THE GODDESSES OF KINGS ROW
Binarically Non-Binaric Shakti Paintings from Rural America
Copyright 2009 Charles Wish
For the Mighty Robin Moline, High Priestess of All Things Girl-Farmy
When I was first exposed to the painted landscapes of the American Regionalists many questions arose. However, one issue in particular really stuck with me, especially as I became more familiar with the work: why is it so matriarchal and woman-like?
Having studied the lives of these painters closely, I wouldn’t describe them as being outright sexist, but they most certainly were effeminate phobic (i.e. unreasonably concerned, and sometimes even terrified, of appearing too “girly” in the presence of their peers). What’s more, as far as history and location were concerned, these painters (all of whom were men) had conditionally positioned themselves to represent one of the most stoically misogynistic places on earth – late 19th and early 20th-century, mid-western America. So again, why in the world was there so much feminine energy in their pictures? It wasn’t merely some unconscious wanton residue driven by an underlying desire for the pleasurable company of the opposite sex - an argument that has often been made but would now be even harder to prove, given pretty solid evidence of one of the movement’s most prominent participants having a closeted homosexual identity. [1] No, these paintings all contained something much more tangible and precise; real vigor of the Devi stuff, or what many South Asians often refer to as Shakti.
Growing evermore curious about all of this, I began to further study the cultural time and places in American history to which these painters had tethered their imagery. One piece of historical fiction that stood out the most is a now obscure, but once bestselling, novel titled “Kings Row”. Published in 1940, it focuses on the story of a young man coming of age in Midwestern America circa the 1890s. Full of socioeconomic themes and sexually-political nuances (which still remain relevant), it describes in great detail how gender and societal situations relate to the real-life hardships and challenges all of us, at some time or other, must face. But, what really struck me about the piece, which was also written by a man steeped in mid-American anti-girlish values, is the flame of muliebrity that burns so strongly throughout every chapter.
So how and why is this? Why were men who were communally encouraged from childhood to constantly carry and demonstrate the anvil of white, heterosexual masculinity, able to justly locate and wield the accompanying hammer of the Divine Feminine? The answer which best catered to my Ind-American biases lies somewhere along these lines: Within the genius of Tantric awareness and causation, there is no way, whatsoever, to separate the feminine from the masculine, period. Consciousness and its ability to focus on and generate content, fire and its power to burn, truth and its ability to nurture beauty, etc. All of these symbolically gender-specific pairings are eternally and cosmically inseparable. As the opening line from the Saundarya Laharī clearly states: “Without the indissoluble union of Shiva and Shakti nothing in this universe happens, not even the smallest occurrence.” [2]
So, where Tantric cosmology is concerned, sexually-dimorphic separations are very real; otherwise, we wouldn’t be so sensitive about how our attempts at identifying with such discrepancies are interpreted. However, once we set about trying to manifest something, hard definitions around gender lines get kind of fuzzy, as a natural degree of binary blending always occurs. Two very distinct architypes, operatively coupled in a semi-distinct union.
Which means, no matter who you are, what you do, or what you look like, if one decides to sport a beard, smoke a cigar, put on a flannel shirt, and chop down a tree, there’s always going to be a particle of femininity inherent in the endeavor. Or, if one decides to shave one’s legs, put on mascara, sport a tutu, and dance the “little swans,” there’s always going to be a degree of masculinity there as well. Trying to edit this fundamental gendership is quite insane, especially from an aesthetic sense. As matter of fact, the farther we lean in one imagistic gendered direction, by trying to absolutely eradicate the imagery of the other, the farther the opposite gender’s nuances will rise to counter balance our endeavors; a phenomenon which is overtly apparent in the pictorial efforts of the Regionalists. The more they attempted to paint like men by negating the feminine, the more the Goddess found a way to reveal Herself.
