Nadya Pryaneg creates visionary paintings that celebrate the sacred feminine, protection, goddesses, spiritual awakening, healing, calmness, nature and kindness.
Recurring themes and elements in her work include states of consciousness, ancient Indian philosophy, the nature of the soul, sacred geometry, spiral patterns, and awakening through difficult life journeys. She is also a designer, creating intricate hand-made printed, bleached and braided festival wear and swimwear through Love Light Earth, her ethical fashion brand.
Nadya is a classically trained architect, and she still uses patterns inspired by that portion of her life in her paintings today. She worked as an architect for a while before starting to paint in the early 2010s, and she never looked back.
Nature Symbolism – Snakes and Protection
Nature plays a key role in Nadya’s art, with animals and foliage appearing in every piece. Again, this isn’t a conscious decision she makes, but rather something that is part of her very being, that manifests itself in her instinctive drawing process.
She also depicts animals in unique ways, even when those depictions sometimes contradict mainstream views. For example, snakes show up often in her art, and they are always symbols of protection.
This particular large acrylic painting of a snake was created during a difficult period of Nadya’s life, and the intricate process of its creation helped distract her from negative thoughts. As the artwork took shape, Nadya found that the coiled snake had taken the form of an unalome, the ancient Tibetan symbol of finding enlightenment by achieving self-realization and internal harmony. She was able to transform her struggle into something creative.
Snakes – in addition to their Indic symbolism as sigils of eternity and divine wisdom – are powerful agents of protection in Nadya’s art. Even viewing her paintings of coiled serpents can bring courage, inner fortitude, and the determination to seek wisdom and truth regardless of external circumstances. Her first snake painting was created with deep intention, and accompanied by a prayer for protection.
Nadya feels a deep connection to snakes, and she has observed their protection working even after their life – for example, seeing a dead snake on a trail is a warning not to go any further.
The Divine Mother in Nadya’s Art
This acrylic painting created by Nadya in 2021 depicts Kali Maa, the Hindu goddess of death, rebirth, nurturing protection, and righteous fury.
Many of Nadya’s visionary paintings depict the sacred feminine, various aspects of the Divine Mother goddess. This particular painting features Kali Maa in her role as Mother Nature, reflecting the power of every woman to do things to protect the innocent that no one else can – or will dare to – do.
The painting is also very rich in symbolism. If you look carefully, you can see the skulls with which portraits of Kali Maa are traditionally adorned, as well as several aspects of the Moon – from the cycles on the left of the painting to a small inset of Lord Shiva with the crescent moon in his matted locks. There are also snakes and intricate floral patterns, as well relevant Devanagari text. Even the color scheme – with the pale greens that evoke images of death, and the yellows that signify rebirth – is in keeping with the overall theme of the deity invoked.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this very meaningful painting is that the symbolism, even though it is relevant and layered, was not planned in advance. During the intense experience of creating the artwork, Nadya found it speaking through her, and all that the viewer sees on canvas is a result of the visionary process of creation, and the intention with which it was created.
Nadya still remembers the specific circumstances which led to the intention behind the painting. It was created as a release from the pain that came with the end of a relationship, and she wished to let go of the person and the hurt. After the artwork was completed, she noticed a gradual healing and, within two years, it happened – the pain was gone. This mirrors the duality of Kali Maa – in addition to being a fierce avenger, she is also an aspect of the Divine Mother, and helps all beings break free of negative cycles and uses her powers to protect them from harmful influences. Even though she is often associated with death and destruction, there is always cyclic rebirth, and the annihilation can also be symbolic: letting go of the past to realize one’s full potential.
Buddha and the Squirrel
“Buddha and the Squirrel” is an acrylic painting that brings together concepts about generosity, giving, and enlightenment. It examines the concept of real prosperity.
