Storytelling Through Art

Drawing and sketching for me was a process that evolved from a meditative practice, to conveying an idea to eventually telling a story. Telling a story in visual form using art is a fascinating medium, because unlike films or videos, the viewer is not really directed or told what is happening. They often interpret the story for themselves. This to me is so intriguing because a single story from my perspective becomes multiple different stories to those who see my art. In this post I'm going to share a piece of art I did and the story that helped inspire it.

" The finest works of art are precious, among other reasons, because they make it possible for us to know, if only imperfectly and for a little while, what it actually feels like to think subtly and feel nobly. " - Aldous Huxley

The Huichol tribe of Native Americans had a legend about a spirit that took the form of a blue deer called Kayumari. They believed that Kayumari sang the world we inhabit into being and could open up doors to dimensions outside our little world. The legends say that when this spirit walked upon the earth, the Peyote Cactus grew in its footsteps. Kayumari is a sacred animal deity in Huichol tradition who is omniscient, hearing all thoughts and prayers. Altered states of consciousness, psychedelic visions and heightened consciousness are all believed to be caused by Kayumari opening a door to different dimensions.

I thought this was a fascinating story, and decided to pay tribute to this beautiful spirit by drawing out my interpretation of what this story would look like visually.

I haven't really been in the habit of taking process photos while I haven't been blogging regularly, something I should pick up again. Usually I just get in the flow of drawing and don't take pictures till it's finished. I did my art using pencils, water colours and a black pen set that ranged from 0.03 to 0.8mm nibs.

The one process photo I have when I had two amazing artist/musicians living with me and we used to spend our nights, drawing, painting, laughing, singing and telling stories

I expanded on the story I described to you, and added personal touches and my own narrative. I don't want to explain everything however. As I mentioned in the introduction, I think the beauty of art is letting you create your own story based on what you see. What does this evoke for you? What story does it tell you personally? Let me know in the comments. Also perhaps someday when I can wrap my head around the concept of NFTs, I will tokenize my art and make it available for crypto art collectors.