Thus, the premise behind the work which accompanies this essay:
Move to a place in America that was still rooted in the quasi-superior masculine ideals of the Regionalist’s day, and consciously produce paintings which transcend the limited misconceptions of it all. Sure, there would be occasions when one gender’s conditioned set of aesthetics would be the more prudent choice. But, if any efforts to manifest such a decision were fraught with direct attempts at dishonoring and removing the aesthetics of that gender’s counterpart; the final outcome would most assuredly be something that misrepresented the full spectrum of both. Gendered expressions are complimentary, never antagonistic, and in order to fully establish one you must always esteem the other. Does this mean that facing and celebrating the overwhelmingly inherent, yet likely unintentional, femininity within the Regionalists’ designs will produce something more overtly masculine? Possibly. But I don’t have any hopes or desires when it comes to these images. I just want them to be strong enough to honestly be themselves, because I believe all paintings are happiest when we simply allow them that dignity.
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Phase 1
The Adamancy of the Mahavidyas
Supreme Feminine Insight & the Calling to Be Oneself 2009 – 2012
“Know yourself, love yourself…be yourself."
-- Anonymous wall graffiti
Sepulveda Basin, CA. circa 1993.
One of the things I enjoy most about South Asian thought is its hierarchy of priorities. Name and fame, riches and beauty, these certainly make the list. But in the end, what always outplays such superficial reveries is the act of realization, that ‘Ah Ha’ moment which Nauman so ambiguously referenced way back in 1975. As a matter of fact, the act of realization holds such a high place in Indian culture that there is a whole set of goddesses (ten to be exact) who represent the importance of this event. They are known as the Mahavidyas. [3]
Given the various leanings inherent in Indian theology, there are several accounts of how these goddesses came into being, and they all feature a wide cast of deific characters, including Shiva, Sati, (Shiva’s wife) and Daksha (Sati’s surrogate father). These characters all have their own distinct personalities and personas; moreover, they are all either aware of or eventually must face the ‘growing pains’ most of us encounter during our journey towards deeper understanding. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this story, my favorite version (told to me by an elder Bengali woman while I was driving her from the Los Angeles airport to a Kali puja ceremony) goes a little something like this:
Once upon a time, King Daksha decides to throw a party for all high-society. However, he intentionally excludes his own daughter, Sati, and her newlywed husband, Shiva, from his list of invites. Daksha does not like his new son-in-law and is resentful that his daughter chose to marry him. This is partly because of Shiva’s disheveled appearance, boisterous ways, and the uncivilized company he often keeps. But moreover, it’s because Shiva is far more powerful, popular, and respected than Daksha – facts which Daksha is very well aware of and terribly envious.
Thing of it is though; Shiva (in a rare display of form) isn’t offended by this petty snub. Rather, it’s Sati who is furious with her father for this intentional social slight. In reaction, she announces to Shiva that she will go to the party and disrupt it by publicly displaying her free and wild side. Shiva is not sympathetic to this idea and further pressures Sati by forcibly forbidding her to attend.
Being leaned on by both her father and her husband proves to be too much for Sati, and in a Sammy Davis Jr. “I’ve Gotta Be Me”- like moment, she transforms into her ferocious form anyway and proceeds to emit from herself ten dynamic, fearsome, and alluring goddesses. Swiftly overpowering Shiva with the assistance of these prevailing counterparts, Sati breaks free and makes off to the party while these ten emanations (the Mahavidyas) hold her husband in check.
When Sati arrives at the part though, still in her ferocious wild form, she is failed to be recognized and ridiculed by her peers, including her own father. These existential identity challenges prove, once again, to be all too much for her, so she decides to end her material existence by rebelliously jumping into a blazing fire-pit right in the middle of her father’s whopping soirée. Go big or go home being the understatement of the day.
Meanwhile, back at home and still in the company of the ten Mahavidyas, Shiva realizes the error of his ways. He subsequently vows to also crash his father-in-law’s party – you know, to defend the honor of his wife. But of course he arrives too late. Finding Sati has already burned to death, in a fit of rage, Shiva picks up the charred corpse of his bride and begins a pirouetting rampage, which includes the ripping off of his father-in-law’s head and replacing it with that of a goat.
Terrified of Shiva, and with no end of his destructive dance in sight, the higher-ups in town organize an emergency meeting to decide how to manage the situation. However, since no one at this meeting felt qualified to challenge him, the Nobles conclude there’s only one way out of this mess. And do you know who they decide to call? Yep. The Mahavidyas.
