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I found a picture of a Buddha sculpture with a broken arm and became inspired. It was such a profound image. For me, the fractured or broken arm was a metaphor for external disturbances. Buddha’s meditative face was intact and exuded a calm and collected presence. This is one of the tenets of meditation. The act of becoming aware and mindful aids in letting go of external disturbances as we focus inward rather than outward.

It reminds me of when I was a child and would walk in on my father meditating. Just to be a brat, I would nudge him and try to wake him up. To my surprise he would stay in place and not move. Not sure if he used all his concentration to ignore my pestering or if he was genuinely in an elevated mind state where external disturbances were non-existent. One day through consistent practice I hope to achieve the latter. This painting is a visual reminder of the path I’m taking through consistent meditative practice.

Three Graces

There are three goddesses in Greek mythology known as the Graces. They generally represented grace, charm and beauty (alongside other attributes). Aglaia represented elegance, brightness and splendor.Thalia represented youth, beauty and good cheer. Euphrosyne represented mirth and/or joyfulness.

I’m finding that my daily meditation practice is allowing me to live in the moment more and to let go of a lot of overly unnecessary thinking. This has had a profound effect on my art. It’s easier to come up with ideas to paint these days. And although 99.9% of them never turn out the way I planned, I’m o.k. with that and look forward to creating the next batch. This painting represents my interpretation of the Three Graces.

Symbolism

There’s no overly complex meaning behind my latest painting. I meditate everyday, enjoy reading about Buddhism, and love colors that pop. But even with these influences, I do find myself struggling to find inspiration for new paintings. I think the subject matter for my next painting will be humorous, since it takes the edge off of coming up with a new concept (I’ve been experiencing analysis paralysis while ideating lately).

Nothing Personal

I created this image back in 2012. I actually saw this on a t-shirt shortly thereafter, which I thought was quite amusing. Obviously, I am not that creative.

But what this shows me is that I have grown tremendously since then. Through volunteerism, yoga, reading, and meditation I’ve learned how to combat old toxic thought processes. One example is of not taking things personally.

There will always be a group of people who will be agreeable and like you. Transversely, you cannot aim to please everyone so there will inevitably be individuals out there that dislike like you. If you place any value on what either group thinks, then you’ll always be at the mercy of their whims. If a given individual wins the lottery, chances are they will be ecstatic, elated, and enthusiastic when interacting with you. However, if that same individual happens to get suspended from work, loses their job, or gets dumped, most likely they will be in a less personable mood and may even project their feelings of frustration or loss onto you. By not taking things personally, you float on a feeling of independence that doesn’t cater to the fluctuations of those around you. It’s tremendously liberating and smirk-inducing.

On that note, I’m leaving for Los Angeles on Saturday. In the fashion of not taking things personally, I’ve had to say goodbye to people (good and bad) who were once a part of my life. People and relationships grow, and what was good for you yesterday may not be so good for you today. But that’s nothing to cry about, if and only you learn to not take things personally.

Mantra Mat

Over the course of last year, I began incorporating a new method into my daily meditation practice. It involved drawing the mantra or spiritual imagery I was focusing on for that given day. For example, if I felt a sense of confusion in my life and needed some sort of clarity or purpose, my mantra for that day would be trust (i.e., trust in the universe, trust in myself in unknown circumstances/situations, trust that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, etc.).

I would either repeat this mantra to myself or listen to a guided spiritual audio file that best fit the theme of trust. After my mediation, I put my mantra into practice by drawing the word or imagery on my yoga mat. The resulting byproduct is a catalog of the daily mantras or imagery I focus on while I meditate. It helps me bring life to the positive affirmations I repeat to myself. I hope to continue this process, and maybe even expand into doing it for others. Namaste.

Intuition – Sculpture of a Woman

As I get older, I find myself attempting to fine-tune my intuition. Whether it’s through daily meditation or simply walking on a treadmill with my eyes closed, I’m practicing shutting off one internal sensory mechanism and learning how to just feel. This is more of an emotional exercise above all else. As a very visual person, I am easily swayed emotionally and psychologically by the things I see around me. Closing my eyes for a period of time allows me to just feel without it being the reaction of an after-thought or knee jerk reaction to visual stimuli. To me, this is what intuition is all about.

This is a random painting I made based on a photograph of a female sculpture. There’s no complex explanation about the subject matter; it’s simply what I just felt like painting. My intuition helped me create this painting.

Marcus Aurelius – Fractured Bust

Here’s a new painting of mine. It’s a bust of Marcus Aurelius. Since his book ‘Meditations’ has had such a profound influence on me, I felt compelled to create a visual reminder of his imagery to hang in my apartment. His gaze embodies what I believe to be the essence of stoicism, which is an unflinching approach to all external events. Things are what they are, and the only thing we can control is our interpretation of events.

I chose to paint a camouflage background for two reasons. Primarily, it symbolizes Marcus Aurelius’ military background and resonates with the concept of Roman stoicism (which is a practical application of the philosophy akin to a defensive military tactic). Secondarily, I am huge fan of Andy Warhol. He had a camouflage collection which was a series or prints that took the standard pattern and infused them with his signature color palette.

Marcus Aurelius will continue to be an influence in my artwork, so I look forward to see what kooky idea I come up with next.

Graffiti Art

As graffiti art becomes more mainstream and is thrust into the orbit of public acceptance it’s perceived classification of what constitutes “art” becomes muddied. Meaning, the real intricate and painstakingly laborious pieces are deemed meaningful while simple and quick markings are disregarded and seen as less artful, creative, or innovative. I don’t agree. I love all graffiti. I don’t see the distinctions between legitimate vs non-legitimate (aesthetically speaking) graffiti.

I created this piece to highlight this. “Tags” and “throw-ups” are simple designs within modern graffiti. Beauty in graffiti art doesn’t have to be complex, it can be a group of simple but beautifully placed lines and markings.

Pigeon

I’ve been busy as usual, but I’ve been painting. I recently downloaded the mobile wordpress app. So I’m hoping this may curb my lack of posting (fingers crossed).

Perseus with the Head of Medusa

This is a rendering of Benvenuto Cellini’s ‘Perseus with the head of Medusa.’ I adore this sculpture and wanted to pay homage to it through a colorful interpretation. I chose to abstract Medusa’s head as a means to leave the subject of the beheading open to interpretation. This is meant to symbolize a non-discriminatory approach toward one’s problems, challenges, and/or obstacles. I use it as inspiration when I think of difficult situations that the require the determination and prowess of Perseus.