“From a very young age, I have been attracted to art,” said Kanan Shah, graphic designer for Wanderlust. “I come from a spiritual family and growing up I would see my parents go to a hindu temple everyday in the morning to offer prayers. This became a part of my daily ritual, too.”
Born and raised in Bombay, India, Shah started mimicking temple paintings, portraits and scenes of lives from Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
“The vibrant colors, the mysticism, the untold secrets in the symbolism and the energy it carried was something that I kept going back to again and again,” Shah said. “I knew then that I wanted to become an artist.”
For more than 10 years, Shah has been practicing ink and calligraphy on paper. She sells her work and has been commissioned to design pieces for spas.
“My guru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, said, ‘Art should create a feeling of wonder and sarcasm.’ ” Shah said. “That’s the basis of my paintings. A lot of my material comes from spiritual talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, from scenes and lives of hindu gods and goddesses. But I add a twist of modern day events, humor and playfulness to it.”
As with many artists, Shah experiences a very special feeling when she is creating her art.
“I feel at home. At home you are natural and comfortable. Home is a place that is so deep within you – the source of everything and nothing. This place is the source of love, joy and peace, which, in turn, fulfills that longing of being one with the infinite.”
[envira-gallery id=”58371″]To contact, Kanan Shah, you can email her.