Answering this call, Shiva once again finds himself in the influential presence of these ten magnificent goddesses (this time accompanied by none other than Vishnu himself), and he aptly forfeits his destructive sway to sensibly ponder the compounded folly of the situation. Thus, Shiva proceeds to pensively roam the three-worlds in a fog of perpetual sorrow and contemplation, longingly clinging to the corpse of his beloved wife.
Realizing that he and Daksha should have simply honored Sati and let her be herself – because there’s nothing else she could’ve been even if she tried – Shiva agrees to hand his wife’s outer remains over to Vishnu and the Mahavidyas. They return the favor by dividing Sati’s body into four separate pieces and then, in a petrosomatoglyphic act of poetic justice, disperse her remains over numerous areas of the earth. This helps to ease Shiva’s suffering by camouflaging his wife’s more recognizable form until she felt it suitable to fully re-manifest herself again, this time as Parvati. [4]
The story of the Mahavidyas’ origins is one of complex social undertones, undertones which coincidentally bear uncanny contextual likeness to some of the societal situations of nineteenth-century America described in the aforementioned novel “Kings Row.” Cultures and civilizations change, while human personalities tend to remain invariant. [5]
Regardless of where (or when) you come from, managing the politics of social circles is rarely easy and can even be downright mortifying. Especially when we humans have a tendency to hastily mislabel something that is neither malicious nor manipulative (but rather conducive to one’s honest expression and growth) as “deviant” simply because it doesn’t correspond to our limited notions of what is or isn’t “proper.” In these instances many a social gathering can easily become antisocial.
However, that’s not to imply that social interactions don't have their positive aspects. On the contrary, these paintings are just as much about the benefit of affirmative human interaction and cooperation as they are about the challenges of (and need for) individualistic resistance. But, the benefits of these interactions can only occur when we accept and allow each other to develop and flourish according to our own unique designs, rather than urging one another to become something homogenized and ultimately disingenuous. If one pays attention to the two stories here referenced (King’s Row & the Origins of the Mahavidyas), one cannot help but notice their most compelling parallel question: No matter how difficult the road ahead may seem, does yielding to social pressure (whether to placate others or, worse, ourselves) alleviate or only intensify the strife?
And, when further examined within this series’ context of gender: pretending to be something we are not – to satisfy others or because we’ve assumed it will make our lives easier – is not only one of the most unmasculine things we can do, it’s also one of the highest insults we could ever pay to the Goddess. What’s more, it was only by honoring the feminine that Shiva was able to put aside the kvetching of it all and truly discover his mannish wing. And, the same could just as easily be said for Parris (the male protagonist of “Kings Row’). [6] With these ideas in mind, it's clear that the feminine wisdom and dynamism of the Mahavidyas hold universal merit. Providing tenacity to those who dare to confront and overcome toxic conformity while equally offering realization to those who have fallen into a bottomless pit of compromise. For if unbound self-expression and acumen are worthwhile ends, intentionally dismissing the feminine in hopes of achieving something more manly (or vice-versa) is never a winning plan.
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Titles & Descriptions
“Being disliked is a natural and even beautiful part of everyday life. Never compromise yourself in the face of despisal, but never hate the thing which despises you.”
-- Jason Sears
Coming to grips with truth, especially when it relates to something as complex as identity, isn’t a painless venture. And, although a few of the Mahavidyas in this classic telling are depicted as somewhat innocent and alluring, most of them possess extremely wrathful and terrifying qualities. However, their fury should not be seen as ordinary, self-serving anger but as wisdom-fury, or fury that dispels ignorance. It is their inherent intention to afford us opportunities to realize that which we need to know in order to be truly free and alive, even if it means being forced out of our immediate comfort zones [7] and consequentially thrust into the judging eye of our contemporaries.
The bulk of this series pictorially focuses on situations of marginalized persons from American history who stood true to themselves in the face of society’s pull, often to the forbearance of crippling trials and consequences. I like to think that it was only by embracing the Goddesses’ assortment of flavors and moods that they were able to pull this off, as the fifth painting flatly demonstrates just how bad things can get when one takes a more limited approach. Like someone smart once said, “Living a genuine life is the hardest thing you could ever possibly do, unless of course you try to live a disingenuous one.”
