Harriet Niblock

"Keep Going No Matter What!"

"The Gohonzon is a portrait of every human being. Use it as a mirror because it is you. There are no miracles; you have to put yourself in a state of mind to do positive things." As Philadelphia fine artist Harriet Letha Niblock prepares for another show in a career spanning 50 years, she shares her determination to follow the Daishonin’s Buddhism for the rest of her life. "The hope for the world is the Daishonin’s Buddhism."

When Harriet was introduced to Buddhism in 1992, she had reached a juncture in her life where she could no longer work. Her decades-long battle with multiple personality disorder had taken its toll. An SGI member who lived in the same building invited Harriet to a discussion meeting and gave her a sutra book. "When I read the last prayer, ‘for peace throughout the world and the happiness of all humanity,’ I asked myself , ‘Do they really believe this?’ I have always believed that all of life is equal and I knew I could practice this religion." At first, it was a struggle to come out of hiding and to be around people; she had to chant as she waited for buses to attend SGI activities. Through her sincere practice, she overcame mental illness and began to paint again.

"My paintings must pertain to life, they must pertain to Mother Earth, with movement and emotional feeling." Pointing to a work in progress for the October 1997 show, which captures a neighborhood tree in bloom, Harriet says, "This painting has to make a person feel good, actually feel spring." Gifted with a photographic memory, an encyclopedic knowledge of science, nature, history, and Native American culture, as well as meticulous research from her world travels, Harriet currently uses an art medium called gouache. "Watercolor in this country means transparent watercolor, painted on white paper which already holds the two dimensions that human beings respond to. I go over my pencil sketch with ink, create an underpainting, then go over that with paint." Harriet paints memories; her over 600 paintings reflect scenes from a lifetime which began in Tesuque, New Mexico, north of Santa Fe. She has worked in all mediums, particularly in oil, but turned to gouache when the fumes began to effect her adversely. Her works are in collections all over the world, including Sweden, Italy, and Japan; every painting has been sold. Coming from a mixed heritage, Native American and Irish, she traces her desire to paint to her great-grandmother who was not allowed to paint because she was female and her grandmother who had to conceal her talent by drawing when no one was around. Harriet’s mother nurtured her interest in art through movies, books, and introducing her to the famous painters who summered in New Mexico. During her early childhood, Native Americans in Tesuque called Harriet "daughter of the sun."

Her father died when Harriet was three years old and when she was 10, her family moved to Philadelphia with her mother’s new husband. When her mother gave her a black doll and informed her that one of her ancestors long ago had been black, she cherished the doll in spite of her stepfather’s deep prejudice. At the age of 15, Harriet ran away from home and began to travel around the world. Eventually, she returned to Philadelphia and completed her training as an artist, stubbornly progressing despite the opposition of an important art professor. "Anger is a wonderful thing; it gives you a tremendous amount of energy," she says "But do not direct the anger at what you are angry at." At low points early in her career, Harriet would conjure up the professor’s image to motivate her to keep painting, with an attitude of "I’ll show him!"

In early 1997, that spirit helped Harriet to overcome a tremendous, almost fatal, obstacle and saved her life. After completing 23 paintings for a show, she was working on the final two at her third floor studio. She had a presentiment that morning, but ignored it and kept working. Suddenly, she heard the fire alarm go off in her apartment building. She joined residents who located the blaze in an electrical closet down the hall, then went back to her room only to find that she was trapped in her room by the smoke. Closing the door, she ran to the window and screamed for help. As the thick, tar-filled smoke came over the top of the door and began to fill her lungs, Harriet felt that this was the end; the only thing she could do was chant. Suddenly she heard someone shout from the ground outside, "They’re coming!" Firemen had to cut down a metal fence to raise the ladder to her third floor window. In her weakened condition, only her anger at the fireman, whose toolbelt prevented her from stepping onto the ladder, gave her enough strength to respond to their efforts.

Her son and daughter-in-law found out about the fire from TV news coverage. They rushed to the area, searched around and found Harriet in the neighborhood school being used as a temporary shelter. They acted as her shoten zenjin from that point on to help her obtain money from her landlord and find a new apartment. Her in-laws and many friends helped her to furnish it.

"Only the Gohonzon survived the fire," she reflects. All of her belongings, collections and paintings were destroyed or damaged, including those which were next to her altar. All of the furniture was toppled down and covered by the 2 feet-deep debris which fell from the ruined fourth floor. But her altar remained intact - standing without any damage and stains! It has become the focal point of her small, but bright and cheerful, new apartment.

The organizer of the show, for which she was preparing, gladly agreed to postpone the show until October. During an intense period of recuperating, painting and negotiating to borrow several of her previous works from their owners, Harriet has continued to attend SGI activities. In fact, she has maintained a strong seeking spirit. For the past several years, she has never missed attending Wednesday lunch-time study meeting held at the University of Pennsylvania. The meeting started nine years ago and has enjoyed weekly dialogues on President Ikeda’s books from cover to cover. The group is currently reading the fourth book, "Choose Peace," authored by Dr. Johan Galtung and President Ikeda.

Harriet personifies President Ikeda’s words in his address entitled, "The Flowering of Creative Life Force": "The creative life, in short, is achieved by a constant effort to improve one’s thoughts and actions, or perhaps we should say it is the dynamism involved in this effort. You will pass through storms and heavy rains, and at times you may suffer defeat. The essence of the creative life is not to give up in the face of defeat, but to follow the rainbow that exists within your heart." Harriet paints with renewed determination and a sense of mission. Her happy smile and energetic work demonstrate that Harriet has indeed captured the rainbow.

(Interviewed by Sharon Wellons-Bonsu; Photo by Stanley Ohnishi)