The drawings in Heart Sutras contribute to my encompassing body of vision drawings. The pieces in Heart Sutras, portraits of my emotional experience as happening to the physical structure of my heart, and Self-Portrait As, visual depictions of my body in metaphysical encounters, speak to each other and evolve on parallel trajectories in complementary ventures to articulate my non-physical experiences within my own body and in external environments.
Sutra is a Sanskrit word that means verse or aphorism, around which teachings in any field of knowledge can be woven. Emotions can teach us so much, not least of which is that no matter how deeply felt or encompassing, they are temporary, and part of something larger--notes in a chorus, passages in a text. One goal of my meditation practice is witness consciousness, a state in which I can be with emotions without getting caught up in them. It's this state, or an intention toward this state, from which these paintings arise, and in which I regard them, as mirrors of a kind, for reflection. I began Heart Sutras in 2014 and they continue through many chapters of my heart: grief, forgiveness, transformation, weariness, hopefulness, growth, peace, joy, love for self and others. Emotions are both uniquely and universally felt; may these excerpts from the series reflect something resonant in you, too.
