Sadhana

My sincere thanks and appreciation to curator Lotus Wu Hui-Lien; organiser World Culture Exchange and Commerce Association WCECA, and the Art Gallery of Tri-Service General Hospital. Taipei, Taiwan; for the incredible support and assistance in the staging of my solo exhibition, Sadhana.

Sadhana is a Sanskrit word that means a spiritual practice. My artworks are my painted prayers and painting is certainly a spiritual practice for me.

Hence, since 2008, when i founded Circles of Love, a non profit charity outreach program, using my art in the service of humanity, all monies from any sales of my paintings are donated entirely to charity.

I have been painting since childhood, and now at 71, I still paint almost every day; although I must admit, at a much slower pace.

My paintings are my meditations in colors, going from form into the realm of formlessness. For it is in abstraction, where i find freedom.

This collection of 15 paintings, 12 of which are totally new works, expresses the thoughts and contemplations behind the many emotions I encounter in my sadhana. The artworks are messages from the heart. Heartworks. With glimpses of promptings from my soul.

I hope these humble offerings will speak to you.

Namaste

To enter into any practice we need trust. Not just trust in the teacher and teachings, but also in oneself. Without trust, success will not be possible.

Trust

Acrylic on canvas • 100 cm x 100 cm • 2023

To attain success, perfection, the practitioner must be prepared to make sacrifices. Giving up things like leisure time for more work. Just like a mother so often sacrifices for her children, this act of sacrifice can only be fueled by the power of love. Sacrifice is a very potent and vital energy.

When we engage in constant sadhana, we live in process. This may appear silent on the outside, and onlookers might not notice any changes. But internally, there is great happiness. A quiet exuberance.

Exuberance

Acrylic on canvas • 100 cm x 100 cm • 2023

The work is part of my Energy Series. It denotes the pulsating energy needed for Endurance. To be dedicated to anything demands endurance. Be it in sports or the arts. What more in one’s spiritual practice? Life serves challenge upon challenge. To be able to ride the waves of change, one needs endurance.

Faith is yet another characteristic needed for the pursuit of one’s goals. Faith in the universe, faith in oneself. It has often been said that faith moves mountains. Perhaps not physically but definitely with faith, tremendous obstacles in any field can be removed.

Faith

Acrylic on canvas • 100 cm x 100 cm • 2023

Determination can never be discounted. It is a quality of both body and mind that ensures focus. And without focus in any job/quest/project, there can be no success. One fixes one’s mind on the end goal, and determination carries one to pass that finishing line. Oftentimes, that line is ever changing, and perhaps even invisible.

Determination

Acrylic on canvas • 100 cm x 100 cm • 2023

Man often seeks serenity and peace of mind. Without inner peace, there can be no world peace. For peace begins with me, the individual.

Sadhana brings serenity of mind. And with a tranquil mind, alot falls into place: one gains a different perception of things; problems are viewed in a new light - as life situations.

Serenity

As the physical body ages, brute strength declines. This is inevitable in life. But inner strength does not need to diminish. And it is this inner strength that will ferry us through the thick and thin of life. Inner strength does not only apply to the elderly; even young people need inner strength when the chips are down, when they experience certain circumstances, eg the death of a parent, a spouse or a child.

Inner Strength

The work is inspired by the wisdom of Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who wrote: “A Lotus for you, a Buddha to Be.” The lotus is also the artist’s favourite flower, as it represents the spiritual unfoldment of a seeker. Just as a lotus grows through muddy, murky waters, to open its petals only in the light; so too does the spiritual aspirant makes his or her way through the darkness and maya of the mind, to unfold in the presence of The Light.

Acrylic & ink on canvas • 60 cm x 120 cm • 2022

Flowers represent growth and are associated with beauty and fragrance. May one’s sadhana, spiritual practice grow and emit the fragrance of peace and contentment. May our practice be one in communion with Mother Nature. For there is great beauty in nature, and beauty in itself is a form of healing.

The artist finds lots of inspiration and comfort in nature. She often paints her larger canvases in the backyard garden of her home, in the outdoors. This is her seat/place of meditation. Gardens, big or small, are great healers, soothing the nerves and calming the mind.

Healing Garden

Acrylic on canvas • 90 cm x 90 cm • 2022

What the artist hopes to attain in her sadhana is not enlightenment. Thats still very very far away. But she hopes that her sadhana will bring harmony of mind and restore balance. Inner Balance is paramount for good mental health and well being. As we think so shall we become.

Balance

Being a woman, the artist often ponders over womanhood, wondering why her soul took on a female embodiment. This work honors Eve, believed in the Christian tradition to be the first created woman. What it must have been like to be the only woman in the garden of Eden. Imagine a world with only one woman?

The moon holds great fascination for the artist, as it does for countless poets, writers, music composers, artists. Since time immemorial. The moon controls the tides of the earth and we humans are made up mainly of water. The artist believes that the moon influences the moods and inner tides of man. The work offers salutations to Mother Moon in soft healing shades of blue.

This was a very challening piece. Work began in 2018 but was only completed two years later. It is an abstraction pondering the transcendence of the intellect. Taking things from form to the formless.

Beyond Philosophy

Mixed media on canvas • 67 cm x 90 cm • 2018/2020

Photos by kind courtesy of curator Lotus Wu.

Photos by kind courtesy of curator Lotus Wu.