The dragon whisperer
At the beginning of February, the blue rabbit on our shop window gave way to a golden yellow dragon. A fire-breathing, cloud-swirling Himalayan thunder druk with jewel-clawed talons. It was drawn by Jamyang. During the lunch break. On a napkin.
We have been decorating the shop window on Kirchgasse with traditional Tibetan motifs for a few years now. In 2022, it was the four harmonious friends. This was followed in 2023 by the zodiac sign of the year, a blue water hare. And it had been clear to us for some time that it would be the wooden dragon in 2024 and therefore a case for Jamyang.
Jamyang is a good family friend. He grew up in Tibet and was introduced to traditional thangka painting by a lama in a monastery there from the age of twelve. The Tibetan scroll paintings are painted according to strict ritual rules, whereby the complex specifications of centuries-old Buddhist iconography and iconometry must be adhered to. Every detail is predetermined. Several artists are often involvedin one work. They remain anonymous: the aim is not worldly fame, but good karma, which, according to Buddhist teachings, can be positively influenced by successful depictions of Buddha nature.
Jamyang's main job is as a sushi chef in a Zurich restaurant. Since he has been living in Switzerland, art has become more of a hobby and thangka painting has become a sideline. He likes to experiment with different genres and has also been engraving great tattoos for a while now.
Jamyang received the dragon commission at somewhat short notice for a number of reasons. A sketch was created and approved, but when the deadline for the printer arrived, things had to move quickly.
Jamyang finally drewthe dragon over lunch in the restaurant, from memory with a ballpoint pen on a napkin. A small thing for him. We, on the other hand, were amazed at the flawless perfection and richness of detail of this loosely scribbled work, which will now accompany us on the window through the Tibetan year 2151.
Incidentally, we will be giving away the original napkin to our newsletter subscribers in the coming weeks.