New Print: It’s Time To Pull Off The Impossible
Today I’m releasing the third of five posters in a monthly series called Marvelous Adventures. All characters for the series are pulled from Hindu mythology (Durga, Hanuman, Rama, Garuda, Kali) and feature some of the oldest superheroes on Earth.
Hanuman in Hinduism represents perfect self control, strength, stamina and devotion. There are many other monkey heroes and trickster characters in mythologies throughout Asia and many of those stories are related to Hanuman.
The story depicted here is one of his most famous adventures. During a battle, his comrade Lakshmana was injured and the only remedy came from a specific medicinal plant which grew on a mountain in the Himalayas. Being the strongest and fastest in the group, Hanuman was charged with the task of traveling thousands of miles to this mountain to retrieve it.
When he arrived, he discovered that many different plants grew there and not knowing which was the right plant, he lifted the entire mountain and carried it all the way across India to the place where Lakshmana was dying.
I love this story. My wife and our team often say “Let’s pull off the impossible” when we take on big art projects and ambitious goals and I think of this story at those times.
Hand-Finished Variants
Tattoos of Ravi Zupa Art
Tattoos of Ravi Zupa Art
Earlier this year I launched the Tattoo Gratitude Project. I asked my fans and supporters to send in images of my art as tattoos.
As a token of my gratitude for enjoying my art in this very personal and intimate way, I promised to send them a copy of the Gratitude print, the first in my Tattoo Gratitude series.
This exclusive print is not for sale—it is ONLY available to those who have received a tattoo of my work and the artist who created that tattoo.
Here’s a sampling of the incredible ink that’s been submitted so far:
SUBMIT YOUR OWN RAVI ZUPA TATTOO
If you have a tattoo based on my art, I’d love to see it. And as a thank you for wanting my art in your life in this very permanent way, I’d like to send you this gift – an 18″ x 24″ two-color print called Gratitude.
Fourth Release in Tattoo Gratitude Series Released
Now Available: It Is Inexhaustible, Fourth Release in Tattoo Gratitude Series
Every year around this time, there seems to be a lot of chaos and upheaval. Perhaps this is partly because of the change of seasons as we recover from the darkness of winter and begin our return trip toward longer days. Springtime is a violent and destructive phenomenon first, before it gives way to birth and nurture.
This fourth piece in the Gratitude tattoo series depicts a dragon, a cat who has caught a snake and a peacock. The words for this print are chapter 35 of the Tao Te Ching, reminding us that we have tools to center ourselves and stay clean-minded regardless of what happens outside of us. Good advice for such a time. I like this chapter because it describes this kind of clarity as utterly boring and ordinary.
Stay alert, stay ready and always draw from the well of calm inside you. That well cannot run dry. It’s inexhaustible.
It Is Inexhaustible Unique Variants
I have created these five unique variants of the It Is Inexhaustible print as part of this release. Each one is printed on hand-finished paper assembled from bits and pieces of prints from previous projects.
New Print: There's Work To Be Done
Today I’m releasing the second of five posters in a new monthly series called “Marvelous Adventures.” All characters for the series are pulled from Hindu mythology (Durga, Hanuman, Rama, Garuda, Kali) and feature some of the oldest superheroes on Earth.
Garuda is the courageous, loyal companion and mount to Vishnu in Hinduism. He symbolizes courage and strength and commitment.
Garuda is a hugely popular character throughout Asia, particularly the south east. His significance varies depending on the region. Much like Pegasus, who in Greek mythology refers to one specific winged horse but has come to refer to the whole race of magical beings, Garuda is the name of one specific winged bird in Hinduism. But, when the character crosses over into Buddhism, Garudas refer to a type of golden winged magical birds.
Many of the prints in the Marvelous Adventures series refer to specific Hindu stories. This piece does not. I’ve made Garuda into an American bald eagle and forced him to team up with his mortal enemies. It seems to me that a little bit less conflict and a little bit more cooperation in our culture is in order.
THERE’S WORK TO BE DONE
24 x 36 Inches
5-Color Screen Print
Edition of 50
Hand-Finished Variants
Third Release in Tattoo Gratitude Series Released
Third Release in Tattoo Gratitude Series Now Available
Mahakala is a character that is a fierce, chaotic form of Shiva (husband of Kali) in Hinduism and plays a significant role in Tibetan Buddhism. Like his wife, he is a symbol of time and thus is bound by no rules or structures of morality that we comprehend. Facing Mahakala is the most alarming and frightening event in the life of any consciousness, but it is important to remember that he is not our enemy.
Buraq is the brilliant, beautiful, being that carried a number of prophets, including Muhammad, to Heaven in the Islamic tradition. This drawing is inspired by the Indian and Persian depictions of him.
The text from this print is pulled from the Finnish epic poem “The Kalevala” (as was the text from the last two pieces in this series). In this section, a character receives instructions on how to conduct himself when he embarks on his first spiritual journey.
These instructions are also very basic, good advice for all of us when in the scary, disorienting, psychological spaces that we occasionally find ourselves.
Love.
Baraq and Mahakala Unique Variants
I have created these five unique variants of the Buraq and Mahakala print as part of this release. Each one is printed on hand-finished paper assembled from bits and pieces of prints from previous projects.
