20cm x 15cm / 8" x 6"
89cm x 89cm / 35" x 35"
An introduction into the spirit world. Viejo doctorcito Ayahuma is a teacher tree used by the Shipibo maestros of Peru to deal with one’s own darkness.
An interesting fact about the way Shipibo maestros serve medicine is that ayahuasca is used as a tool to access a wide variety of plant and tree teachers, which typically don’t have psychoactive effects. The most shocking part of my experience, sitting with a Shipibo maestro, was coming to the understanding that these plants are not merely medicines, but are the doctors themselves.
One night during an ayahuasca ceremony, during my Noya Rao master plant diet, I was visited by the spirit of Ayahuma, my maestro’s main tree ally, a frightening-looking headless creature, about the size of a human. It was elegantly dressed with the same traditional patterns as the embroidery used on the skirts of the local Shipibo women.
The creature made a cricket sound with a device I could not describe, in good faith, as anything other than an instrument of light. The sound started to interact with my visions, and behind closed eyelids, vertical neon stripes of light were cascading smoothly down my pupils, and when the sound hit them, they would distort with a zig zag pattern to later straighten out.
“Headless and well dressed” I said. “not too ugly”. I stared at the opening in Ayahuma’s chest, which emitted light. Before I knew it, I found myself inside of that tunnel of light, which immediately made me think I had probably taken a little bit too much medicine. Fear crept up through my body, and with the will to come out of that place, I opened my eyes and found myself sitting in my place again. Some time passed before I gained a little more confidence, as that sound kept shaking my visions. I began to surrender to the experience by reminding myself of the respect maestro Gilberto Mahua has gained during his career as a traditional medicine practitioner.
With a relaxed gesture, I let Ayahuma know I was willing to not be terrified by its appearance, and it approached and kneeled before me. It kept shaking my visions with its instrument of light, and then suddenly the shaking stopped. As I opened my eyes, a dark shadow crawled from under my feet into the dark hole that hovered above the embroidered headless body of Ayahuma.
The snake depicted in the painting is an Anaconda, the animal representation of Ayahuasca.
34cm x 102cm / 13.5"x 40"
From the series of paintings (body-mind spirit blossoms) the images suggest the silhouette of people created by two peyote buttons at the level of the chest and the head. Flowers blossom in the heart and mind…alluding to the effects of peyote, for it shows us how to smile and is known to be good medicine for the heart.
The Gobernadora plant is a bush that often protects the peyote cactus in its natural environment, and it is common to find them next to each other. The branches on the Gobernadora Venado paintings allude to a deer, the animal which represents the peyote cactus.
34cm x 51cm / 13.5" x 20" (each)
68cm x 51cm / 13.5" x 20" (together)
From the series of paintings (body-mind spirit blossoms) the images suggest the silhouette of people created by two peyote buttons at the level of the chest and the head. Flowers blossom in the heart and mind…alluding to the effects of peyote, for it shows us how to smile and is known to be good medicine for the heart.
The Gobernadora plant is a bush that often protects the peyote cactus in its natural environment, and it is common to find them next to each other. The branches on the Gobernadora Venado paintings allude to a deer, the animal which represents the peyote cactus.
34cm x 102cm / 13.5"x 40"
From the series of paintings (body-mind spirit blossoms) the images suggest the silhouette of people created by two peyote buttons at the level of the chest and the head. Flowers blossom in the heart and mind…alluding to the effects of peyote, for it shows us how to smile and is known to be good medicine for the heart.
The Gobernadora plant is a bush that often protects the peyote cactus in its natural environment, and it is common to find them next to each other. The branches on the Gobernadora Venado paintings allude to a deer, the animal which represents the peyote cactus.
150cm x 108cm / 60" x 42.5"
This piece was commissioned by Laura Rodriguez Harker AKA (the Lorax) to my dear heart. This was the piece that allowed me to travel to Peru for my first Noya Rao diet with a Shipibo maestro in the Amazon rainforest. My first painting of Ayahuasca and Noya Rao, which translates to flying tree.
The symbolism in the painting includes an enormous white hummingbird (a symbol of Noya Rao) holding an ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis Caapi) represented by the anaconda.
The Shipibo culture incorporates color to identify a plant within its embroidery, based on a color often associated with the ayahuasca visions of that specific plant. In this case, it is associated with pink worlds of light.
Another element representing the tree’s essence is the clear white light that creates his piece’s sacred geometric patterns. Noya Rao, the “palo volador”, is used for illumination and for exploring non-duality.
