A few words on my prayer tree sculptures ...

First, a correction. Most folks mistakenly think that they are comprised of nails pounded into logs. That is just the meat level of their existence. They are, in actuality, comprised of prayer and meditation. For each nail pounded into a log either a prayer, an affirmation, or my sanskrit mediation mantra is uttered, either silently or aloud. (Initiated and trained by a hindu teacher, Swami Venketesananda, in 1969 I have been meditating daily for 55+ years now. Meditation is the core base of my life. Without it I have no doubt I would be dead.) When I pound the nails into logs (pine preferably, and knotty to prevent splitting) I move into a no mind space, a spaciousness where thoughts, if they arise, simply pass thru my mind but do not settle there nor attract focus or even attention. Thus, I sit in a peaceful emptiness for much of the time I am nail pounding (usually 30-45 minutes a session). I DO NOT make aesthetic decisions while nail pounding these sculptures, that part of my mind is not active. All placement decisions are made intuitively in concert with my hands. And having been in the construction trades for 15 years (or more) including time spent doing carpentry, my hands are very talented. There is a flow to all this… and it happens pretty much on its own.

Dougie Padilla