Meadow Grasses In Space | pen and paint on paper | I finished this detail of the total mixed media painting in 2016
Daruma Kuma found a meadow grasses in space. Space as in being a non-physical place like Akasha, ether or maybe better said; the void, the space of nothingness where one can find everything. Daruma Kuma’s meadow grasses are providing him with a sanctuary, a place where he loves to be.
Daruma Kuma In Meadow Grasses In Space pen, paint and paper cut on paper 50 x 65 cm June 2018
This is the finished mixed media painting. On the right you see Daruma Kuma’s new body he grew into through transformation. His new bodily shape was inspired by a Russian matryoshka doll and by a Japanese Daruma doll. These dolls are seen as a symbol of perseverance and good luck and they are a popular gift in Japan for encouragement. They are also used in Buddhist temples for setting goals. The name Daruma is Japanese and derives from the Bodhidharma, a Chinese Buddhist monk from the 5th century who became the patriarch of the school of Chan Buddhism, the founder of Zen Buddhism in Japan. The word Kuma in Daruma Kuma is Japanese for the word bear. I chose this animal for its spiritual, symbolic meaning. The bear as a spirit animal is seen as a powerful force with the courage to evolve and having the ability to be open-minded, with a confidence to fight when necessary and with strong grounding energies, who can stand up against adversity and take action and leadership and knows the importance of patience and solitude. In all, to be in the presence of Daruma Kuma is to have the protection and guidance that you can find in a sanctuary.
Daruma Kuma | mixed media; terracotta jar with handmade textile elements | 20 x 12 x 12 cm | May 2015
See other transformations Daruma Kuma has been through so far: here, here, here and here.
Diana van der Harst is a multidisciplinary artist whose journey has resulted in the creation of an ever evolving Leftover Universe where Tender Time Sighs. While she has a focus on textile art, she also uses painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, photography and writing to seek and tell her story. Her creations originate from a meeting between inner and outer travels, from studying things up-close to things far away, from observing the small to observing the vast; a process of constantly shifting focus, a movement much like breathing. Tender Time Sighs; breathing life into a Leftover Universe, showing us traces of transformation and encounters with animate and inanimate beings. Drawing from her own experiences, inspired by life itself, characters have developed who share their meetings and findings along the way. Diana’s work is poetic, contemporary, intuitive, contemplative, intimate, emotional, whimsical, spiritual, narrative and embodies a magical realism.
Diana was born and raised in The Netherlands before she moved to Australia. It is in The Netherlands where Diana had her main art education and where she started exhibiting her works back in 2004. During a masterclass in textile design in The Netherlands in 2007 she was invited to exhibit her art in Tokyo, Japan. Since that exhibition she had 4 solo exhibitions and several work periods in Kyoto, Japan. Exhibiting for nearly 20 years now she showed her works in The Netherlands, Antwerp/Belgium, Melbourne, Perth, Tokyo and Kyoto/Japan. Diana is now focusing on her upcoming solo exhibition, during which she will be giving workshops as well as undertake an artist-in-residency. She is one of the participating artists in her community that opens up her home studio for the public to come and visit, an initiative that is held two weekends a year as part of an Art Trail. Several other projects are in development and she is open for commissions.
Email: leftoveruniverse@gmail.com | Website: http://www.leftoveruniverse.com | Instagram: dhyana_in_a_leftover_universe
Leftover Universe 