I was always interested in Asian culture, and recently my interest focused on Southeast Asia—India, in particular.

My dilemma was that there were virtually no Asian Indians in our local area, and if I had worked only from my imagination, it still would not have been enough, because any authentic culture demands a thorough knowledge of traditions and customs.

Ironically, a few months later a gentleman from England called my gallery to make an appointment with me. When he arrived to our Idaho gallery we were stunned to see a Hindu Swami from top to bottom dressed in his own traditional robes.

His intention was only to share an urgent, confidential and spiritual message, then return back home. But after hearing him, we all convinced him to stay with us longer. During five days of his visit he was teaching us about his culture and faith, eventually agreeing to model for me.

This turned out to be a four-month-long painting project, because every detail had to be authentically accurate.

The Enlightenment is not only about the Hindu worship and prayer, but about all of us finding our own way to spiritual enlightenment, peace and contentment.

Respecting the differences of our spiritual crossroad paths demonstrates maturity and is part of reaching the enlightenment.

Everybody needs time to reflect and contemplate, and the most inspirational and peaceful place to do so is the nature.

Through the Swami’s focus on beauty, wisdom and love everything is reviving, both spiritual and physical thirst is getting quenched, and the scorched hill is releasing its first flower as a symbol of rebirth.

Many people from across the world appreciate, respect and understand my work, but recently quite a few contacted my gallery with a complaint that I painted ’’Enlightenment ’’, a story about a Hindu swami.

Their irate comments are mostly coming from fundamentalist Christians who do not accept any themes apart from their own approved biblical characters.

Their concern is that I got deceived by the Devil who allegedly sent a Hindu swami across the whole world as counterfeit to Jesus’s model. Ironically, both models for Jesus and the monk paintings came through my very front door almost miraculously.

They are saddened, because they are convinced that I had lost my discernment between good and evil. Other groups of Christians accused me of the same in the past when I chose to paint even Jesus. A few even suggested that I should burn all my paintings and writings.

These people fail to comprehend that I am a journalist visionary artist who paints diverse cultures, faiths and realities from both the visible and non visible realms.

I am still learning and discovering new cultures, but I can assure you that the monk is no different from all of us who are seeking god and the truth.

In fact, he is one of the most humble, friendly, accepting and giving individuals I have ever met in my life, and during the four days he stayed with us, I found out that he was an answer to my prayer; for the past year I had been seeking to learn about different traditions and indigenous cultures from around the world.

I have been growing as an individual, and my understanding on life has significantly widened in ways I cannot describe, and only through my art can I fully reveal my new perspectives.

I am a citizen not only of this world, but of the whole universe, and I will continue expressing all of its faces, personalities and emotions.

As someone said: ‘’Even the stopped clock can show the correct time twice a day’’, I choose to be outside the time and robotic limitations of this finite world’s alarm clock.