From Shawn O’Rourke
Art, Paintings, and Poetry
My art and poems are about reflection and self-realization. For me, creating is not about style, technique, or being accomplished. Creating is a communication method that brings what is within to the surface. Art and poetry give me the opportunity for understanding and personal growth. I present my creations here so that they may be helpful to others. For example, in the pencil drawing, ‘Hot under the Collar,’ we see that anger doesn’t only burn others, but burns ourselves as well. The pencil drawing, ‘Obsession,’ represents a strong and overwhelming desire that is like a snake strangling our heart. I hope you find my art and poems thought-provoking and insightful.


“In the state of observation/seeing there is no duality, no identifying thoughts; there is just the calm state of awareness, spacious and peaceful. This is the art of meditation, the Zen of seeing.”
-Bhante Kovida (The World is Myself – A Monk’s Travel Journal Part 1)
Paintings & Art
Open (2015)
oil on canvasPeephole (2007)
oil on canvasTravelling Inward (2007)
acrylic on canvasAnxiety (2006)
pencil on paperReaching (2004)
pencil on paperSelf Portrait (1998)
pencil on paperInterconnected (2024)
oil on canvasClosed (2006)
pencil on paperDefense (2006)
pencil on paperAlone (1992)
oil on canvasHot Under the Collar (2006)
pencil on paperMy Grandpa's Barn (1978)
marker on feltMy Old Friend (1998)
pencil on paperObsession (2012)
pencil on paperPressure (2006)
pencil on paperSnake Plant Bloom (2011)
pencil on paper
“A trained mind brings much ease to one’s life. One must learn to tame the mind as did great personages, like the Buddha. One is able to organize one’s mind through one’s own effort.”
-Bhante Pinnagoda Rahula (The Nature of the Mind)