They also feature the contrasts of the four seasons, each conceived in 2009 during the corresponding time of year. Wasps are present to symbolize the apparent pestilence of our social situations, and moths (in pupa, caterpillar, and full form) to symbolize evolution and our ability to rise above our limitations. There are also televisions featured throughout, to draw attention to the vicarious, multifaceted persistence of social pressure by assorted audio/visual media. Finally, I’ve included cakes, which represent the tradition of Prasad, an offering to the deity which, in turn, becomes an offering to us as well.
Again, the events alluded to in these images are ones of tremendous difficulty, even horror. These are episodes from the lives of real people. Well aware of this, it has never been my intention to belittle, disparage, or trivialize anyone, ever.
Still, these are Tantric paintings; which, if I've understood things correctly, doesn't necessarily mean they should take pleasure in others' hardships, but it certainly doesn't mean they should pretend troubling occurrences don't happen. A primary theme of Tantric art lies in openly confronting that which can become dysfunctional or compulsively binding, all within a context where our true nature transcends such limitations. It doesn’t need the endorsement of sugarcoated do-gooders in order to do good. It just needs honesty, compassion, and a heart with open eyes. And, it is in this positive spirit of freedom and insight that this work has been created, hopefully it will also be the way in which it is received… but I hardly hold my breath when it comes to such things.
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Paintings:
1) Title & Date: The Denial of Winter, Dasa Dhumavati & The Deposing of Alisha Owen. (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 33 x 48 in. -- Oil on Canvas.
Description: The Mahavidya featured here is named Dhumavati, and these particular events of social pressure revolve around the story of Alisha Owen. Ms. Owen is a Nebraska woman who courageously came forward with credible tales of being abused and sexual exploited during her youth. However, since her accusations included prominent members of Nebraskan society, it was seriously suggested by the authorities that she recant and keep her mouth shut. She didn’t, and received a hefty prison sentence for perjury for sticking to her version of what transpired.
2) Title & Date: The Nuisance of Spring, Dasa Tara & The Marketing of Don Vliet. (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 33 x 48 in. -- Oil on Canvas.
Description: The Mahavidya featured here is named Tara, and these particular events of social pressure revolve around the musician Captain Beefheart, a colorful performer who fervently rose up to swim against the current of an industry that suppresses creativity and evolution by valuing investment-return and cultural control over artistic expression.
3) Title & Date: The Destruction of Summer, Dasa Kali & The Eviction of Aurora Vargas. (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 33 x 48 in. -- Oil on Canvas.
Description: The Mahavidya featured here is named Kali, and these particular events of social pressure revolve around Aurora Vargas, one of the very last evictees from Chavez Ravine – a section of Los Angeles real estate that city officials felt would better serve as land for a baseball stadium and police academy than remain neighborhoods for some their city’s longest living ancestry.
4) Title & Date: The Disregard of Fall, Dasa Bhairavi & The Conformance of Geronimo. (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 33 x 48 in. -- Oil on Canvas.
Description: The Mahavidya featured here is named Bhairavi, and these particular events of social pressure revolve around the famous Amerindian Geronimo and his grapple to temper the infusion of Christianity with his own indigenous beliefs.
5) Title: Ontological Insecurity, Sati’s Combustion & the Frustration of Karthik Rajaram. (2012)
Dimensions & Medium: 27 x 38 in. -- Oil on Canvas.
Description: This painting features Sati (Shiva’s wife and progenitor of the Mahavidyas) and uses most of the same symbolism as the others. However, it moves away from the exterior, seasonal scenes to one of an ‘intra-psychic’ interior. This is because this piece expresses a situation in American History where an individual finally succumbs to his own internal demons of social pressure and pretense, eventually taking his own life along with the lives of his family. This painting explores socially-induced suicide, yet its subjects are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Sati chose to end her life because she refused to spend one minute pretending to be someone she was not, whereas Mr. Rajaram seemed to have done so after spending too many minutes doing exactly that.
6) Title & Date: Season Number Five, Dasa Chinnamasta, & The Pardoning of Authenticity. (2012)
Dimensions & Medium: 47 x 66 in. -- Oil on Canvas
Description: The Mahavidya featured here is named Chinnamasta, and this piece symbolizes a fifth and heightened season of release, an afterworld where the battles of social pressure are transcended by honesty, esteem, and self-discovery. The flowers and moths of unfettered self-expression bloom and fly regardless of the outer world’s temperament and decree. Chinnamasta is symbolic of tremendous sacrifice, in this case sacrificing the illusion of security (via absolute social acceptance) for the reality of security (via absolute self-fulfillment).
