The Story of Baby Buddha

Discover the story behind Neon Sandwich's iconic Baby Buddha motif and learn how it's been used with comics.

Baby Buddha was born out of a conversation I had with my Chinese master at a diner North of Seattle on a dinner napkin in 1997. Dr. Wang explained the idea of Yin and Yang as it shows up on human facial features and the body. The eyes, nose and ears are Yin. The mouth is Yang is what he told me. 3 years after this, I decided to create an image that represented my ideas of Taoism and Buddhism, and it also summed up my 8 year journey with my Taoist master Wang Xue-Zhi.  The same month I created the Baby Buddha, I also began my Taoist  practice of Palm Reading for 20 years. 

All of my work circles around Taoism; from paintings, digital art, structures I create, and my Taoist Palm reading. With the BB, every single black line shape has a purpose and a feeling or a softeness of feeling. It was important to create a simple presenting powerful piece that also spoke volumes about gentleness along with personal power. For me the BB could quite be the only "masterpiece" I ever will do. The Baby Buddha is just as much a Taoist baby. Taoist and Buddhist elements play with each other. The idea of the piece is a face of naturalness even thru the years of living. The principle is of the "Original You" which is unique. Even when born in a different country with different languages and culture, this uniqueness is who you are. A unique human working on a task and having fun on a planet. Simple over complicated is the Baby Buddha.

The Baby Buddha on the comic page comes from a place of love and good memories. I collected comic books since the 1970s. Both American and Franco-Belgian comics. E.g. X-Men and Tintin Each page of the comic books I do are from times I read and collected comics. I know the writers, artist a d important years for many comic books between 1975-1995. I also look at comics from the 1960s to use. I know the comic artist, years, and titles I want to do and feel the style fits with the Baby Buddha stencil.  For example 1960s Jack Kirby art on Fantastic Four comics is amazing to work with. Most of the comic pages are the same size as a traditional Tibetan Thangka painting which also shows a Buddha with symbolic stories around them.  This is a very lucky happenstance. There are 3 main idea elements to the Comic page work. The 1st Is the comic page itself and how I love the art and can use the paper quality. Too old won't work and too new doesn't feel right on my fingertips. The paper has to have an organic feel to it like many other hands have read this comic.  I use older paper that has no plastic on it. The 2nd is the painted Baby Buddha on top and how the transparency and number of brush strokes look. The color I choose may depend on the colors and actions of the comic page beneath. The 3rd element is most important. The 1st two elements must become one as such that the Baby Buddha and the comic page become One. Baby Buddha plays with and does not try to dominant the comic page. When this works out the comic page action and few brush strokes or light paint layers truly come alive and the 3 things become one. Appraisal Value of Baby Buddhas on Vintage Paper: 1. Red Dot acts in background well with the action or becomes new key feature on the comic page. 2. 1 or more corners enhance the Baby Buddha placement. More corner ate enhanced or compliment are of better value to me. 3. Black lines punctuate an action in the background 4. Gaps in Black lines and background where action takes place. The broken line is penetrated by something from the comic page. BB color value guide: While the red Dot is important it is the Black dot that is more true as it more simple, which is important value in Taoism and Buddhism. Use of the black dot is more rare in my works.

BB background color value: Common: Yellow Uncommon: Blue Rare: Silver, Gold, Red Most Rare: Orange, Green, Purple, Metallics. Exceptional: Black/Obsidian.