Home > Classes > Upcoming thangka courses > Special Extended Weekend Course, Venice, Italy, March 21 to 24 / 27, 2019
Mandala of Green Tara
Thu 21 to Sun 24 March 2019
> with an optional 3-day extension (25-27 march) to special sightseeing places!
The course is offered in English with an Italian translation
Because of Carmen’s three month stay in Venice we decided to offer an extra course in March 2019 and give you the opportunity to dive deeper into an amazing subject: the Mandala of Green Tara.
New students will learn how to draw this subject, and students who joined the previous course last november will learn how to color or paint their artwork with the right techniques.
In this extended weekend course at a typical Venetian Palace on a canal in Venice’s historical center, you will learn how to paint / color the Mandala of Green Tara according to the tradition of Tibetan Buddhist thangkas (Tibetan scroll paintings).
Green Tara, the female manifestation of active compassion, reaches out her hand to grant all wishes and, with her right foot outstretched, is ready to step down and help all who call upon her.
Tara is one of the most revered deities of Tibetan Buddhism and there are numerous stories of people that were saved from fears and difficulties while calling her name.
Green Tara can be seen as one of the first emancipated women. When other -male- practitioners told her to pray for incarnation in a male body so she could reach enlightenment, she made an adamantine vow: “Until Samsara is empty, I shall work for the benefit of all sentient beings in a woman’s body.”
Carmen Mensink will guide students through the cultural/historical context of thangkas and symbolism within Tibetan-Buddhist art through the combination of art, slide shows and meditations.
There will also be a detailed explanation of the Green Tara Mantra.
Drawing a Mandala or Buddha is a meditation in itself and creates inner peace and joy. When you’re a Buddhist practitioner, the drawing of the Buddha can improve your visualization meditation on a great scale. Buddhist lamas say: “When you draw a Buddha, you are drawing your own mind.”
The course will be given in English – with an Italian translation – and is suitable for beginners and advanced. It is not necessary to have drawing experience.
Beginners will first draw a Buddha Face before moving on to drawing the complete figure or mandala.
Optional: 3 day extension with sightseeing! 25-27 march
In this special 3 day extension you will get to see things that regular tourists don’t get to visit:
Monday 25 March: drawing/painting sessions in the morning, lunch break, and in the afternoon we take the boat to visit the laguna and some of the small, less visited Islands (Burano, Torcello, Cimetero di San Michele etc.)
Tuesday 26 March: drawing/painting sessions in the morning, lunch break, and in the afternoon we will visit the beautiful Ca’Pesaro museum with the Oriental Art section
Wednesday 27 March: in the morning we will visit different Secret Gardens of Venice, which are special private gardens that regular tourists can’t visit. After a last wonderful lunch together it’s time to say goodbye and go home or stay some more days in this beautiful city.
€150 including visits/entrance fees/coffee/tea/buiscuits/fruit
For an additional €15 per day you will also get a large vegetarian lunch including red and white wine, freshly made by the owners of our beautiful work space.
More Info & Registration
For more information, cost and venue please check out the following:
Dates, time, price
March 21-24, 2019:
Thursday evening 21 March: 20.00 – 21.30 (8-9.30pm) Introduction + Lecture about the subject, ending with drinks and snacks – OPEN TO EVERYBODY
Friday 22 March: 10.00 – 18.00 (incl. lunch break)
Saturday 23 March: 10.00 – 18.00 (incl. lunch break)
Sunday 24 March: 10.00 – 17.00 (incl. lunch break)
Price: €240 / or €210 for students who have joined the Mandala of Green Tara Part 1 in november 2018
Price includes coffee/tea/buiscuits/fruit. Course fee to be paid upon registration.
Optional for each day: a large vegetarian lunch for €15 per day, including red and white wine, freshly made by the owners of our beautiful work space.
On Saturday evening there will be a wonderful dinner party, this can be booked on the spot for €15.
OPTIONAL: THREE DAY EXTENSION WITH SIGHTSEEING March 25-27, 2019:
In this special 3 day extension you will get to see things that regular tourists don’t get to visit:
Monday 25 March: drawing/painting sessions in the morning, lunch break, and in the afternoon we take the boat to visit the laguna and some of the small, less visited Islands (San Michele, Burano, Torcello etc.)
Tuesday 26 March: drawing/painting sessions in the morning, lunch break, and in the afternoon we will visit the beautiful Ca’Pesaro museum with the Oriental Art section
Wednesday 27 March: in the morning we will visit the Secret Gardens of Venice, which are special private gardens that regular tourists can’t visit. After a last wonderful lunch together it’s time to say goodbye and go home or stay some more days in this beautiful city.
Price: €150 (to be paid upon registration) including all visits/entrance fees, coffee/tea/buiscuits and fruit.
Optional for each day: for an additional €15 per day you will get a large vegetarian lunch, freshly prepared by the owners of our beautiful work space, including red and white wine.
This 3 day extension can go on with a minimum of 6 people.
Materials to bring
If this is your first course on the Green Tara Mandala:
- Thick drawing paper size 50x65cm (if you want to work on a square paper for the mandala you can cut it to 50x50cm)
- ruler 40-50cm
- pencil HB (regular or mechanical pencil)
- eraser
- compass
- (optional: colored pencils)
If you have joined the course on 8-11 Nov. 2018 and want to learn to color or paint your Green Tara Mandala:
- pencil HB (regular or mechanical pencil)
- ruler 40-50cm
- eraser
- colored pencils of a good brand (for ex. Bruynzeel Design, Prismacolor, Faber Castell)
- a set of colored fineliners, preferably Stabilo point 88 (0,4mm) or thinner (also for sale in class)
OR
Location
Palazzo Minotto / Pianizzola (2nd floor)
Sestiere di Santa Croce n. 143,
Fondamenta Minotto,
Rio del Gaffaro (close to fondamenta dei Tolentini)
Venice,
Italy
This is close to Piazzale Roma where the main train station of Venice is (S. Lucia) and all the busses arrive.
Where to spend the night
On AirBnB you can look for a room or apartment, but you can also check out the following hotels that are all near to where the thangka course takes place, and that we can recommend as the prices are not too high (for Venice standards). The people that run the B&B’s are friends of Giovanna, you may get a discount when you tell that you come for the thangka course that she organizes.
Debora’s home B&B
Venezia, Sestiere San Polo, near Goldoni bridge
Phone: +39 3480347153
Email: debora.pola(at)mail.com
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Giovanni’s homeB&B
Rio del Gaffaro, Fondamenta del Gaffaro, Venezia
Phone: +39 3478240344
Email: giovanni.vit2011(at)libero.it
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B&BCasaBaseggio
Sestiere Cannaregio n.3556, Venezia
Phone: +39 3483432069
Email: marco.casabaseggio(at)gmail.com
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Valentina Silvestri’s Home B&B (small single room with own bathroom and terras in beautiful area)
Fondamenta Eremite 1353, Venezia
Phone: +39 3475856111
Also bookable via airbnb: https://abnb.me/5g9Qu1pYuV
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San Polo Star
Calle Campazzo, 3073/O, 30125 Venezia
sanpolostar.it
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Hotel Casa Peron
Salizada S.Pantalon n.84, Venezia
Phone: +39 041 5256057
Email: albergocasaperon(at)gmail.com
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Hotel S.Geremia Alloggi Gerotto Calderan
Campo S.Geremia n.290, Venezia (close to train station)
Phone: +39 041 715562 / +39 041 716245
Email: info(at)283.it
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Albergo Marin
Ramo delle Chioverte n.670/B Sestiere Santa Croce, Venezia
phone: +39 041 718022 / email: info(at)albergomarin.it
website: www.albergomarin.it
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Albergo–Hotel Doge
Sestiere S.Croce, Lista Vecchia Dei Bari n.1222
Phone: +39 3491692362 / +39 3492233206 / +39 3423757746 / +39 3451351127
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Hotel Florida
Calle Priuli Cavalletti sestiere Cannaregio, Venezia
(Close to train station)
Phone: +39 (0)41 715253
Email: info(at)hotel-florida.com
Website: www.hotel-florida.com
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A friend, Barbara, can accommodate one person:
phone: +39 3392188478 / email: mauri.sopra(at)yahoo.it
She has 2 cats.
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Registration
Please register with Giovanna a.s.a.p. to avoid disappointment should the course be full.
Fill out the form below, or send an email to Giovanna: giovannacarraro(at)gmail.com (in Italian or English), call her or send a whatsapp to: (+39) 346-0291778 (in Italian or English)
Check out the pictures of the previous Mandala of Green Tara thangka course!
More pictures of the International Thangka Courses in Venice can be found here
Even more pics of the Buddhist Art Courses in Venice, Italy, can be found here
Come join us and create art in the most beautiful city in the world!
