Shanti Devi- a meditation on beauty- Original piece, posters, PDF vailable. See details below
Shanti Devi (11 December 1926 – 27 December 1987) was an Indian woman who claimed to remember her past life, and became the subject of reincarnation research. A commission set up by the Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi supported her claim, while another report by researcher Bal Chand Nahata disputed it.
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Is it possible for us to remember who we were, where we have been and what we are here to do, in this lifetime?
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Great Nature is purposeful, not meaningful. And if we are a part of this Great Nature, perhaps we have been tasked with finding our purpose and living it.
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My answer and response to the atrocities of the world have almost always been art. I believe in beauty. I believe Leo Tolstoy when he said "beauty will save the world". Perhaps because I'm part Russian, perhaps because everything beautiful I've ever experienced in my life comes with a revelation, an opening and a twinge of pain. All openings I've personally ever experienced have happened after my heart was shut down and then something beautiful pried it open, not before I shed a small, heated tear.
This war in Ukraine - it hurt me deeply. Personally. And when it began, I spent days almost torturing myself trying to figure out what I can do, how I can help, why is this happening and when will it stop. I came to my sangha in tears of anger, frustration and sadness when my teacher, Sharon Shelton, reminded me to pause, to reflect before I jump to any action.
Having paused and gathered my strength, I came back to what I always knew in my heart- beauty. Art. This is what will save the world.
I've sold 3 art works in the last few months and sent only $150 to Yulia (a yoga teacher in Ukraine that I connected with through my teacher).
We've been in touch ever since and I'm helping her keep the lights on in her studio in a semi-urban part of Ukraine. She is a single mother, taking care of her aging mother, her son and around 45 other women and children in her community.
She is teaching them the powerful art of meditation, moving the body, resilience. She is bringing together her people- mothers, grandmothers, children and sharing stories and lessons which will hopefully transform how they see themselves and the world around them.
This is beauty for me. A stream of light making it's way out through the darkness.
And I want to see and create more of it.
Like Thich Nhat Hahn also said, "No mud, no lotus".
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50% of price of all art sales will be used to help women and children in Ukraine in the following ways:
1. Yoga classes - for strengthening of mind and body
2. Learning English - skill development for employability post-war
3. Meditation, life coaching and therapy- for strengthening of mind, body and soul and working on concrete steps toward a life in the midst of, and post-war.
4. Books for children, food, basic medicine.
More details can be provided upon request. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have about the art work, the work in Ukraine and/or any specific requests you may have about your order : [email protected]
If you wish to leave a donation without purchasing the art/poster/pdf, this is also possible - there are a few options listed below. If you'd like to leave a different sum, that is also welcome too - please leave a comment or send me an email and I'll be happy to accommodate. Thank you!
20% of the price of art sale will be set aside for a future project (work in progress) on art therapy for the children - Please email me if you have questions or ideas about this as well - I'm open to collaborations.
30% of money from sales shall remain with the artist.
Any donation(s) made without purchase of art shall go entirely toward the fund for Yulia and/or other yoga teachers in Ukraine.
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Original Art Work by Elizabeth Bass
Size: 50 cm x 70 cm
Medium: marker pen, newspaper print paper.
Original Piece : $3000
Print/scanned copy from original (80 x 110 cm) + shipping: $200
PDF/scanned copy from original (shared in full, high quality resolution): $100
This piece is a meditation on the breath and how each line is influenced by the breath. They change, they move, they fluctuate. They’re not perfect. They are an embodiment of the human experience.
A representation of a thought, an alignment, a beginning middle and end. A birth. A death. A thought. A clarity. An insight.
Part of “Line” series.
