Where Color
touches Sky
Lhasa, Tibet
Mirrored in Sapphire & Scarlet
The Potala Palace—the historic residence of the Dalai Lamas—rises in quiet symmetry above a blue lake mirror, its reflection as precise as the devotion that shaped its walls.
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Built by Devotion,
Framed by the Himalayas
In the high-altitude heart of the Tibetan Plateau, the city of Lhasa stands out in vibrant colors and sacred spaces. Framed by distant snow-capped peaks, its temples, palaces, and pilgrimage paths have been shaped by centuries of devotion. The intricate architecture and vivid pigments—from deep crimson gates on white monasteries to golden rooftops—speak to the region's spiritual legacy of Tibetan Buddhism. This series offers a glimpse into a place where belief is built into the very fabric of the walls.
From vermilion gates to rooftops gilded in gold, Lhasa is a city rendered in bold strokes of color. The focus is on the architecture, where saffron yellows, bone whites, and deep reds mark sacred space. As an outsider, I approach these scenes with humility, drawn to the way devotion and craftsmanship resonate through light, material, and form. Here, color is not just aesthetic—it is ritual, memory, and endurance.
Each image in the Where Color Touches Sky series is offered as a limited-edition fine art print or under exclusive licensing, with no more than 15 editions available worldwide. All purchases are made to order with custom quotes provided based on preferred materials, finishes, and framing options. These works are designed for collectors, galleries, and thoughtfully curated spaces in luxury hospitality or interior design. To bring this work into your collection or gallery, use the button just beneath this text.
The Vermilion Portal
Lacquered in deep vermilion and gilded with dragon-detailed brasswork, this door evokes both protection and ceremony. A sacred entrance shaped by craftsmanship and reverence, glowing beneath the high-altitude sun.
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Golden Guardian of Jokhang
Carved in bold color and crowned by swirling clouds, this lion temple guardian stands in protection of the Jokhang monastery.
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Momentum in a Narrow Margin
In a city where old paths weave through modern demands, an overloaded motorbike threads its way through the tight streets of Lhasa.
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Glimmers of the Golden Herd
Beneath Himalayan skies, golden yak statues gleam with symbolic strength. These figures represent the endurance of high-altitude life—quiet sentinels sculpted in reverence and resilience.
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Sanctum in Yellow Light
Bathed in luminous yellow, this sunlit structure within Drepung Monastery glows against the cool air of the Tibetan Plateau. Its color radiates both warmth and watchfulness—a presence as enduring as the mountains that cradle it.
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Sounds of Awakening
Suspended between gilded figures, a rope of bronze bells captures more than sound—it holds a moment of stillness. In Tibetan Buddhism, bells symbolize both emptiness and clarity: a soft echo guiding the mind toward awakening.
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Rainbow Refuge
An upward view of vivid windows painted in a rainbow of hues — each color a brushstroke in an architectural harmony of devotion and design.
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Beneath the Watchful Walls
The Potala Palace rises above the city of Lhasa, its white walls and red roof stacked like brushstrokes against the sky.
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Banners Beneath Clouds of Imagination
White banners ripple above a monastery pavilion, their printed forms dancing with the clouds. Overhead, the sky swells with shape-shifting softness—each puff a canvas for the imagination, echoing the devotion below.
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The Burgundy Gate
A deep burgundy gate, its bronze detailing worn to a soft sheen, opens into a sacred world beyond. The contrast of dark wood and gleaming metal evokes a quiet reverence.
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The Veiled Lion
Veiled in hundreds of ceremonial khatas, this guardian lion stands wrapped in a quiet mountain of devotion. In the lion’s shadow, two figures comfort each other — a reminder that reverence here is both personal and collective.
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Offerings of Color
Prayer flags and layered tapestries spill from the walls of a hillside shop — a palette of devotion painted in cloth.
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Mirrored in Sapphire & Scarlet
The Potala Palace—the historic residence of the Dalai Lamas—rises in quiet symmetry above a blue lake mirror, its reflection as precise as the devotion that shaped its walls.
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Stone Devotion
Perched above a rocky hillside, a lone bodhisattva gazes out — painted by a hand that once balanced between stone and sky. The work speaks not only of devotion, but of the quiet courage it took to place it there, high in the breathless air of Tibet.
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