120cm x 140 / 47" x 55"
This piece is a twist on an Andy Warhol design he did in the 80s towards the end of his career. The reimagining of this work refers to the contemporary movement of the use of psychedelics, and how they are proving themselves to be worthy of great respect within the fields of mental health and psychology.
108cm x 119cm / 42.5" x 47" (Each)
108cm x 240cm / 42.5" x 94" (Together)
Palmas Chinas, in the desert of Real de Catorce (Mexico), was my number one inspiration for painting in the 90s. With a growing fascination for Joshua trees, the serenity they bring, and the stillness they create. Everything there looks old, and that is the spirit of the peyote cactus often thought of as a wise grandfather.
In this diptych, the theme of duality of NIGHT and DAY comes alive in the symbolism of each side. On the NIGHT side, we have a rabbit and some agave plants, which are symbols related to Mayahuel, the goddess of fertility, represented by the full moon. On the DAY side, we have a deer, which represents the peyote (Lophophora williamsii) and we have the transformation of a single peyote plant to three from NIGHT to DAY. On the day side, we again have the Native American church colors representing a place for reunion, warmth, hope for a new day and new beginnings. The fire is what holds the piece together.
Above the three embroidered buttons, in the background, hides a grandfather figure with a blooming flower in his heart cheering for the life brought to this world.
108cm x 119cm / 42.5" x 47" (Each)
108cm x 240cm / 42.5" x 94" (Together)
Palmas Chinas, in the desert of Real de Catorce (Mexico), was my number one inspiration for painting in the 90s. With a growing fascination for Joshua trees, the serenity they bring, and the stillness they create. Everything there looks old, and that is the spirit of the peyote cactus often thought of as a wise grandfather.
In this diptych, the theme of duality of NIGHT and DAY comes alive in the symbolism of each side. On the NIGHT side, we have a rabbit and some agave plants, which are symbols related to Mayahuel, the goddess of fertility, represented by the full moon. On the DAY side, we have a deer, which represents the peyote (Lophophora williamsii) and we have the transformation of a single peyote plant to three from NIGHT to DAY. On the day side, we again have the Native American church colors representing a place for reunion, warmth, hope for a new day and new beginnings. The fire is what holds the piece together.
Above the three embroidered buttons, in the background, hides a grandfather figure with a blooming flower in his heart cheering for the life brought to this world.
108cm x 119cm / 42.5" x 47"
This piece is an exercise in cleansing energy through open spaces.
As an artist, I understand that my work will probably outlive me, leaving a footprint behind me. Therefore, with a sense of ethics, I am compelled to purge negative emotions via the canvas.
In this case, the fear of losing someone in the desert, when the reality was that he took off and left the camp site voluntarily, leaving a false sense of responsibility resting on my shoulders. In the wide-open space, there are two main symbols:
A four-color block representing the fireplace of the campsite, with the Native American church flag colors that represent the four races of humans in the world; white, black, yellow and red. Red, also being a symbol for fire, hope, and prayer.
A peyote button floats in mid-air with a blooming flower, and a dotted line of embroidered cotton plumes. The cotton plumes were added as a texture enhancer, because the cactus sprouts cotton plumes instead of thorns.
50cm x 140cm / 20"x 55"
Cubes is a nickname given to members of the Cubensis mushroom family.
The repetition of the mushroom caps gives the piece a pop art look, which is a nod to the microdosing boom we are seeing in the US and the recent acceptance of psilocybin by the FDA as a treatment for depression.
In the base of the painting, the white box depicts the mycelium of a fruiting Cubensis mushroom, with a label depicting a sunrise made out of spore prints.
34cm x 51cm / 14" x 20"
Within the Wixárica cosmovision, windows through which the gods can peek into our world can be opened. These windows are known as Nierika or eyes of God. This piece depicts a Nierika composed of multiple mushrooms, which form an abstract figure of a jaguar, a totem animal that eats fear.
20cm x 40cm / 8" x 16"
The spirit of each plant has an archetypal energy and state of mind that it provokes. Peyote is considered a wise elder spirit. In contrast, the character of psilocybin mushrooms, within Mexican culture, is characterized as child-like and is even called Niños Santos (holy children) for the childlike state they can generate.
30cm x 25cm / 12" x 10"
A composition depicting the colors of the Native American Church flag, the deep sense of gratitude for the mature perspective this plant teacher gives you, and the recognition for your commitment to the path.
20cm x 20cm / 8" x 8"
This painting depicts a peyote button mimicking an old-school rotary phone.
Within Wixárica cosmovision, the peyote button is a way to communicate directly to God.