draw and paint an image of Maitreya Buddha following the traditional iconometric principles used in Buddhist art. Participants will begin by studying the proportions and drawing the figure according to traditional methods. They will then learn how to compose and paint the image, gaining an understanding of both the artistic techniques and spiritual significance of this painting tradition.
Key Information
Who is this workshop for?
Students of all levels and experience are welcome.
You must be aged 18 or over to participate in our online programmes.
How many people can attend?
15 places are available.
What days/times do I attend?
Tuesdays, 2, 9, 16, 23 February, 2, 9, 16, 23 March, 6, 13 April 2027, 10:00 – 13:00.
Please note that from February – March, times are in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
In April clocks will switch to British Summer Time (GMT+1).
How do I attend the online class?
This class will take place on Zoom, an online meeting platform. A link for joining the Zoom meeting will be in your confirmation email after booking.
What materials do I need?
- 1 x MDF board to stick your painting to, slightly larger than A4 size
- Several sheets of A4 size, cotton, hot-pressed watercolour paper, 300gsm
- Several sheets of A4 copy paper to practice on
- 1 x roll of masking tape or gum tape
- Graphite transfer paper, also called tracedown paper, wax free (see example)
- If you cannot find transfer paper, you can use carbon paper BUT you must be careful in using this as carbon can leave a strong mark on your paper.
- Pencils, erasers, sharpeners, ruler
- Black ink – either Chinese or Japanese ink from a bottle or stone. Walnut ink can also be used.
- Paintbrushes:
- Pointed round watercolour brushes, 2 x size 00000, 1 x size 000, 1 x size 1, 1 x size 3, 1 x size 6
- Wide, flat brushes, size 2 and 4
- A set of artist quality gouache or watercolours; If you cannot find gouache or watercolour, you can substitute with poster colours. Useful colours to have include: ivory black, white (any), cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, primary blue, indigo, cerulean blue, green (any), sap green, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cadmium red, and primary red. If you have any difficulty getting a particular colour, your tutor can guide you in mixing with what you have to hand.
- Water and a jar for washing your brushes
- A palette with wells
- Kitchen rolls to dry your brushes after use
- Optional: Shell gold or synthetic gold if you wish to use it.
If you are a returning student and have access to Nepalese paper, canvas and mineral pigments, you are welcome to use these during the course. This is optional.
Online Learning
What if I have questions during the workshop?
This will be a small workshop; Students will be able to ask questions via chat or unmute themselves.
Students will also have access to our online learning platform, Thinkific, where we share supplementary content.
I live in a different time zone, can I still attend?
We encourage you to attend the course in real time to really benefit from instruction; however, if you are unable to attend live due to the difference in time you can catch up via recordings on our online learning platform, Thinkific. These recordings are available for a limited time after the course.
Recordings cannot be purchased separately if the course is fully booked or if the course has already started.
Tips:
You must download the Zoom app and create a free account before the class begins, so that you can use the full range of features:
- You can create your free account here
- You can download the Zoom app onto your computer or device here
- You can create your free account here
FAQs
Do you offer concessions?
Yes, we offer concessions for Seniors/60+, full-time students and people who are unemployed/in receipt of benefits.
Concessions cannot be applied in retrospect. To receive a concession, please apply via our online form. We will then send you a discount code to use when booking your space.
What if I need to change or cancel my booking?
No refunds, unless cancelled by the School. If you cancel up to 1 week before the workshop starts, we can offer a transfer to another workshop of equivalent value, subject to availability.
Tutor biography
Renuka Gurung, PhD, learned Paubha painting from one of the Chitrakar Masters and Vajracharya priests of Nepal and has established herself as one of the leading masters of traditional Paubha painting. Following the completion of her doctoral studies at the School, Renuka continues her work of preserving Paubha painting by researching and documenting this traditional painting method. She travels internationally exhibiting her works, conducting workshops and lectures with the aim of introducing and promoting Paubha. She recently gave presentations and workshops on Paubha at the University of Oxford and in Hong Kong, and her paintings are in various private collections in Nepal, Russia, Italy, the USA and Britain.
