William Blake could hold infinity in the palm of his hand and see a world in a grain of sand, but this week, Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastary are setting infinity on top of a square table in St. Stephens United Methodist Church, here in Norman, Oklahoma.

I was privileged to draw these artists engaged in painting a spiritual masterpiece for a couple of hours today, with their kind permission. They were so absorbed in the task they never looked around or beyond the work at hand, so when one monk smiled at me it was a bit of a jolt.

It’s good to be inconspicuous when you’re drawing people, and in this case, I already felt myself on a lower, hopefully, less visible plane.  But of course, anyone who can see Heaven in a Wild Flower and hold Infinity in the palm of their hand isn’t going to miss someone sitting in a corner scribbling away in a sketchbook.