How the divine made its way into my life through art.
The mystical journey of this artwork.
A guest post by award-winning Dubai based artist Vandana Arora
The connection between art and the divine is a complex and deeply personal one for many individuals, Art can often serve as a powerful tool for connecting with the spiritual or transcendent aspects of life. One such divine encounter happened with me,Vandana arora an Indian artist based in Dubai, UAE. My introduction and work can be talked about later and lets dive right into the story of how Radha and Kanha entered my life.As an artist I enjoy listening to music while I paint. One day, while listening to Radha krishna songs, I felt inspired to paint them, though I typically don’t create artwork that is focused on religious themes or subjects. I began painting Radha krishna using some reference pictures as inspiration, opting to paint freehand and allowing the art to evolve organically, Through out the week, I felt a strong sense of Krishna’s presence guiding me as I worked on the piece. I experienced the presence of Radha Krishna in my dreams, feeling a divine energy like never before in my life. The bliss and joy that accompanied it are beyond words.
After completing the Radha krishna faces, I struggled with deciding on the background. I attempted adding a temple but removed it, and then tried incorporating lotus flowers which also didn’t fit well. Feeling frustrated, I turned to Radha krishna for guidance. I closed my eyes and asked Krishna what should I fill the space between Radha and him.
He showed me the colour green. It was late in the night and I determined this would be my final session working on it; by next morning I had decided to photograph it. Despite feeling a bit tired I kept adding green colour between radha and krishna. I eventually went to sleep. The next morning I brought the painting with me as I took my daughter to the school bus, intending to capture it in the bright sunlight. I enjoy photographing my artworks in the morning, especially during sunrise.
As I took my painting downstairs , I ran into a friend who complimented how beautiful it looked and shared how much she liked the effect I had painted around Radha and krishna. Unaware of the effect she was talking about I examined more closely, I was amazed to see an aura had formed without me consciously painting it, giving me goosebumps. At that moment I realized it was him.
But the story of this artwork doesn’t end here, I informed my mom that I was giving her this painting, knowing she is a devoted follower of Radha Krishna. I sent it to her while my sisters travel to India. My mom was captivated by the painting, sensing a divine presence within it, She expressed a desire to take it to Guruvayur and offer it to Lord Krishna. During the busy travel season of Vishu in kerala, she effortlessly made her way to Guruvayur without encountering any booking challenges.
She brought it to the temple, where the authorities placed it in front of Lord Krishna on a beautifully spread kanchivaram saree. We were at peace that it reached where it was supposed to. My mother and I were moved to tears, feeling a mix of emotions that are hard to put into words. It felt like a divine touch. Though I kept this story to myself and spoke about it to only a few friends, I somehow felt it in my gut that now Krishna wants me to share it.
Vandana arora