Nadya was inspired to create the painting after seeing a meme about Buddha and a squirrel. The text in the meme takes the form of a squirrel’s thoughts: “Dear Buddha, I would like to have your peace, your serenity, your wisdom, and your divine nature. But, most of all, I would like to have your acorn hat!”
Nadya turned the meme around for her artistic interpretation, and showed the squirrel offering an acorn to the Buddha. Through this, she was able to convey her point of view, which is that true prosperity lies in giving, not in taking. The Bodhisattva depicted in the painting is Maitreya, known as one of the Bodhisattvas of prosperity.
The artwork also brings to mind many famous tales of the Buddha and his interactions with tiny woodland creatures. During his early travels, when he sought the way to enlightenment through meditation, there were many frustrations, there was tiredness, there were privations.
It was then that the Buddha met a squirrel who wished to offer him a nut that had just fallen into a lake. Instead of despairing, she jumped into the lake, came out, shook the water off her body, and repeated the process again. Initially, the Buddha marveled at the apparent futility of the exercise, because it would take forever to drain the lake. But he quickly understood the deeper meaning, and the level of resolve required to attain his goals, to understand the true meaning of meditation.
“Buddha and the Squirrel” is very rich, thematically. In the painting, we see the compassion and the kindness in the Buddha’s eyes. But even that is dwarfed by the kind act of the squirrel, and the offering of the nut is the central focus of the artwork. All the other spirals – the majestic sweep of the squirrel’s tail, the cosmic trails that the stars leave, the background patterns – serve to accentuate the selfless gift of the nut, and illustrate how one of the most enduring figures of world spirituality could still learn something from a tiny animal.
Light also plays a central role in the painting, as it does in many of Nadya’s works. The scale is grand, and the purple backdrop of the sky with its twinkling stars serves to place the two main characters in a grand, universe-spanning scale. Calmness and enlightenment – both these qualities come from the wisdom of letting go of the self and giving rather than taking endlessly. The light that permeates the painting, a mixture of magical glow effects, is an effective visual metaphor for the enlightenment that the Buddha experienced through his encounter with the squirrel.
Recurring Themes: Light and The Eye
Light plays an important role in much of Nadya’s art: whether there are clearly defined sources of light illuminating a painting, or implicit elements like stars and the moon, there is always brightness, even when the topic of a painting might be dark. There are always sparkles and glimmers, and portions of some paintings positively seem to glow and emit their own light. Some of her pieces are sketched or painted with UV reactive paint, as a direct visual reminder that her art is a light in the dark.
The third eye is an important element in Nadya’s visual art, and many of her pieces feature characters with three, five, or even seven eyes. This ties into the visionary and psychedelic nature of much of her work, and accentuates the importance of spiritual and mental awakening, of cleansing the doors of perception.
Love Light Earth: Soul Made Fashion
Nadya has her own fashion brand – Love Light Earth. Through this, she brings the magic of hand-made creations to people across the world, with many designs inspired by traditional Goan clothing. She was fascinated with the art after encountering it the first time, and spent many years learning all the steps, from bleaching to branding and printing, steps which had been passed down from generation to generation.
Her creations include body suits, hoodie dresses, bell bottom pants, long sleeve tops, mermaid sets, swimsuits, leggings, and bamboo dresses. In keeping with her overall ethos, these pieces are handmade and the materials are ethically sourced. Each piece of fashion can also be used in a wide variety of contexts.
Nadya does all the work herself, from cutting and braiding to adding hand print patterns which are all unique, so that no two pieces are exactly alike.
Nadya’s fashion output is an extension of her visual art practice, and many of the same aesthetic elements can be seen in both. From the emphasis on visionary patterns to the similar thematic elements (e.g. snake hand print patterns and moon prints), Love Light Earth is fashion that comes right from her soul.
Links
Nadya Pryaneg: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pryaneg/.
Love Light Earth – Fashion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/love_light_earth/.
Nadya Pryaneg: ArtPal: https://www.artpal.com/nadyapryaneg.