On death row, American Buddhist creates art from pain

LION'S ROAR
By Lilly greenblatt

I Just Wanna Be An Old Yogi by Moyo, 2015. Imported blue ink and imported color pencil on hemp paper from Nepal, on prison-issued art board.

Despite the 5,000 miles between them, death row inmate “Moyo” and pen pal Maria Jain have come together to showcase his series of Buddha portraits in the exhibition “Buddhas on Death Row.” American Buddhist artist, Moyo, studies the image of the Buddha using a multitude of mediums. Purposeful strokes of prison-issued watercolor paint, jewel-toned ink, colored pencil, and crayon all come together to manifest his unique vision of the Buddha — almost always depicted with a delicate smile. He does this from his cell in solitary confinement, smaller than the average parking space, where he has sat on death row for the last sixteen years. [More]