The Great Protector

I just finished my oil painting titled "The Great Protector".
It took approximately 4-5 months to complete.

The inspiration for this oil painting came from Vedic and Buddhist philosophy.
A powerful being in the form of half man and lion, He is described as seated on a universal serpent with many hoods. The Great Protector is known as Lord Narasingadeva and to this very day is found in ancient caves and temples in the East. The oldest artefact thought to be Lord Narasingadeva is carbon dated to be approximately between 35000 and 40000 years old, discovered in a cave in Germany.
There is a wonderful story found in Vedic scripture how an all powerful being known as Lord Narasingadeva appeared to save a child from his abusive father, an evil King, who tried to behead his son because he believed God was more powerful than him. I won't go into much detail here, but it is remarkable how the little boy had faith that the Lord he was devoted to will always be there to protect him, so when Lord Narasingadeva appeared and killed his father, the boy was not afraid, nor sad, nor confused. He believed and knew the fearsome figure was in fact the Lord he loved and worshipped and was there to protect him from harm.

I think that is inspiration enough to paint this painting, how did Lord Narasimha look, what did the King see, what did the little boy see?
How would Lord Narasingadeva have looked when He attacked the King?

The original painting was actually commissioned by a private client, but I have made a duplicate available for purchase.
I will be painting a much larger version of this painting soon, showing a zoomed out birds-eye view of this scene, displaying all the detail of what is happening. The palace, King, soldiers and the young prince all will be included, so watch this space, there is much more to come!

Please feel free to leave a comment.
I hope you enjoyed this entry, thank you for reading.

COWS, COWS, COWS EVERYWHERE!!

You know how many are either a dog or a cat lover, I am a cow lover. That's right folks, I love cows, they are just simply adorable.

Cows and peacocks, if I had land, I would definitely keep cows and peacocks....

Why cows you may wonder, I don't really know why....

Back in the day when I was much younger, I practiced as a nun, part of my daily duties included milking cows... All the cows at our monastery had a name, they would come when called and they each had a unique personality. They were taken care of throughout their lives, the bulls were kept to work the fields, but I rarely saw the bulls as the monks generally cared after them. From what I remember, the bulls were gentle and sometimes playful. 

So what is this post all about you probably wondering.....what does my story about cows have to do about art...?

Well, I have a new private commission for another oil painting! The client originally asked for anything that has a cow and lotus in it, so I will be surprising them with this beauty!

Actually, out of all the excitement, I started 4 smaller paintings of cows as well...

The main COW painting was inspired from sacred ancient scripture, I read descriptions of a spiritual planet, shaped like a lotus flower and home to desire cows. Yes, desire cows, these cows were colourful, wore jewellery and silken cloth. Their milk flowed from their udders and tasted sweet like nectar. They were desire cows because simply by glancing upon them, all your desires and wishes were full filled. 

A cow planet shaped like a lotus.....I think the client will be pleasantly surprised!

This inspired me to create a new painting, a lotus shaped cow mandala. The vision I have of this painting is magnificent, there will be much detail and colour. But, at the moment, it is still very basic and rough, but it will eventually take shape of a wish full filling desire mandala. 

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Watch this space, I'll keep you posted as the painting blossoms into a wonderful cow filled lotus mandala!

ART GALLERY WEBSITES

It has been a while since my last post, I've had exams and graduated from University. That is right folks, I am now have a qualified accredited Biomedical Scientist qualification! Look out world, I am armed with a lab coat and bunsen burner!! Just need to complete a portfolio and become registered!

Other than the exciting world of chemistry, I have also been glued to my canvas. After having left my last employer (insurance), I received a wonderful commission to complete an amazing painting called 'Great Protector' and dived straight into it. I paint everyday for hours until my fingers begin cramping. Yes, yes, that doesn't sound great, but it is all about perfection, my paintings must look glorious, they must be masterpieces at any cost! So a bit of cramps and blurred eyes is a small price to pay for excellence! The 'Great Protector' is a commissioned piece, but I will complete a duplicate original for sale as well....it's just too powerful to be a one time only painting!

I have just signed up to a few online galleries, my paintings are nearing completion, so I am setting up accounts on a few Artsy sites so I'm all prepared for the big day of uploading these beauties. In the meantime I'm also missing the exciting world within a laboratory and have been on the lookout and applying for posts non stop, I'm positive my perseverance and determination will be fruitfull!

I'm hoping to hold a private show in the summer and sign up for open house shows, but more on these events later on!