10,000 Buddha Project comes to the La Quinta Resort

Buddhas are taking over the La Quinta Resort, well the yoga studio at least.

Six years ago Amanda Giacomini made a goal to paint 10,000 Buddhas all around the world.

“Twelve years ago I visited these ancient Buddhist caves in India called the Ajanta Caves. They’re 2,000 years old and filled with these amazing murals. And I saw this painting in the caves that just struck me. It was a thousand little Buddhist monks sitting and meditating,” Giacomini said.

That image stayed with her and one day she decided to make her own version of it.

“Once I started, I couldn’t stop. The first painting took me a whole year to do where there were 99 little hand drawn Buddhas on it,” Giacomini said.

Since then she’s painted murals in Washington D.C., Miami and Germany. Just recently achieving her 10,000 goal. But she’s not stopping, bringing her work to the La Quinta Resort.

“I found out that they have a tradition of artists coming here. Diego Rivera used to stay here and pay his bill with art. So I thought that’s so great, I’m in line with these other great artists that have been here and left their mark,” Giacomini said.

The resort said the painting will remind visitors to be mindful in their lives.

“Bringing Amanda here just felt natural because her art engenders a certain quality of energy and that quality is calmness and relaxation,” said Dr. Eden Goldman the director of yoga and mindfulness at the resort.