Drawings:
1) Title & Date: Snowflake (Accompanies the painting: The Denial of Winter). (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 11 x 16 in. -- Graphite, Ink & Watercolor on Paper.
2) Title & Date: Sunflower (Accompanies the painting: The Nuisance of Spring). (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 11 x 16 in. -- Graphite, Ink & Watercolor on Paper.
3) Title & Date: Cocoon (Accompanies the painting: The Destruction of Summer). (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 11 x 16 in. -- Graphite, Ink & Watercolor on Paper.
4) Title & Date: Pumpkin (Accompanies the painting: The Disregard of Fall). (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 11 x 16 in. -- Graphite, Ink & Watercolor on Paper.
5) Title & Date: Vise (Accompanies the painting: Ontological Insecurity). (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 11 x 16 in. -- Graphite, Ink & Watercolor on Paper.
6) Title & Date: Cake (Accompanies the painting: Season Number Five). (2009)
Dimensions & Medium: 11 x 16 in. -- Graphite, Ink & Watercolor on Paper.
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Phase II
A Universal Garden of Ishvwaris, Taras, & Yoginis
Tilling Metaphysical Paint via the Cosmic Farmeress 2016 – 2021
“It is the nature of the developed world to stray from ritual... but farming is the one ritual humanity will never be able to break away from.” -- Malcolm Cowley
The metaphor of the universe as one big orchard is a fairly universal one, and when it comes to twentieth century American art, it would be hard to argue that anybody played up the mythology of this allegory better than the Regionalists. [8] South Asia is also no stranger to horticultural analogies, where the unbridled power of nature often coincides with our various attempts at agrarian domestication.
In India, farming and philosophy have walked hand-in-hand for millennia. As a matter of fact, it would be fair to say that the South Asian consciousness has refined the garden metaphor to reflect, not only, the terrestrial, but also the spiritual. As stated in the Krishi-Parashara: कृषी एक समर्पण - kṛṣī eka samarpana (farming is devotion).
Where Tantra’s vast symbolism is found, the existential situation breaks down something like this: You are speech. You are being, consciousness, and bliss. You are integral with the non-dual cognizance eternal. From this perspective, we are all divinely related beings born into love, truth, and goodness, a condition that never changes. However, that doesn’t guarantee we always fully understand the depths of this situation, or that we are always getting the most out of our existence. The heroic task at hand then becomes the activity of participating in furthering our realization of that which we already are and have always been – an undertaking which can easily be compared to the challenges one faces when one sets out to till the earth and raise a bushel of crops.
One thing about plants is that the most resilient and abundant varieties don’t occur by being fed what we would assume is beneficial. Nitrates, water, oxygen, sunlight -- these are all necessary to be sure. But the healthiest strains in the flora kingdom arise by also being forced to evolve in harsher conditions, where they are often systematically deprived of such necessities. For these tough-love and technically complex reasons (and also just for the sheer labor intensiveness of it all), growing food, especially in America, has long been seen as man’s work, falsely justifying a role of inadequacy where females and farming are concerned – a “men grow it, women just cook it,” attitude.
Rest assured, nothing could be further from the truth. There is immense feminine energy present in the labor and complexities of farming, and there’s nothing “Pollyanna” or namby-pamby about it – regardless of how much misogyny the painters and writers of the Regionalist’s day (or any other time) may have subscribed to. Whether the soil is hard or soft, whether the field is damp or dry, whether the bees decide to defend their hives or pollinate, these happenings, and inestimably more, are all the realm of the Devi. Where classical Tantra is concerned, She is the doer and knower of all, while the divine masculine is, more or less, the eternal watcher. Moreover, nothing in our garden happens by chance. For Buddhists and Jains, the universal governor is primarily Karma; for Brahmanists, it’s primarily an abstract or personal Godhead; and for the Tantrikas, it’s often an interchanging convergence of all three. [9]
In this sense, everything we encounter in our agrarian efforts is full of significance – agreeable or otherwise. Whether the universe hands us a nettle or honeydew, both mean something in regards to our positive growth. This is not to suggest that we don’t have a right to defend ourselves against hardship and reach for a bountiful harvest, but if one finds oneself fearfully or angrily giving in to the challenges involved, then (at least from a Tantric point of view) one may want to reconsider how they’ve been interpreting what shows up in their metaphorical gardens, and the role the Goddess plays in that.
