Art Gallery — The Art Of Eddy Sara

"Kyodaina Joō". Part of a series of illustrations as a special collaboration between myself and my friends at Kyojin; a Japanese streetwear brand of which I've been a fan for some time, so I was delighted to get the chance to work with them. Thank you very much to the team at Kyojin Store! "Kyojin" basically translates to "Giant" so I've developed this series using that word as my starting point. This is my take on the movie poster for the 1958 sci fi horror movie "Attack Of The 50ft Woman". You can purchase this as a limited edition print in my store.

"Kyodai Robotto". Part of a series of illustrations as a special collaboration between myself and my friends at Kyojin; a Japanese streetwear brand of which I've been a fan for some time, so I was delighted to get the chance to work with them. Thank you very much to the team at Kyojin Store! "Kyojin" basically translates to "Giant" so I've developed this series using that word as my starting point.

"Meditation IV". Digital work to be printed on glass. Thoughts can clatter through our mind like a train, moving fast and loud, when we first sit down to meditate. With patience and time it’s possible to start to see that these thoughts have a beginning, an end and little gaps in between. This image represents that first exciting moment when you see that gap! “The Gap is the silent space between thoughts. It is the space where the mind stands still. No thoughts exist in this space. Hence, it is in the Gap that you can experience present moment awareness. From cultivating present moment awareness, inner wisdom and joy arises.” — Evelyn Lim

"Meditation II". Digital work to be printed on glass. This figure has managed to gain some separation from the crowd of thoughts and emotion outside... “Your goal is not to battle with the mind, but to witness the mind.” – Swami Muktananda

"Meditation I". Digital work to be printed on glass. The figure represents the vulnerable inner child at the centre of the mind. The birds and plants represent thoughts and emotions. The figure pictured is a person engaged in meditation, attempting to be still and observe thoughts and emotions, allowing them to fly by without attachment or judgement.

"Meditation III". Digital work to be printed on glass. The figure once again represents the inner child at the centre of the mind. The process of meditation has settled the mind at the bottom of a deep, vast ocean. The water carries the weight of the meditator, thoughts swim by and huge emotions drift overhead. “When you’re quiet, everything settles on the floor of your mind like sediment in undisturbed still water.” —Megan Monahan

"Up Too High". Digital work to be printed on glass. This is based on a recurring nightmare that I have once every year or two. It always begins with me perched on top of a very tall building with only a small platform and only enough room for my feet. Inevitably I get too tired to maintain balance and end up falling off, waking up upon impact with the ground. When I discussed this with my mum, she thought that this may mean that I feel I'm up too high in some aspect of my life. I think there is something to this. So often we feel that we don’t have the skills or the know how to do the jobs we're given, or to reach the goals we'd like to reach. But often all we need to do is to look inside ourselves, recognise the powers that are already there and go for it!

"Ride Your Happiness II". A digital piece to be printed on glass. A reimagining of an old piece. This piece is about recognising when you are happy, being present for it and enjoying every last drop of happiness until it has passed. When happiness picks you up, ride that sucker to the end of the line!

"Departure". Acrylic on ply board (810mm x 1120mm). This piece is about the transience of life. There are so many moments where we miss a boat that may never return, some more significant than others. The challenge is to understand and accept the unpredictable and fleeting nature of our existence and make peace with it. We can choose to be present and fully enjoy the fleeting moments that life presents us with.

"Inner Worlds". Acrylic paint on ply board (810mm x 1220mm). This work is about the inner world that we observe, navigate and live in every day. We also look out at the world from the context of this inner world and our interactions with the outside world are often shaped by the state of existence inside. Things like self-talk, and processing of emotions and thoughts. "Inner Worlds" was also the title for my solo show in December 2021 at @novacancygallery QV.

"Ride Your Happiness II". Acrylic paint on ply board (810mm x 1220mm) The happy bus is back again! This time on ply board! Ride it to the end of the line!

"No Pets Allowed". There was a No Pets Allowed policy at 72 Dundas St.

"Compassion for Self". Acrylic on ply board (810mm x 1020mm). "Instead of criticizing yourself for your inadequacies or shortcomings, what if you were able to cultivate an inner voice that was kind and understanding? Practicing self-compassion means acknowledging our pain and suffering, honoring and accepting our humanness, and caring for ourselves with warmth, caring, and kindness (Neff, 2018)." -Anika Guha

"A Peace Offering For Envy". A limited edition giclée print (329mm x 483mm) made as a part of a series on mental health and self care. To start to deal with feelings of jealousy, we first have to allow it to be. And be at peace with it’s existence within us. See also "Rein In Envy".

"Rein In Envy". Once we’ve accepted it’s existence within us, we can start to notice it tugging at us and rein it in as much as is possible. “Rein In Envy” is a limited edition giclée print (329mm x 483mm) made as a part of a series on mental health and self care.

"The Morning Routine". This was my entry into the 2021 Rick Amor Drawing Award. One morning I was brushing my teeth and suddenly found myself in tears. Depression had crept up on me. The act of crying is familiar but to see myself in emotional pain in the mirror, brought with it an existential moment which was not familiar. I felt compassion for myself when I might not ordinarily.

