Japanese Kan'on

Guan Yin (in Japanese, Kan'on) is the Bodhisattva of compassion. She's the East Asian adaptation of Avalokiteshvara. This one part of three that I did for a project for Buddhist art. My purpose was to come up with a unique, modern picture while remaining a Buddhist image. And, I guess, keeping true to the culture of the country of origin. So, I decided to make them all into princesses. So, Buddhist symbols - lotus, abhaya mudra, wheel of law. Japanese symbols - sakura, pearl necklace, flame crown, symbolic of the Japanese Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. I also wanted to make her young-looking, and wanted to put her in pastel colors. There's this whole concept of "cute" culture in Japan, which I'm sure you're all familiar with, so I was playing off that a little bit, to create this image. I like this one the best of the three.