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Titles & Descriptions
“It’s foolish to plant a seed where you think it won’t grow, but it’s even more foolish to assume you would know just where that place is.” -- Uncle Remus
Many Tantric paintings include a symbolic battlefield or cremation ground as their primary location. This is mainly because the Devi is the consummate destroyer of ego and avidya (false-identity and misinformation). As such, she is often presented as a warrior or undertaker, presiding over that which is mortally hindering our ability to rightfully understand the true nature of things. However, for the paintings and drawings in this particular grouping, the change of venue to farmscapes (which some may see as a more inviting and agreeable setting) is in no way less provocative and every bit as appropriate – a demanding, yet rewarding environment where the choking weeds of confusion are sorted through, and the yields of verity are free to ripen and brought to fruitage.
To undertake such an effort, a persnickety attitude is almost always necessary. Farmers are a fussy bunch. And the Goddesses featured here, all emanations of the one Devi supreme, are no stranger to the fastidious. Ishvwaris and Taras, manifestations generally seen as all-giving personifications of compassion itself, also have their tough, dusky sides, while Yoginis/Dakinis, often seen as rambunctious troublemakers, also have their moments of kindness and benevolence. Yet, all of them are the very essence of any and all calculated (and uncalculated) expression. [10] From the subtle causal plane of pure blissful awareness, to the fluid mental and energy plane of ideas and impulses, and finally to the energy and material plane of gross elements – a single divine spectrum passing through all these stages, metaphorically akin to the progression from seed, to vegetable, to table, regardless of temperament and appearance.
These ideas of the micro and the macro where everything (in all its various stages, moods, and appearances) is charged with the divinely vibrant play of Shiva and Shakti, are eternal notions central to all Tantric cosmology. From the subjective standpoint, however, depending on the evolution of one’s awareness, levels of appreciation concerning this omnipotent intertwining certainly vary. Everyone thinks their garden is the best. Yet, even some of the most self-centered personalities still display their own connection to this homogenized mechanism of universal-consciousness. With a gamut of unique individual perspectives like this, there’s no shortage of commentary that aims to codify the symbolism in Tantric art, agrarian or otherwise. Volumes have been written on the subject. I encourage anyone fascinated with the allegorical images presented in this gallery to pursue all further genuine reading that’s available.
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Paintings:
Shakambhari’s Taras
1) Title & Date: Crofter Tara in Red. (2016)
Dimensions & Medium: 27 x 43 in. -- oil on canvas.
2) Title & Date: Crofter Tara in White. (2016)
Dimensions & Medium: 27 x 43 in. -- oil on canvas.
3) Title & Date: Agronomist Tara in Green. (2016)
Dimensions & Medium: 30 x 36 in. -- oil on canvas.
Description: Three vegetal Taras doing what they do.
Shakambhari’s Ishvwaris
1) Title & Date: FUEGO -- Puja de Gynandromorphica,
The Panchaishvwaris* & a Dakini Witness a Serenading of Bhuvaneshvari in Her Corn-Form. (2018)
Dimensions & Medium: 42 x 84 in. -- oil on canvas.
*(Durgā, MahāLakṣmī, Sarasvatī, Gāyatrī-Sāvitrī, & Śrī Rādhā)
The following are two accompanying pieces in this ensemble which make up the entire tryptic suite.
Titles & dimensions are as follows:
2) Title & Date: SOL -- Sri Ganapati & The Maha-Pinecone. (2018)
Dimensions & Medium: 18 x 33 in. -- oil on canvas.
3) Title & Date: LUNA -- Sri Skanda & The Kula-Heartbeat. (2018)
Dimensions & Medium: 18 x 33 in. -- oil on canvas.
