Born into a Nepali family of traditional artists in Boudha, Kathmandu, a melting pot of diverse traditional Himalayan artists and communities, I was introduced to painting at home. The traditional Tibetan Buddhist scroll-painting practice was central to the social fabric of my childhood. Among the artists I was surrounded by, my father, the traditional master painter Urgen Dorje, had the strongest influence on me. He was born in 1944 painting. He followed this discipline his entire life and is still painting into his late seventies. My father started training me in painting when I was 12. I would always find him in his studio, a small room in our house, painting, reading traditional art books, and diligently making his brushes or grinding away color minerals for his paints. He studied each aspect of the work himself, from learning the intricacies of brushmaking to the symbolism of a particular color in art and the philosophy behind the motifs he used. Moreover, he studied the historical societies in which these art forms developed and the philosophy behind them. His extensive knowledge of traditional art and culture has helped him channel his expertise into other fields as well. He has done numerous restorations of centuries-old murals, often observing minuscule details to find stylistic differences. He frequently provides critiques on books about art and helps identify paintings to the specific style and period.
