For more than a decade, my artwork has been a way to explore meditation through painting. Using oil paint, I have combined mantras and mandalas to create visualizations intended for reflection and calm. My interest in this approach began during my time at IUPUI’s Herron School of Art and Design.

A major source of inspiration came when I watched Buddhist monks carefully create a sand mandala on campus. Each day, I observed their patient, deliberate work, and the peaceful energy of the process stayed with me. That experience led me to explore ways of bringing that same sense of calm into my own art.

I began by incorporating mandalas into my paintings and listening to mantras while working, allowing the rhythms to guide layered abstractions on the canvas. The lotus also became a recurring symbol in my work, appearing in both abstract and conceptual pieces as a representation of growth and mindfulness.

In early 2024, I began working with encaustic painting as part of my Studio Vwazen Fellowship, and it quickly became an extension of my meditative practice. The process of melting and layering wax felt fluid and grounding, allowing me to explore themes of sacred geometry, nature, and presence in new ways.

More recently, my work has expanded into mixed media, incorporating reclaimed materials, botanical impressions, and natural pigments. My current project, Weave of Life, brings together modular panels that reflect memory, environment, and connection—each one a contemplative object contributing to a larger installation shaped by sacred geometry, ecological awareness, and connection to community.

Whether through oil, wax, or mixed materials, painting remains a way for me to slow down, focus, and connect. My hope is that my work continues to offer viewers a moment of stillness, reflection, and reverence for the interconnected world we share.