Shaolin Zen Mural Third Place Winner

"It is no surprise that my students were attracted to Marie-Judith's design, as meditation is at the root of Shaolin philosophy.

She understood the importance of meditation and came up with a design that could express that meditation-state and feeling of tranquility.

I would have been very happy had her design won the most votes."

"Creating art makes me feel more connected to people because I feel I understand them (and myself) better. I wish to convey a sense of human connection, curiosity, wonder, awe, and peace with my art. Uplifting people’s spirit through my art energizes me. Knowing that there’s a chance that my art can help others appreciate life more gives me a great sense of purpose.

Although I’m not an expert in the Shaolin Spirit, I am familiar with some of its teaching and resonate with it as I’ve always been interested and curious about zen philosophy, martial arts, meditation and getting to know ourselves from within. The design that I’m proposing is based on what I’ve learned thus far, as I love to create pieces that will not only add to the well-being of the viewers but also broaden their perspective. I kept it simple considering the fact that there will be volunteers helping during the installation.

I kept the colour of the floor in mind when creating this concept. I thought it would be great to have a soft gradient of greens on the walls as the main colour and an accent of bold red-orange near the main entrance as the focal point next to the door. (Limiting the colour will also help with the budget)

My goal is to make the visitors feel calm and serene as they enter the space. An energy shift that will ground them by visually connecting them with nature.

Green, especially sage green as shown, is a very peaceful colour and will also contrast very well with the new red doors.

On the wall there would be a series of mountains and clearings, as if they are walking on the top of the mountains. Shadow figures of Shaolin monks practicing their moves could be depicted throughout in a subtle way.

The focal point of the artwork would be the levitating / meditating monk next to the door. Their face would be abstract so that it could be interpreted either as a male or a female, as requested."