Acrylic on cardboard, 8 1/2×11
Photo from camera phone, so quality is not the best.
I had the idea to translate my ink dot art into paint. You may find the subject familiar, since I just posted ink drawings of it a few days ago. This style, though not the subject matter, is also reminiscent of traditional Aboriginal art of Australia. For me, this was more of an experiment but I don’t know that I would continue with this form without some serious meditation on and interrogation of whether it constitutes appropriation of a traditional art form I have no right to. I did really enjoy it, however. I find dot art so relaxing, but doing it with paint requires more precision and attention. On the other hand, it also takes considerably less actual paint than other methods, which is something to think of if interested in conserving/low access to resources.
The background is a deep green with bronze dotting. The form is a stylized lotus. The background color of the flower and leaves is gold; the leaves are two different greens. The outer petals are a magenta/purple, second petals are red, third orange, and center yellow.
In general, I think that art is very open to interpretation and don’t expect artists to explain themselves or what they were going for. However, sometimes I think context is important and useful. If you are the sort who has no interest in what the artist intended, stop reading now. In this case, I would like to explain the vision behind this painting. 
I was inspired by two competing ideas at the same time. I am fond of this particular lotus form. On the one hand, I thought of the Qur’anic verse “light upon light”.
God is the light of the heavens and the earth.
The likeness of this light is a niche
in which there is a lamp,
the lamp in a glass,
the glass like a glittering star,
kindled from a blessed olive tree,
an olive that is neither of the east nor the west,
the oil of which could shine without being touched by fire.
Light upon light;
God guides whom He please.
- Quran 24:35
I was thinking of the light, a flame, and how to incorporate that into the lotus design because a previous drawing had raised that interpretation from a viewer.
But the other reason that I love this particular style of lotus is that it makes me think of the feminine. Georgia O’Keeffe was a master at utilizing flowers to depict the divine feminine, sexuality, childbirth, etc. Inspired by that, and clearly seeing a “yoni” motif in the lotus from the first time I saw it, I am paying homage to her work. At the same time, I went with “flame” colors to also reference the Sanskrit meaning of yoni as it relates to the “sacred fire”. As the term yoni refers to sacred space specifically, and its role in the “sacred fire” of love, sex, etc. it can also be understood as a reflection of appreciation for love between women, that sacred connection that is different than that between men and women, in that it affirms our own selves even as we give to another.
The painting can be seen in an “innocent” view from the perspective of the ayat of the niche, or as a “hidden” (or perhaps overt) reference to female sexuality. But I actually connect the two because we speak of love and channeling sexual energy into service to the Beloved.
