Artistic Process
-What is your artistic process?
My artistic process happens as a gradual evolution. It requires that I first settle down in a quiet place to clear out the essence of the spirit and the physical. Doing so encourages communication between the two. On the other hand, being in solitude offers me a foundation for observation, contemplation, and introspection. The whole process is a dance in the garden, an interaction with these pure voices from across the universe. The path is an unknown risk, as vague as mist in the mountains. In that space, you only follow this mysterious guidance which leads you to perpetually confront and overcome yourself, your past—everything that is still left to work out.
It is important to be mindful of getting enough rest; for me it is a spiritual practice as it helps to recharge my energy before climbing the endless staircase. These disciplines naturally bring art into one’s life. They open the doors to nature spirits, intuition, and instinct.
One must use courage as a form of protection here. Open the conversation. This is what I call the purification process. The power of emptiness automatically gives space for the new to grow in order. For the rest, nature will lead the way. As you feel the sensations that come with each step you climb, you will soon know when the harvest day is about to come. Creativity is a whole phenomenon. The process is alchemical and a Sadhana—it reminds you to stay aware. These voices speak through a sort of magical way, like a garden does. It takes tremendous patience and coordination to work with nature. In this way, for me, the process of making art is also a partnership with the compost pile which converts our kitchen waste into fertile soil.
Artwork & Spirituality
Q: How would you describe the role or the place the pieces you create have in your spiritual path?
Essentially, my pieces are my personal worship of spirituality. They are an intermedial dialogue between the seeker and the divine source. They act as altars where I honour my beliefs and practices, and creating them also enables me to become a prayer of gratitude, a plea for further guidance.
These independently cultivated pieces, each being the result of a unique journey, stimulate my personal growth and bring resolution to challenges I have faced. When I look back at a particular series I created during a particularly tumultuous time (Free 22), I see how each piece represents a lesson I have learned, and this reflection helps me appreciate the transformation I have undergone. In this way, my creations become a sacred offering on my spiritual altar, showcasing my journey and devotion to the divine.
Inspirations
Q: What inspires you?
A part of my process is to always try to maintain myself in emptiness and, by clearing myself, to become very receptive to everything—be it from the spiritual realm, from my inner self, or from the creation we live in. Inspiration can come in many ways. My intuition can stop me in the middle of an activity and make me think and feel about the growth of a life. It often comes in dreams as fable-like stories that respond to my daily life. I might suddenly be struck by certain books or creative fields relevant to
my research at that time. Basically, it all comes in a visceral, distinctive way. It touches the core of instinctive senses. It is just like when you water a plant: the nutrients penetrate through all the organic matter and the soil, and then, at the end, the roots absorb it all.
Purpose of Art, Audience & Consciousness
Q: What is your relationship with the person who sees your art? What do you hope to bring into their lives? What is the purpose of your art? Whom are you serving with your art?
When I had my first insight during a Vipassana course in 2016, I understood that all of us humans share the same level of painful karmic experience subconsciously, just in different versions of personal stories. Realizing this made me not only want to heal and dig within myself but also want to find ways in which I could impact everyone in this direction.
What perspectives can help restore a balanced world? What perspectives can help to heal the self? By embracing what is greatest, we can then share it and offer solutions.
As my groundwork, I have been collecting meaning from my feelings, emotions, thoughts, and sensations while nurturing my compassion towards nature. As the complexity of all these elements mixed deepens, the language we use to express becomes symbolic and often appears as vague as myth. The dialogue within becomes elemental and formless, but at the same time it still retains its attributes.
Creating a painting infused with my personal story was a perfect way to do what I had in mind. I see it as climbing a mountain and leaving a trace for those who feel the need for this climb. It is a natural pattern we inherit, for those who seek the seeds of life.
Once, a retired nurse came twice to look at “The Key” — a kissing, fiery tree shaped in the form of a heart in which the earth also appears. I can still sense how she was when she shared with me her mother’s death. She mentioned that her mother was a very patient and gentle person. Near the time of her passing, her mother sometimes mourned saying: “I see my heart as a tree, blooming like a flower, very beautiful.” But the nurse wasn’t listening to her mother. She was annoyed, because she was so busy at work during the day; she always came home very tired and had to take care of her mother. But when she looked at the painting, she finally gained the understanding of what her mother had described.
Another time, a young girl looked at the painting “To Give” and burst into tears because she felt at home in her soul. I hope that these encounters between the paintings and people can create synergistic effects. In a way, the purpose of my art serves not only as a personal expression of affection but also an extension of the imagination shared between us. It begins with the aspect of a seeker questioning life and existence, acting as a receptor’s expression during transmutation, while also performing an activation shift at the time of creating the piece. This fosters the audience’s inherent understanding of a universal seed. In the course of seeking the divine source through expression, transmission, and conveyance, the entire process reflects the equilibrium between understanding and completion, synergistically bringing forth a co-arising resonance in consciousness.