Vajra Hawaii

 

A self-taught visionary artist, magician, philosopher and freelance contractor for consciousness. I have been making art my entire life, and in 2008 started painting visionary works as a way to share what I feel matters most in the world.

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My work draws influence from across cultures, space and time - a synthesis of art and magic, science and spirituality, light and dark through a lens of non-duality always with bodhisattvic intention - that it be for the betterment of all. I live in Hawaii with my lovely wife and brilliant muse ~ Imagika Om ~ and our two feline familiars

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What is Art for you?

A sharing of stories in a language beyond words. You can capture a moment or open a portal to another dimension - art is a vehicle that reflects your intention toward the world, harnessing the creative potential of the universe. 

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What is chocolate to you?

A connector of heart and mind and to the divine. It’s excellent for inspiration and the motivation to see things through, from a heart-centered creative space. 

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What inspires you, and these pieces in particular?

The idea that, through the stories my paintings tell, I might leave the world a better place. At the heart of it, I want to inspire others to embrace their passions, live from the heart and realize their power on this planet. I am a story teller with many stories to tell, but the parables I find most important are turned into paintings. Some recurring themes in my art are union of polarities, the importance of love, and responsibility.

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The Wish is Granted was inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist concept of the ‘wish-fulfilling dragon’. In the painting an avatar of humanity has made it to the top of a mountain that towers above all others. There the person is met by the descent of grace in the form of a dragon. Traditionally, wish-granting dragons are depicted holding the Chintamani stone (a wish granting gem) but I replaced it with the earth, as I deeply believe that this planet is our wish-granting gem, where all of our collective thoughts and dreams manifest. The avatar has passed the test and so the dragon hands over the gem with the message “You only get to make this wish once - make it count”. My goal with this painting was to foster global responsibility - to encourage us all to make better wishes - but also to appreciate how truly great the gift of life is and not to take our incarnations for granted. In homage to the artisans who inspired the vision, the dragon’s claw rests on Tibet.

 

Man in the Middle: One night a vision appeared behind the closed eyelids of a living totem pole: a golden eagle perched on the shoulders of a red man riding a blue whale. I knew in that moment that it was a representation of humanity as the bridge between worlds and also the shepherds of earth and all the beings with whom we share it. The paintings exists to raise awareness of how our actions unfold over time, guiding evolution and extinction (hence the ever-flowing hourglass behind the central figures). I was at a loss how to prescribe a way for all to live in balance through everything that we experience and encounter as individuals, but as I painted the Haida symbol of the ‘shaman’s hat’ onto the man, he provided the answer; I heard him say “In your heart, you know what to do.” And that’s all we really need as far as advice as to how we should live: whatever the situation, live from the heart and you can do no wrong. We’re all in this together, not just people but the animals and elements too. If too many cords are cut in the web of life we all go down as one - and so I overlaid skeletal features onto the three beings not just to point out our connected mortality but also to point out the similarities we share under the surface.