Interview with the Artists
Anshula Tayal
Q: What do you feel divine femininity means to the average woman or girl?
A: According to me Divine Femininity is the ‘Energy Within’. The energy that empowers self. This is something that can be ignited with the help of few tools and techniques. We have always had these, but need to get them out of our back pockets. For me some of the tools are:
Being there for family, friends, community and your own little world.
Being able to heal your thoughts, your body, your emotions, self-image, self-esteem, and self-worth.
Being able to feel your feelings and express your emotions and vulnerabilities without the fear of being judged or shamed.
Being in the intuitive and harmonious state of mind though meditation, self-love and being sensual.
I can say all this now, but if I was asked what Divine Femininity meant to me few years back I would have associated divine femininity to divine goddesses that were worshiped all through our ancient mythologies and cultures. The divine respect and rights that all women need to be given because they are the creators and nurturers.
According to my 16 year old daughter divine femininity means to embrace the feminine side.
Q: You and Tara depicted Shakti as different beings. Were your depictions inspired by life experiences, perhaps a woman you've known, or did they come to you another way?
A: For me Shakti is every woman. I have lived and interacted with lots of women from both eastern and western parts of the world. Women from all different walks of life. I have worked with construction workers in India to corporate managers in the US. I have learned and been inspired from so many of these women. I can name a person and have a story for each depiction/tool that I have talked about in my art.
In short all my work is inspired by the empowered and powerful women in my life. These women are the true Goddesses in my eyes.
Q: Young female artists could always use role models to inspire them to follow their dreams. Is there something you'd say to yourself as a young girl that you would have loved to have heard back then?
A: I would tell the young me to try out all different techniques and mediums of art. Explore and see for myself what I enjoy.
I would have loved to be told, don’t be scared to make a mess, without a mess there will be no magic.
I would tell the young me that every piece of art I make does not have to be a masterpiece. Give up perfectionism and the fear of failure, instead enjoy the process.
I would have liked to be told that the fear of Blank Canvas is real….. But the only way out is to color it.
Tara Boirard
Q: What do you feel divine femininity means to the average woman or girl?
A: The average woman is so focused on making ends meet and everything that has to happen on a day to day basis that it is easy to forget that we are divine creatures. When you have bills to pay, a job to do, school to attend to and a family to care for it is almost impossible to think about anything but the daily tasks at hand. However, I think that we can see glimpses of the divine in our daily interactions. In caring for a child, a parent or a friend, you are Shakti as healer and protector. I think that when you are dealing with a personal struggle there are reflections there of Shakti as a representation of strength. Sometimes you have to draw on yourself as ‘Shakti as warrior’ just to make it through the day.
Q: You and Anshula depicted Shakti as different beings. Were your depictions inspired by life experiences, perhaps a woman you've known, or did they come to you another way?
A: For me, each painting is a different story and a different project. Inspiration comes from many different places. For example, in “The Prayer” there is an image of a dark bird hovering over a sleeping woman. She is in a vulnerable place trying to find strength in her spirituality. This piece was actually inspired by watching news coverage about the recent school shootings. As a Mother, it is incredibly painful and horrific to watch this assault on innocent children happening on a regular basis. Nothing is being done. I tried to convey this feeling of helplessness that exists when darkness looms and so much is out of our control. You have to draw on inner strength and your own spirituality to rise, forge on and fight the necessary fights.
Q: Young female artists could always use role models to inspire them to follow their dreams. Is there something you'd say to yourself as a young girl that you would have loved to have heard back then?
A: I would have told my younger self to just keep drawing and creating through it all. Art has always been in my life because I come from a family with many artists. It’s part of who we are. However, at different points in time – art has dropped to the background while I have allowed many other things to come to the forefront.
However, when I am in the process of making things and expressing myself; I feel myself functioning on a different plane and seeing the world through a totally different lens. This is the time when I feel most tapped into something larger than myself.