“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

- Picasso

"Everything begins in him, and everything ends in him."

AHAM BRAHMASMI

( 18inches x 24inches on Canvas)

All this is full, All that is full. 
From fullness, fullness comes. 
When fullness is taken from fullness, 
Fullness still remains. 

Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti

I call this painting Aham Brahmasmi. This painting is very special to me because this is my first composition on a canvas and is also my first oil painting. For this painting I employed a technique called Mischtechnik, under the guidance of Daniel Mirante, who is a great artist and a fantastic teacher. This technique belongs to the Renaissance period. Mischtechnik means ‘mix technique’. It involves painting by coating on several layers of paint giving the canvas a slightly three dimensional feel.

Aham Brahmasmi is an acknowledgement of the fact that you are all of creation and all of creation is you. Everything is tied together by virtue of being that same substance. Some people believe that all of creation resides in each and every one of us and that all of us are qualitatively united. However, this takes into account our being post birth, then what about before our birth? If questioned about what we were before being born, most of us will say we were nothing. And what happens when we die? What are we then? We go back to being that ‘nothing’. Similarly, the world too began from nothing and will one day go back to being nothing. That nothingness is Shiva. 

He is the source of everything, like the soil that forms the base for all creation. Shiva has no beginning or end. He created himself out of nothingness and because of this he is known as Swayambhu. Even though Shiva is identified as the god of destruction, he was the one who created everything in this world. Furthermore, even his destruction is for the purpose of restoration. According to Hindu mythology, Shiva destroys so that the universe may be re-created more perfectly. In fact, his role as creator should be emphasised more than his role of being a destroyer. His major part in creation is often overlooked as Shiva is most famously associated with getting angry and opening his third eye thereby destroying everything. But only because of this destruction, is there room for creation. Hindu mythology claims that the universe regenerates in cycles. At the end of every such cycle, Shiva is responsible for obliterating the universe and this gives rise to more and better creation.

WINGS OF LIGHT

(24inches x 36inches on CANVAS)

"The white in the wings signifies light and the power to overcome all of our obstacles."
The unknown always appears to us as a dark void. We don’t know what we may discover in thatvoid, and this uncertainty makes us afraid to even approach that space with an open mind. Everynew journey is accompaniedby this very fear of the unknown and of uncertainty. What we don’trealise is that this fear is just a mental obstacle that often prevents us from doing our best. That iswhy, at these times it is most important to have faith that the darkness that surrounds us is actuallya cloak of warmth and protection. There can be no light without there being darkness as well. Therefore, we should look at areas of darkness as places where we have the opportunity to spreadour own light. The ability to take off on new journeys to these dark places should be seen as ablessing. Not everyone finds a stable ground to take off on that flight, and to land back safely. Thishard ground is formed by our own mental strength and all our loved ones who are ever present asan unyielding support system to help us through our journeys.Blue is a colour that doesn’t belong to the light nor the dark. Blue stands for serenity, security andrelief. It signifies reflection, whichleads to introspection and helps us stay calm. It is the colour ofthe never-ending skies and the vast ocean. Blue is the colour of every breath we take in. Bluesignifies life. In this painting blue as a colour signifies that which drives away fear and with it whathinders us from doing our best. White stands forpeace, goodness, safety and purity. “The white in the wings signifies light and the power to overcome all of our obstacles.” I made this painting for someone very dear to me, to help her find courage and to have faith in herability to excel in her next endeavour of life.

INTELLECTUAL ELEVATION

(24inches x 36inches on CANVAS)

Knowledge is not just limited to how many facts you know or how many books you have read. Knowledge is also about experience and procedural knowledge which forms the practical side of knowledge that is how to do things. Knowledge has always been one of the most valued and precious gifts in the history of the world. According to Indian philosophers, it is important to have knowledge so that you can escape the cycle of life and death and attain moksha. But according to most people, being knowledgeable helps one go through life with more ease.

It provides a base for certainty in this uncertain world and drives fear away. Fear is most often caused by what we do not know. Thus the more we know, the less fearful and we are and thereby knowledge has the power to set us free from this fear. Just as Miles David once said, “Knowledge is freedom…” There is a saying in Hindi that roughly translates to “When God has to put you through a tough time in life, he first corrupts your mind” meaning that in this phase of life, you will not be able to properly employ what you know. Even the worst of times can be combatted through knowledge and information. Knowledge, just like love, does not reduce upon sharing in fact; it grows as much as you distribute it to those around you. There is no end to knowledge and everyday, in the smallest activities there is scope to learn more and more, and everyday, you have the power to uplift yourself.

"Knowledge has the power to uplift you"