Drawings:
Shakambhari’s Taras
1) Title & Date: Red Tara. (2016)
Dimensions & Medium: 13 x 18 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
2) Title & Date: White Tara. (2016)
Dimensions & Medium: 13 x 18 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
3) Title & Date: Green Tara. (2016)
Dimensions & Medium: 13 x 18 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
Tri Shri Vidya I
1) Title & Date: Devi Varahi & The Sugar Maker. (2020)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 22 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
2) Title & Date: Raja Shyamala-Bagala Roopini & The Lime Getter. (2020)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 22 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
3) Title & Date: Sri Tripura Sundari & The Lime-Sugar Tree. (2020)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 27 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
Tri Shri Vidya II
1) Title & Date: Maha Kalaratri with Cake. (2021)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 22 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
2) Title & Date: Sri Kamakhya with Television Flower. (2021)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 22 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
3) Title & Date: Devi Bala Chinnamasta with Wasp & Butterfly. (2021)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 27 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
Power Flowers
(Accompanies the painting: Gynandromorphism)
1) Title & Date: P- Flower # 1. (2018)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 19 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
2) Title & Date: P- Flower # 2. (2018)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 19 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
3) Title & Date: P- Flower # 3. (2018)
Dimensions & Medium: 18 x 24 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
4) Title & Date: P- Flower # 4. (2018)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 19 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
5) Title & Date: P- Flower # 5. (2018)
Dimensions & Medium: 15 x 19 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
1) Title & Date: Bhuvaneshvari on The Fence. (Titular Piece) (2012)
Dimensions & Medium: 12 x 15 in. -- graphite, ink & color-pencil on paper.
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Notes:
[1] “Grant Wood, a Life,” Evans, Alfred Knopf, 2010.
[2] शिवःशक्त्यायुक्तोयदिभवतिशक्तःप्रभवितुं नचेदेवंदेवोनखलुकुशलःस्पन्दितुमपि। bhumauskhalita pādānām bhūmirēvā valambanam tvayī jātā parādhānām tvamēva śaraṇam śivē śivaḥ śaktyā yuktō yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavituṃ na chēdēvaṃ dēvō na khalu kuśalaḥ spanditumapi
[3] “Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Religions,” Oxford University Press, 2000, page: 352.Mahavidyas (Sanskrit: great + divine-realization) Ten South-Asian goddesses who represent ten forms of transcendental realization/knowledge and tantric power. Aspectual emanations of Devi (the feminine half of Brahman) they are as follows: 1) Kali, 2) Tara 3) Sodasi (sixteen, the number of perfection and cosmic totality) 4) Bhukaneshvari (realization of the merits and snares of the material world) 5) Bhairavi (realization of the infinite variety of desires and death) 6) Chinnamasta (realization of the eternal night, depicted drinking blood from her own self severed head) 7) Dhumavati (realization of the destruction of the cosmos, when only smoke remains) 8) Bagala (realization of the weight of negative emotional forces, hate, jealousy, etc.) 9) Matangi (power and dominion) 10) Kamala (the girl of the lotus and right consciousness).
[4] “Hindu Goddesses,” Kinsley, University of California Press/Berkley/Los Angeles, 1997, page: 162. “Bhagavata-Purana,” medieval Hindu mythology, circa 3rd century CE. “Guhyatiguhya-Tantra,” circa 8th century CE.
[5] This refers to the triangular situation set around the three characters: Dr.Henry Gordon, Louise Gordon, & Drake McHugh, from the novel: “Kings Row,” 1940, Kingdom House Publishing.
[6] This declaration is in reference to a climactic scene from the film: “Kings Row,” wherein *Parris, the protagonist, is challenged to cast aside social pressure and manifest his own resolutions single-mindedly.
[7] “Hindu Goddesses,” Kinsley, University of California Press/Berkley/Los Angeles, 1997, pages: 151-155 & 165-172.[8] “Grant Wood,” Dennis, University of Missouri Press, 1986, pages: 201-211.
[9] “Tantra, The Path of Ecstasy,” Feurerstein, Shamballa Publications/Boston/Massachusetts, 1998, pages: 70-85. [10] “Hindu Goddesses,” Kinsley, University of California Press/Berkley/Los Angeles, 1997, pages: 151-155 & 165-172.
updated January 2025
