The Art of Sita’s Fire

The Art of Sita’s Fire is a compilation of art from the Sita’s Fire trilogy. It is my hope to spark a wider interest in my and my daughter’s Trilogy through this art book. Our Trilogy is based on the longest and oldest Sanskrit poem ever composed, the Ramayana. The Ramayana is not very well known in the West, so we hope that the Sita’s Fire Trilogy will attract the attention of people to the drama, beauty, and wisdom present in this ancient text.

It is also my hope to reach a wider audience with this intriguing story in the form of this art book. I love books, especially nicely designed books that are beautifully illustrated.

The whole yoga culture that has taken root here in the West comes from the same tradition and culture as the Ramayana. To enter into a mindful meditation on this ancient yoga tradition opens our minds to newer and deeper perspectives on the complexities of life and to the possibility of self-discovery and self-realization of who we really are. It gives us a path to live with meaning, purpose, and wisdom.

One of my main inspirations in creating pieces of art is to express beauty. Beauty is therapeutic to me. It is the ultimate reality and it heals my soul. My artwork is a blend of influences from great artists that emerged during the Golden Age of Illustration, as well as contemporary illustrators and artists. I allow myself to be influenced by any expressions of art that evoke positive feelings in my heart.

I work mainly with water color, pencil and ink. I want my art to be more than just a mere attractive wall decoration. I have practiced meditation in the Bhakti yoga tradition for over forty years and my art expressions are an important part of my spiritual path. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to create all of these pieces of art for the Sita’s Fire trilogy, a modern retelling of an ancient story presented from the female perspective.

I feel this book conveys hardly even a drop of the fathomless ocean of the story of Ramayana. Nevertheless, it has been my pleasure to try to capture something of the magic of this ancient tale.

In this book, The Art of Sita’s Fire, I have drawn inspiration from two very dear sources. The first is from my daughter’s writing. I have taken passages from the Trilogy that inspired me to make a particular painting.

I have also added some passages from the work of the Princeton team, led by Robert P. Goldman, who did a superlative translation of Valmiki’s Ramayana. This translation was my daughter’s main source of inspiration when writing Sita’s Fire. Their beautiful translation has been a source of inspiration for me as well as I gained a deeper and more fulfilling understanding of this great epic.

‘Art is not a handicraft. It is the transmission of feelings the artist has experienced.’ (Leo Tolstoy)