Page 9 - Sacred Nude

Sacred Nudes and Spirituial Geometry: and the ‘ego’, an omnipresent self represented here by The
Meditative art of Jessica K Ballantyne Flower of Life”.

The body and the way it can encompass various meanings and taboos While working in oil is favoured, Ballantyne wanted with Sacred Nude
has always inspired Jessica K Ballantyne. The artist is specifically inter- to achieve something distinctive, choosing to neutralise the figures with
ested in the subjective experience and how psychological states can be softer outlines; using the more transient medium of graphite on paper,
conveyed through the nude female figure. and a less vibrant palette. She also experimented with wax pencils and
metallic spray paints for background effects. The Flower of Life is off-
Ballantyne’s recent series of 11 mixed-media drawings, Sacred Nude, set by a shimmering effect, which places the figures in relief so that the
combines the idea of the classical western nude with a surreal twist: the Flower of Life appears both metaphorically and technically as a source of
doubling of bodies, set alongside the Flower of Life. The Flower of Life is light.
a significant symbol throughout culture and history and one that can be
found on ancient temple walls around the world. Through its mathemat- Enjoy the art and the poetry :)
ical measurements and links to biology, science and astronomy it is said
to contain the knowledge of the universe. Leonardo da Vinci is recorded
as having been artistically motivated by sacred geometry and specifically Contact:
the Flower of Life and its proportions, as can be seen in his Vitruvian Website: www.jessicaKballantyne.com
Man. email: Jessica@jessicaKballantyne.com

“I want the act of creating to be meditative and healing, a space
in which to still the mind. My dream is to be able to share some
of that magical creative force and flow with the viewer”.

After participating in a meditation workshop by Joe Dispenza DC,
Ballantyne was inspired by an intense physical and psychological ex-
perience, which left her elated about meditation and its possibilities as
a practice for reaching beyond the symbolic mind. Based on neurosci-
ence and changing thought habits, this meditation practice inspired
her to create the Sacred Nude series of artworks as a vehicle to channel
her powerful experience. In these pieces, The Flower of Life represents
divinity, peace and subjectivity, the true self. Many of the mirrored,
distorted nudes were inspired by 19th century images of “hysteria” and
vintage pornography.

“My intention was to convey a sense of splitting the ‘self’ from
the ‘ego’, of a division that would not end with two separate
entities, but with one. One self that observes the split, the ‘self’