I felt fortunate that I had the possibility to draw the White Tara at the School for Tibetan Art. It was so enjoyable ánd valuable for my Buddhist and drawing practice to work with Carmen again after nine years!

I devoted myself to White Tara, because she has inspired me for over 15 years. Below I show some steps how my White Tara came into being in four months time. Working with colored pencil on a 42 x 60 cm / 16.5 x 24 inch format was something I had never done before. That was quite a challenge! Still, I had every confidence that it would work, especially with the support I would get from Carmen, ánd from Tara herself.

According to tradition one may draw or paint the eyes of the (female) Buddha until the Thangka is as good as finished. It was só exciting to ‘open up’ her eyes.

I have experienced the drawing of White Tara as an in-depth retreat. The carefully designed teaching material of Carmen, together with her constructive feedback, the mantras and beautiful meditation on White Tara made this drawing a real Sadhana.

I have dedicated this thangka to specific loved ones, to myself and to the well-being of all living beings. I have incorporated this dedication into the reverse of the drawing in the form of the White Tara mantra and the “Seed syllable” of her ‘Tam’.

This drawing was made possible by a subsidy from