Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo is a textile artist and the author of “Threads of Awakening: An American Woman’s Journey into Tibet’s Sacred Textile Art.”
SANTA BARBARA — Author Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo will read from her book, “Threads of Awakening: An American Woman’s Journey into Tibet’s Sacred Textile Art,” at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 at Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St., Santa Barbara.
For more than 500 years, Tibetans have been creating sacred images from pieces of silk. Much rarer than paintings and sculptures, these stitched fabric thangkas are among Tibet’s finest artworks, according to a news release.
Ms. Rinchen-Wongmo studied this little-known textile art with two of its brightest living masters and let herself discover where curiosity and devotion can lead. In this book, she reveals the unique stitches of an ancient needlework tradition, introduces the Buddhist deities it depicts, and shares insights into the compassion, interdependence and possibility they embody.
The book includes 49 color photos and a foreword by the Dalai Lama.
Ms. Rinchen-Wongmo is a textile artist and caretaker of a sacred Tibetan tradition of fabric art. She’s one of the few non-Tibetans to master the Buddhist art of appliqué thangka. She teaches women around the globe through her Stitching Buddhas virtual apprentice program, an online hands-on course bridging East and West, traditional and contemporary.
For more information, see threadsofawakening.com.
— Dave Mason
