“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” – Albert Einstein.
We have previously talked of Ayahuasca art, emphasising the symbolism behind the elements we’ve seen repeating through all art forms.
Paintings inspired by Ayahuasca: What they are, how they are made, what they stand for, and who makes them are just a few topics we will touch on in this article.
Ayahuasca journeys are highly visual, and as such, Ayahuasca’s teachings are mainly represented as paintings. We are visual creatures, evidenced throughout history and by scientific research.
Where does our desire to visually express things come from?
Drawing predates language. Cave paintings found in France (dating 32,000-30,000 BCE) and Australia around 40,000 BCE show that people were communicating with each other about things such as hunting places and the animals found there.
Why are we better at visual understanding?
According to the Visual Teaching Alliance, we can get a sense of a visual scene in less than 1/10 of a second. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text. Forty per cent of nerve fibres are linked to the retina.
What are Ayahuasca paintings?
“Paintings are a form of visual art that captures the expression of ideas and emotions on a two-dimensional surface. Artists use the elements of shape, colours, lines, tones, and textures in unique ways to produce paintings that convey sensations of movement, volume, space, and light – traditionally on a flat surface.” – Eden Gallery.
Ayahuasca paintings are the bounty of those skilled enough to colour and shape their lived experiences. As much as we are tempted to say they are clear reproductions of their encounters with Ayahuasca, we can’t forget that everything in the world is uniquely itself, no matter the core inspiration. In this way, only art can only get close to someone like Ayahuasca.
Words are fairly limited when it comes to describing the experience of Ayahuasca, which leads to painting being one of the most, if not the most, complete forms of expression when it comes to the vastness of what she teaches and represents.
How are they made?
There’s no mystery here: It’s all a skilful blend of natural dyes and acrylic, tree bark or canvas, inspiration, and talent.
The artists not only experiment with the materials they use, but they also further explore their psyche and subconscious. You will notice the influence of the brew on the artists long after the ceremony ends.
More than just talented artisans, they become voyagers, light warriors committed to bringing to light some of Ayahuasca’s most treasured teachings.
What do they stand for?
Paintings hold a wide array of purposes.
When it comes to viewing Ayahuasca paintings, we can underline some of the roles this impressive work can play in one’s life, both individually and as part of a community.
- It provides a way for the seeing eye to experience itself in relation to the universe and become open to its mysteries.
- Works as an incentive and fuel towards the remembrance of humanity’s balance and harmony with nature.
- It provides a sense of belonging and community.
- Reaches one’s soul through the path of the heart instead of that of the mind, inviting us to feel whatever it is.
- Invites self-expression and self-awareness.
- Teaches about forgotten cultures and their values.
- It’s an exploration of ideas and perspectives, often leading to a mind-breaking point.
- An expression of interconnectedness and time dilatation.
- A trigger of feelings.
- It gives birth to curiosity and an overwhelming desire to be there.
“For me, a painting is like a story which stimulates the imagination and draws the mind into a place filled with expectation, excitement, wonder, and pleasure.” – Painter J. P Hughston.
Who makes them?
Countless visionary painters amaze us through their work. Among them, some of the most renowned are:
One of the biggest names when looking to know more about Ayahuasca paintings is Pablo Amaringo.
Initially healed by shamans of a heart condition, he became one himself, a curandero. He began to draw and paint during his rehabilitation phase.
He was a self-taught Peruvian artist made known to the West by Luis Eduardo Luna and Dennis McKenna, as he drew, painted, and wrote intros for their books. Pablo is considered the creator of bright visionary art inspired by Ayahuasca and the mysteries of the Amazon.
His work is meticulously detailed and plays with elements such as the Amazon and its interaction with creatures, plants, and humans, all surrounded by a mystical and mysterious veil.
USKO-AYAR, Amazonian School of Painting, is the school he founded in 1988 with Luis Eduardo Luna and his wife, Sirpa Rasanen.
“The invisible world can become manifest to us. It is part of our mystic evolution. Everyone has a role to play in inspiring, creating, and evolving their minds to preserve the world. The spirits are working untiringly to protect Mother Nature – everything from the plants and animals to the circles of the planets.” – Pablo Amaringo.
A visionary we all admire, Amanda studied and assisted Ernst Fuchs, founder of Fantastic Realism, for over ten years, a time in which she sought to find her unique style and voice. And, oh, she found it!
In one of her multiple interviews, Amanda talks of her journey into discovering what has been a central piece in many of her paintings. The seed. The egg.
We quote – “I went on a journey searching for a form I could be totally safe in.” This proves Ayahuasca paintings can also come from waking quests of visions. With or without the brew, visions are always there to be seen as we ask our way into it and free the mind to receive more and more of it.
“My aspiration is to paint messages, visions, and narratives that communicate with an older and wiser us, awakening ancient memories; as well as the “present us”, so that we may grow up and accept the responsibilities towards ourselves, each other and the rest of existence on this planet… now.” – Amanda Sage.
