COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT - AMANDA GIACOMINI

The language of art goes deeper than the mind. For centuries art has been the soul's medium, working in conjunction with the subconscious to communicate a message, a feeling, a transmission that penetrates thought and pierces through the ineffable fluctuations of the heart. Amanda Giacomini, is a California-based yogini, artist and illustrator of an award winning series of children's books, which feature her rescue dog, Mo. Amanda describes her sweet, heartfelt and symbolically rich new collection of paintings as being inspired by traditional Hindu Calendar art and the secret symbolic codes of the yogic pathway.  Her elegant renderings are full of mythology, devotion, and an intimacy that hints of her personal exploration, so obviously requisite to her creative process.

Amanda is a seasoned yoga practitioner and teacher, and runs a studio in Point Reyes. Both partner and wife (on the stage and off) of the acclaimed hip-hop artist MC Yogi,
Amanda was inspired first from her travels to India, a culture steeped in sacred symbolism, then through her experiences as the VJ for MC Yogi concerts. "I began to see how people of all ages, and all religious backgrounds responded to MC Yogi's music and the mythologies and messages it communicates. It has a way of touching universalities that speak to everyone's hearts - that reach across boundaries to teach us about ourselves. As I learned more about the deities I became inspired to create my own versions."

This latest collection by Giacomini called "Gods and Goddess" demanded  a certain concentration to allow the Divine to flow through the work. Amanda would spend hours sitting with various representations of the deity, calling forth the qualities associated with each and meditating on their archetypical essence. "I had to really become close to the energy before it would allow itself to be painted. I had to learn to embody the energy of the deity itself.  In my yoga classes I'm always telling my students to remember they are divine. These qualities exist within us. It became a personal exploration of that as well."

Giacomini began to produce thousands of postcards of the deities coupled with their associated mantras to distribute at concerts, classes and events. "We would teach the students about the deities, ask them to meditate on their most heartfelt prayer and write about it on the back. As an artist it was a new way to share. It allowed me to gift a piece of myself and this energy that has been uplifting to me and to so many people - to spread little seeds of yoga through my artwork is very fulfilling."

The creation of art is a gifting of one's inner landscape made external. When done in the highest celebratory spirit this landscape is mirrored and recognized in each one of us. Amanda's work portrays an overwhelming devotion to the teachings of yoga. She says; "Anything that serves to remind us of who we are and makes us feel grateful is yoga. I feel honored that I am able to offer this experience to others through my art."

Please enjoy just a few of Amanda's amazing original artwork and visit her site for many more beautiful pieces available for sale. For more information about Amanda and her artwork please visit: www.amandagiacomini.com For more about her children's book visit: www.mosnose.com.