In A Trance

Ayesa Love

Major: Fine Arts Practice, BFA

My current project which I practice religiously, is my dedication to making new art everyday no matter the circumstances. My everyday pieces range from digital art, watercolor, gouache, pen and ink and even animations. I love learning and trying new tools and materials. Since these pieces are posted every day on social media, it forces me to make things without overthinking, which has taught me a lot about letting go even when I feel a work is incomplete. It’s my way of surrendering to imperfections.

Outside of my everyday pieces, I’ve also been exploring performance art. For 60 days, I made artwork while blindfolded in a shamanic trance, with my custom paint brushes that I devised from my hair and ceremonial tools. I used a variety of mediums that ranged from watercolor and gold ink to tinctures made from tobacco, chocolate, wine and charcoal.

The inspiration for the brushes came from a a rite of passage in 2014, were I cut off all my hair while backpacking in the jungles of Mexico. For years, I held onto this hair, not sure how to dispose of it until I had the realization in the spring of 2019, that I needed to use it to make a set of paint brushes. The hair held an intense time in my life, and I wanted to transform those old stories by writing a new one which was the inspiration for the series “In a Trance.”

My goal is to remain mindful of what I am creating while allowing my values, work ethic and shamanic practice to translate throughout my projects. Consciousness, human behavior and morality has been an inspiration that motivates me to find ways of bridging spirituality and art in a way that is meaningful, transparent and unconventional.