Bodhisattva Series

OK Bodhisattva
Tara Sasiadek
Oil on Canvas
24” x 36”

I made this painting while thinking about my family history of cancer, and the likelihood that it would effect me as a woman. Taking inspiration from the Buddhist idea of the compassionate and enlightened soul, or Bodhisattva, who remains behind to lead others on, I painted a figure meant to represent myself as a survivor, bolstered by those who had gone before me. Instead of a traditional hand signal, the figure flashes the western “OK” sign.
When I did in fact develop and survive cancer, this work developed into a series of paintings as tribute to the women in my family who have passed on, and the lessons they left behind.

Eve: Bodhisattva of Compassion
Oil on Canvas
30 x 40 in.
2008
My cousin Eve was the happiest woman I ever knew, taking life as it came without complaint until she died at a tragically young age.



Katherine: Bodhisattva of Creation
Oil on Canvas
30 x 40 in.
2008
My aunt Kathy was an artist and a healer who had a huge impact on me. Diagnosed with breast cancer and given little time to live, she survived years beyond the time she was warned she would have, painting and experimenting with natural remedies.



Sophia: Bodhisattva of Wisdom
Oil on Canvas
24 x 35 in.
2008
My paternal grandmother lived a long and well-spent life until succumbing to brain cancer. She frequently dispensed the following indisputable wisdom: “All things in moderation.”

Artist Statement

I recently was filling out a questionnaire for an art swapping project, and under “aspirations,” came the part where I had to sum up what I wanted to accomplish artistically in my lifetime in one sentence, and it was shockingly easy to write.

I want to make art that people want in their homes, their sacred spaces, their places of work.
Not because it matches the color scheme, but because it touches something in the people who make those spaces meaningful. Because it draws out their dreams, or lends tranquility, or makes it impossible to forget a horrible truth they are working to change.

In my mind, successful art means something to us about ourselves, the way the books I love are a part of my home and its meaning. Michael from Stranger in a Strange Land reminds me to Grok- drink deep of the moment. Merlin from The Once and Future King cautions me that might never makes right. The Gunslinger helps me remember the face of my father. Lovecraftian monsters haunt my steps and keep me on my toes.

It is my dream to make art that fits into the tapestry of others’ lives, the way my studio is covered in the images of places and works that inspire and guide me. I want to be connected in the way readers are, in the way long distance lovers are by letters and photos. Museums are too sterile for this kind of touch to work. Trading artwork with other artists, making customized works- these are things I need to begin seeking in earnest, and this is my starting point.

“To dream in isolation can be properly splendid to be sure; but to dream in company seems to me infinitely preferable.”
-Clive Barker