A painter and artist from Peru, Luis invites us all to reconnect with the great mother through his paintings. His work expresses the tenderness and strength of the Amazon nature and all the wisdom transmitted to him by his ancestors.
“Through my visionary art combined with magical realism, I wish to pay tribute to nature. This very nature made me the man I am today, who is a constant source of inspiration and balance in my life.” – Luis Tamani.
Martina Hoffman is a painter and sculptor, a central figure in contemporary visionary art. Born in Germany and partially raised in West Africa, Martina studied art and sculpture in Frankfurt, where she met Robert Venosa. This fantastic realist artist inspired her to start painting.
Her work today is a window into one’s own landscapes and soul. Centred around the universal mother, she expresses her vision of expansiveness and bringing together the fantastic and sacred.
“As artists, we bravely bare our souls to the world and create maps of our inner landscapes. My work is an attempt to portray spirit as the one universal force beyond the confines of cultural and religious differences. By embracing our oneness as a global human family, the interdependency of all life as well as our universal interconnectedness, we have a chance to heal and transform the planet’s current state of woundedness.” – Martina Hoffmann.
David is an artist, author, and entrepreneur born in the USA who currently lives in Romania. If we are to define a genre, his paintings and poems fall into what we know as surrealism, visionary art, and mediumship. David draws inspiration from various sources, among them being – scuba diving, tribal art, shamanism, plant medicine, visions of animal and plant kingdom, as well as the energy of ancestors that guide his journey.
Be it through poetry or paintings, David is leading the seeing eye from fear to love, healing, and gratitude.
“I’ve carried a profound sense of connection to mythological archetypes in my trots around the globe, treks and deep dives in otherworldly landscapes, and studies of the diverse cultures inhabiting our planet. These inner and outer expeditions have informed my life’s lessons, which my soul commands me to pass down to my own descendants, through the storytelling medium of art.” – David Flusberg.
If you want to meet David personally, Biohacker Summit is where he is showcasing his art and poetry.
What elements of Ayahuasca paintings make them recognisable?
We can’t possibly go through all of them. Still, we can count many elements experienced and seen in Ayahuasca journeys by many people and, later on, have become common themes in Ayahuasca art.
We find elements of:
- Architecture – houses, temples, ruins, palaces, atriums, halls, and cathedrals of emerald.
- Works of art – paintings, sculptures, ceramics, articles of gold, carpets, tapestry, rich fabrics, jewels, swords, shields, crowns, and masks.
- Unknown cultures and objects – nothing in our history that we can relate to.
- Transportation – vehicles, boats, and flying ships.
- Religious relics – caduceus, biblical objects, and others.
- Musical instruments – the most common are trumpets.
- Connection to armageddon.
- Winged creatures and other mythological characters.
- The multilayered universe and its subtle connections.
- Ancient cultures – Romans, Tartarians, Egyptians, Mayans, and Indigenous.
Why own an Ayahuasca painting?
The secret power of these paintings comes from their capacity to transport the viewer to the very depths of the journey right away.
The artist might have journeyed over a long time before arriving, but they felt the overwhelming desire to share and lead others there upon arrival.
Ayahuasca paintings are, thus, books. The myriad of details they encompass are stories of the travellers, the characters they encountered, and how they made them feel.
They have the power to awaken deep desires within the seeing eye of the viewer as well as possibility and hope in their heart. It is also an invitation to continue a journey taken by the artist on a more personal note.
“A painting is never finished – it simply stops in interesting places.” – Paul Gardner.
Where to get them?
The most common way to buy Ayahuasca paintings is online, usually a print rather than the original.
Many of them direct parts of the incomes to the indigenous communities and art projects designed to teach and ensure this art form evolves with us.
Here’s a list of various places you can find and buy Ayahuasca paintings online:
What do these paintings seek to express (in essence)?
Beyond the painting hand that brings Ayahuasca worlds to life, the images painted seem to have a will of their own.
Could it be that the painters are but channelers of messages coming from Ayahuasca? What is she saying through these paintings?
- Give things a second look. The intricacy and continuity that make Ayahuasca paintings famous invite the eye to always give things time and look closely at how things are interconnected.
- It’s all a journey. All is but a continuum, like breathing, on and on and on.
- Magic exists. The bright colouring leads one beyond the normal into the magical.
- Dream states are gates between us. She is inviting us all to loosen up our defined realities and make way for things we don’t understand.
- There is nothing to be afraid of. We are at all times held.
- The world is genuinely ancient. Seeing how we are being loved and cared for can only make us imagine how old and wise Ayahuasca and the world are.
- Everything is always there, ready for us to find it.
We hope the article brought you closer to Ayahuasca, what she is, her teachings, and the magical art form she inspires. If you seek to find hidden passions or reconnect with the ones that lost their way to your heart, join Avalon’s Ayahuasca retreats in Europe.
Our last word goes to your heart – let yourself be nurtured and choose happiness, even if just for today.
