FROM OUR WORKSHOP: Kali Ma

Click on the image to get a closer look.

Kali Ma © September 19, 2009 by Donna L. Faber (all rights reserved) is part of my series on divinity. It is done on Strathmore Bristol 300 Series Vellum with Staedler pigment liner pens, Prismacolor premiere markers, and good old fashioned Crayola Pip-Squeaks borrowed from my daughter. She’s been cut out and will be mounted on a colorful background and then framed.

This piece has been waiting to emerge since before we moved out of our rental.

Kali, also known as Kalika, is a Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. Despite Her fierce appearance and the symbolic imagery provoked by the items She holds and surrounds Herself with (each of which has a specific meaning), Kali is considered a benevolent Mother Goddess whose greatest wish is to see her children freed from their delusions (the way we lie to ourselves). The manners in which She frees us be may the cause of some debate, as Her methods are often intense and shocking; it is Kali Ma’s blood red-rimmed eyes we see piercing the all-consuming blackness of our darkest hours. She can be perceived as terrifying or loving, which depends on our understanding of Her role in our lives. When we experience spiritual or emotional blockage and Durga, Saraswati, Shiva and Lord Krishna turn their backs on us, it is Kali who steps up to plate. In Her inimitable way, She blasts the blockage right out of our systems.

And yes, sometimes it is quite uncomfortable.

Remember, the Goddess takes many forms so that Her children may find one they can relate to.

The last few months have been crazy for my family and I. We’ve dealt with various bits of economic and real estate uncertainty, including merger related weirdness at work that had me spinning more than I thought. I finally feel like I’m settling down, feeling at home in the new place, and less threatened at work. Doing this piece was like a meditation to me, helping me get centered to better understand my priorities and where my focus should be. Kali Ma helped clear my emotional clutter.

È lo scopo del Kali nella nostra vita.

Don’t let Kali Ma scare you.

I hope you enjoy this piece.

Love,
D~

EMERGING ART: Kali Ma Almost Done!

It's almost done.

I'm going to let this sit overnight and look at it with new eyes in the morning. Then, after details, she gets cut out and mounted on a different color, textured paper. This piece has been inspired. I've felt most driven to get it done ... quickly. And when working on it, my mind is quiet, serene, and very focussed.

EMERGING ART: Kali Ma Meditation

Kali's skin will eventually be blue, but I don't have the right colors here. It'll have to wait until tomorrow when I can get to the art store for some markers. I laughed realizing she looks like a witch doctor right now, but her hair will be very long and sticking out everywhere, not just on top. I've really enjoyed posting this in phases. I've never done this before, and it's been really fun.

EMERGING ART: A Little More Kali Ma

This piece has been like a meditation, keeping me in the now. When all the crazy pluto energy beckons me to the stratosphere, Kali Ma has me anchored firmly to the planet, in the hear and now, focused on family, home & hearth, and my art.

See an earlier iteration in the post below.

EMERGING ART: Kali Ma

I've had a portrait of Kali Ma trying to push it's way out of me since before we moved in the beginning of August. This weekend, swirling amidst all this crazy Pluto energy, She won't be denied. Here is a sneak piece ...