UnfoldedAcrylic and Collage on Photoshop
2025
My painting titled “Unfolded” is a representation of the feeling of stretching and releasing tension. My immediate thought was looking into the practice of yoga but at the beginning of my research I checked out articles relating to chakras; concepts originating in East Indian religion and spirituality. According to chakra theory there are various methods to open and balance your chakra such as yoga and meditation. The body has seven chakras each with their own color and associated with a specific organ or body part. Keeping the chakras properly balanced, open, and aligned are essential for optimal health. When looking for images of auras it's common to see imagery of brightly glowing figures, soft transitions of color and celestial atmospheres. I incorporated some of this into my painting. You can see slight changes of color within the glow emanating from the figure.
The butterflies flying out from the figure represent an insect that has a special tie within yoga and has its own dedicated pose. I chose butterflies not only because of their beautiful wings but the feeling of thigh mussels being stretched when in the butterfly position. Butterflies themselves experience something similar after they emerge from their chrysalis. Their wings are wet and crinkled but they find a spot to rest and pump fluid through little veins inside their wings to stretch the surface. I find it quite interesting that humans and some insects have this in common. We both release tension by stretching out so that we can feel lighter and less restricted in our movement. It's euphoric to experience the shift from being tense to letting it all slip away.