Ganesha, Lord of New Beginnings, Part 1
I’ve been exploring some new avenues this crazy-ass year, 2020. Maybe it’s due in part to being a little tired of the subject matter I’ve been locked into, but more so I’ve been wanting some new challenges. Stepping outside my comfort zone is something I need to remind myself to do. It’s easy to get In the flow and just take the path of least resistance.
Or, sometimes us artists get sucked into the trap of self-imposed style restrictions. We may invent an image for ourselves and tell little stories to ourselves like, I am an artist of clouds only, or I am the painter of water. Sticking to a straight and narrow style is great for identification, people will more easily recognize your work if you stick to a pretty narrow stylistic spectrum. Curators love it too. It’s easier for them to sell your work, they might say.
All that said, I think the main reason I’m an artist is to explore and express my unique interaction with this life, here and now. Whatever the present time may hold before me, the future unpredictable, the past just a memory.
What is in this moment that I need to say? What is currently inspiring me? If I want to stay sharp and adaptable I can’t lock myself into a limited style. It would go against my spirit and make my art dull and predictable. I want to stay open and so I refuse to adopt a self-made picture of who I am as an artist.
Which brings us to the current moment, and my painting of Ganesha, the Hindu god of new beginnings, the remover of obstacles. I never thought I’d start painting Hindu gods, yet here I am, outlining a new work of Ganesha. It started with taking on a 40 day challenge repeating the Ganesha mantra Om Gam Ganapatayei Namaha… over and over, throughout the day whenever I can; silently or out loud.
Chanting mantra is another thing I never thought I would do but it just seemed right and so I’m doing it. It’s been about 15 days now and as I’ve been meditating on Ganesha it seemed obvious that I needed to paint a portrait of the lord elephant-boy too.
As the year wraps up, I’m ready for a new beginning. I know that not all new beginnings are pleasant but at least they’re a chance to grow. This is a perfect time to accept some changes, challenges and new starts. I’m happy to be exploring these new directions in my work and in my spiritual life too.
As I read about Ganesha, recite his name and work out how to depict him visually, I feel like I’m making a strong new friend and ally. I feel good-naturedness from this Ganesha energy I’ve been drumming up. Oh Ganesha Ganesha, Om Gam Ganapatayei Namaha…
Here is the final painting:
Buy a beautiful canvas giclee print of this work:
24x32” – 1.5” deep canvas giclee print.
Beautiful canvas giclee reproduction of Lord Ganesha. Wired and ready to hang.
About:
This was the first deity I painted. It was the end of 2020 and I had just started chanting mantra for the first time. I chose to recite Ganesha’s mantra for a period of 40 days, repeating it as many times as I could throughout the day. I was taking long walks in the woods at the time and after about a week of walking and repeating his mantra hundreds of times, I started to notice a subtle shift in me. I liked how I felt when repeating this mantra. I decided to see what it would feel like if I also painted a portrait of Ganesha while working with his mantra. After about another 30 days I was able to finish this portrait around the same time I finished the forty day period of working with his mantra. Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha!