Spirit Of The Andes

COURAGE, LOVE, RECEPTIVITY

+ Printed using archival quality Giclée printing
+ Museum-grade inks on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm (matte finish)
+ Rich colour depth, fine detail, and a yummy velvety surface texture
+ Designed to last a lifetime without fading

𓂀 ♅:::☥•~~~

The Spirit of the Andes is one of the most special pieces I've ever created. It was born in the mountains of Catamarca, Argentina - a trip that cracked me right open and completely reshaped my life. We were staying at a house nested in a valley surrounded by cactus’, chickens and turkey squawks. I’d just taken a leap of faith to travel there, and didn’t have many art supplies with me apart from a basic black pad and a few pens. One afternoon, I was staring out the window and had a sudden urge to draw a being. I rarely begin with figures, but there it came, staying unfinished on the table for weeks. Sunlight poured across it every day, the Andes reflecting through the window...it felt like the being was watching us as we watched it.

Then one day, after visiting a museum in Catamarca, seeing all the gorgeously rich ancient ceramics and artwork, it’s clear how deeply these people were naturally tapped into the forces beyond physical reality ~ in a way many of us may never fully understand or experience. I recognised my own random shapes in their designs, as if their voices had always been speaking through time without my conscious awareness.

On the way home, there were SO MANY synchronicities (those ‘wtf wow how is this even happening kind of synchronicities). Then to top it off, a huge butterfly we’d never seen before flew across the door just as we were about to walk in!

That evening, I knew it was time to approach the being again. I sat with my pens and EVERYTHING came rushing through in one sitting. All the spirals, the patterns and the lines…There was such a different feeling while creating it from anything else I’ve drawn before. The only way I can describe is it felt like a wild conversation that was happening across many dimensions with the ancestors we’d met that day.

The original now lives in a hostel in Villazón, Bolivia, on the border of Argentina and Bolivia - the starting point of our big journey north into Peru. I wanted it to stay there, because so many travellers pass through. It’s a conversation waiting for whoever is ready.

Each time you look at this piece, new layers will reveal themselves. Let it live with you. Let the ancient voices of the Andes speak to + evolve through you <3