This exhibition presents twelve ceramic reliefs by Lorraine Capparell, inspired by the life of the Buddha as narrated by Buddhist scholar Ronald Y. Nakasone. Through sculptural form, Capparell explores themes of impermanence, enlightenment, and interconnection, inviting reflection on the Buddha’s enduring teachings.
Śākyamuni Buddha: A Story evolved from a fruitful association with Ronald Nakasone. In January 1990, Dr. Nakasone asked me if I might illustrate a book he was writing, entitled Ethics of Enlightenment. I had been interested in Buddhism since a 1983 visit to Asia, and Ron’s request intrigued me. After reading the manuscript, I agreed with pleasure to create a series of line and wash drawings illustrating the story of the Buddha for the book.
In the process of doing these pictures, I became fascinated with the images and myths associated with the life of the Buddha. I was not content to let these images remain in two dimensions. Because I am a sculptor, it was natural to me to render the illustrations in bas relief. The result is this show. Twelve panels depict incidents of the story of the Buddha as told in Ethics of Enlightenment by Ronald Nakasone. The smaller four panels grew from my continuing interest in Eastern symbology and in the hand gestures, or mudras, used by the Buddha to teach without words.
I am particularly moved by the final incident of Buddha’s life, the parinirvāṇa. It is this last image that is the most potent one for me. I first saw the reclining Buddha as a gigantic sculpture in Sri Lanka. I kept this figure in mind when I created the ceramic relief of the Buddha’s death. The peaceful figure represents the attainment of Enlightenment, even as the physical body is left behind, and shows the interdependence of all life through the falling of flowers.
As I traced the lines of the Buddha’s form in the clay, built up layers and modeled the body, I meditated upon Buddha’s
teaching about impermanence and his example. I tried to create an artwork to evoke peace and compassion and inspire others to follow the Buddha’s Way.
About the Artists
Lorraine Capparell is an accomplished artist, recognized for her work as a painter, sculptor, and photographer since 1975. She divides her time between creating visionary sculptural pieces and richly colorful paintings and watercolors that communicate her unique focus on life. Her work has been shown internationally and is in the collections of the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, Apple, the Theo Jung Collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Zen Center, Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA, and Barclay Fields in Woodside, CA.
Capparell creates art every day, working with themes that reflect daily life while incorporating secrets and surprises that invoke the viewer to discover and think of the world in a new way. She works in bronze and ceramic sculpture, large-scale watercolors, monotype prints, and creates daily watercolor paintings.
Ronald Y. Nakasone was a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, where he lectured on Buddhist thought and aesthetics. Professor Nakasone produced scholarly publications on Buddhist doctrine, ethics, aesthetics, aging and spirituality, and Ryūkyūan (Okinawan) Studies. He was an ordained Jōdo Shinshū (Pure Land) cleric and a sho (calligraphy) artist.
Exhibition Details
Location: DRBU Building, 1991 Virtue Wy, Ukiah, CA.
Open to the public: Mondays – Fridays, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm, and by appointment on weekends.
