Thomas Edwards has created more than a thousand traditional Tibetan Buddhist paintings.

Syracuse, N.Y. - Acclaimed Tibetan thangka artist Thomas Edwards returns to Thekchen Choling Syracuse for a weekend workshop, Sept. 5-6. Open to adults with little or no artistic experience, the workshop explores thangka art as a spiritual practice. Thangkas are Tibetan Buddhist paintings that date back more than a thousand years.

Edwards will teach students how to paint two versions of the Medicine Buddha—one simple and one complex—in the traditional thangka style. “I will provide two drawings [of the Medicine Buddha] based on sacred Tibetan Buddhist iconography,” he says. “This way, you can focus on proper shading and coloring.”

The Cortland, New York, resident also will explain how painting and using a thangka can facilitate meditation, visualization and spiritual affirmation.

The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Sept. 5
9:30 a.m. to noon: Session No. 1
Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Vegetarian lunch
1:30-4 p.m.: Session No. 2
5-7 p.m.: Gallery showing and sale

Sunday, Sept. 6
9:30 a.m. to noon: Session No. 3

Tuition is $175 and includes the cost of select supplies and Saturday’s lunch. Affordable onsite lodging is available to out-of-towners on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register for the workshop, visit https://thekchen-choling-usa.square.site/ and click on Medicine Buddha Thangka Workshop. For more information, contact Thekchen Choling at tccl.syracuse@gmail.com or 315.480.1088.

Edwards has devoted more than 25 years to the study and practice of Tibetan thangka painting. He spent three years at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamshala, India, mastering the Menri style and tradition.

His specialty is the New Menri, or Lhasa, style. Popular in Tibet’s capital between the 1700s-1900s, Lhasa paintings are revered for their vibrant mineral colors and balanced iconographic proportions.

In fact, His Holiness fled Tibet with multiple Lhasa paintings during the 1959 Chinese invasion.

“I’m committed to preserving the ancient lineage of Tibetan Buddhist art while creating work that inspires contemplation, devotion and wisdom,” says Edwards, whose art hangs in private collections around the world and is featured in multiple books.

Thekchen Choling Syracuse belongs to a global family of Tibetan Buddhist centers founded by Singha Rinpoche. The 11-year temple is located at 109 East Avenue in Minoa, New York.

The workshop is part of Thekchen Choling Syracuse’s monthlong Medicine Buddha Vaidurya Healing Festival.

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