Tsultrim holds a BA in philosophy and studied art in the classical academic tradition. His works  have been exhibited in galleries across the United States and are held in private collections.

My paintings are a collection of many observed moments—time spent in the presence of  people, places, and objects familiar to me. The subjects, which include friends and family,  Tibetan motifs, and everyday objects, are drawn from my immediate surroundings. In my work,  you’ll find simplified tones, bold brushstrokes, and striking colors inspired by the Tibetan art I  grew up around. Each painting is an exercise in patience, translating time and space with brush  and paint dabbed onto a canvas to reveal a picture that is still and not without intention. This translation is not an imitative act. I am neither concerned with literalism nor mimesis when I paint from observation.  

Painting, above all, is a kind of exploration; it is a medium of expression that allows me,  a recluse, to speak without speaking, through pictures that capture the objects of my interest and  of my life. It is a slow process and a vulnerable kind of performance—being at the mercy of time  and the subject before me. When I paint, I find myself having to reconcile feeling both ridiculous  and wondrous by the mere act of spending long hours making a fuss and furor about lines, colors, and compositions as the world seems to move on without me. 

Yet I still find myself exploring, being blissfully present to whom it may concern, in the joy of sharing a little magic, a little happiness, and my love since childhood of arranging colors  and shapes in the right order to reveal a familiar world—even if it lasts for a brief moment. Perhaps by making an art of the menagerie of things I’ve nested my life with, I can nudge someone to appreciate the beauty of having been present and having been opened to the  perspective of others amongst us.