:: Ramón Medina Silva & Maria Sabina - Two Portraits ::

Soma    Animism    San    Epiphany    Triple    Unity    Wira    Lightning    Ramon

:: 2010 :: 50cm x 70cm each :: Acrylics, Inks and Markers on Canvas ::

At the very end of 2010, I decided to make a couple of portraits of two of my visionary heroes, who are perhaps not as widely known as other visionaries, but for me have been deeply inspiring on my path as an artist: the Huichol mara'akame Ramón Medina Silva and the Mazatec xuta chjine Maria Sabina.

Ramón Medina Silva was a great shaman and deeply proud of his culture's traditions and heritage, but sadly died young defending his people. He was instrumental in transforming the traditional Huichol folk art of yarn decoration into the visionary expressions of yarn painting, and originated the practice of Huichol shamans depicting their sacred peyote visions in this medium. It was while I was gazing at some of his work in a book, one winter in Japan in 1997, that I made the momentous decision to become an artist. I therefore have a profound gratitude for Ramón and his work, and his style and vision inspires me to this day. This portrait comes from a photograph, and he is here seen gazing at his peyote visions.

Maria Sabina was also a great shaman for her people, and her autobiography tells how as a child she discovered the saint children or sacred mushrooms that brought her visions. Her life was hard, and while she lived to a ripe old age, it is said she felt uncomfortable about the attention given to her and that the saint children might be abused by those who did not understand them. On my salvia path, I found her wisdom deeply inspiring in helping me bring some authentic native perspective onto my salvic journeys, and I am truly grateful for that. She is shown here gazing upon the Sacred Book that she was given in her mushroom visions, and which was the sacred source of her shamanic gift.

Ramon Medina Silva & Maria Sabina

 

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