"Confront Your Fears II". A reimagining of an old piece. Ink, coloured pencil and acrylic paint on paper (300mm x 300mm). I’m hoping to create a picture story from this “befriending feelings” series as a kind of guide to dealing with strong emotions. This series was inspired by the work of Abby Seixas, particularly her chapter on befriending feelings in her book, “Finding The Deep River Within”. There are so many profound moments in that book that it’s hard to take it all in the first time around. I find myself re-reading sections year after year.

"Befriend Your Blues III". A reimagining of an old piece. Ink, coloured pencil and acrylic paint on paper (300mm x 300mm). This piece is about moving towards uncomfortable feelings of sadness. Honouring their role, spending time with them, getting to know them, and then saying goodbye to them, knowing that there is no need to be afraid or run away from these feelings should they come up again.

"Cling To Hope". A reimagining of an old piece. Ink, coloured pencil and acrylic paint on paper (300mm x 300mm). This artwork is about keeping hope afloat in times of hardship.

"Explore Your Fears II”. Ink, coloured pencil and acrylic paint on paper (300mm x 300mm). Trying to take my own advice this year and have agreed to take on some projects that are outside my comfort zone, full of unknowns for me, and will require me to have trust in myself and my abilities and to embrace failures and see them as learning opportunities.

"Take Loneliness For A Walk". A reimagining of an old piece. Ink, coloured pencil and acrylic paint on paper (300mm x 300mm). Another old one which came from a conversation with my mum about how she deals with loneliness. She said she goes for a walk.

"Forgive Your Guilt II". A reimagining of an old piece. Ink, coloured pencil and acrylic paint on paper (300mm x 300mm). Guilt is a bit of a problem in both sides of my family. I still remember when I was a kid, hanging up after a lovely long phone call with my grandma, only for her to call back sometimes several times to check that she hadn’t offended me or annoyed me in any way. I have also struggled with guilt, sometimes being dominated by these feelings, which were so often completely out of proportion with what I was feeling guilty about. Over time I’ve tried to acknowledge that guilt can serve a useful purpose in learning lessons from life and helping to guide me to improve my behaviour, but that sometimes feelings of guilt can spring up from things that are out of my control, or were an honest mistake. It can help to write these things down or talk to someone so that the feelings can be challenged or questioned with a sense curiosity. The self talk can be pretty harsh when these feelings pop up, so noticing the type of language you’re using towards yourself and then practising self compassion, or showing the type of kindness you would show to a close friend, to yourself, can turn things around.

"The Year 2020". I made this as we went through some of the longest lockdowns in the world. It was a significant year. So I wanted to make at least one piece of artwork about it. I think this is how a lot of people felt at the time. The battle became a lot more mental than physical for most. There were so many negatives that came from that situation. But there were a lot of positives there are to be had, even if it was just to truly appreciate what we have. Made with iPad and Procreate.

"River Crossing". Created as a wine label for "Dominio de las Abejas" which translates to Domain of Bees. They are Mexican wine makers from the Ojos Negros Valley, Baja California. The brief was that these wines are all on the "natural wine" spectrum, which means that they grow the grapes quite organically and sustainably, and the wines don't get any additives which allows for the wines to be true reflections of their origin. The inspiration for the name comes from the fact that in a happy ecosystem, without pesticides or herbicides, bees like to be floating around the vineyards, which is an indicator of the overall health of your vineyard. So in a good healthy block, bees reign supreme!

"Laid Back". Created as a wine label for "Dominio de las Abejas" which translates to Domain of Bees. They are Mexican wine makers from the Ojos Negros Valley, Baja California. The brief was that these wines are all on the "natural wine" spectrum, which means that they grow the grapes quite organically and sustainably, and the wines don't get any additives which allows for the wines to be true reflections of their origin. The inspiration for the name comes from the fact that in a happy ecosystem, without pesticides or herbicides, bees like to be floating around the vineyards, which is an indicator of the overall health of your vineyard. So in a good healthy block, bees reign supreme!

"Nectar Farmer". Created as a wine label for "Dominio de las Abejas" which translates to Domain of Bees. They are Mexican wine makers from the Ojos Negros Valley, Baja California. The brief was that these wines are all on the "natural wine" spectrum, which means that they grow the grapes quite organically and sustainably, and the wines don't get any additives which allows for the wines to be true reflections of their origin. The inspiration for the name comes from the fact that in a happy ecosystem, without pesticides or herbicides, bees like to be floating around the vineyards, which is an indicator of the overall health of your vineyard. So in a good healthy block, bees reign supreme!

"Moon Dream". Ink, and watercolour paint on paper (300mm x 300mm). I love sleep so much. Yet sleep is fairly illusive for me. That's why I made this one. I was dreaming about dreaming.

"Hakata Ramen 3am". I made this for fun, starting with the yellow car that I saw from a hot rod show, then I came across this retro Kodak jacket, and the rest flowed from there. Made using iPad + Procreate. Visit my Youtube channel to see the illustration process for this piece.

"Cling To Hope". Made using both traditional and digital media. Another one from the archives which came about during a difficult period in my life. I think that no matter what happens it's important to stay hopeful and know that if you hang in there, this difficult time will pass, and you'll experience joy again. As Andy Dufresne says to his friend in the movie Shawshank Redemption; "Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

“Let Grief Wash You To Another Shore”. Made using traditional dip pen and ink. For a very dark and tragic looking image, this artwork actually has a very positive message. We see here a naked and unconscious figure after a shipwreck. Broken and hurt, the figure clings to a piece of the wreck. Meanwhile the ebb and flow of the deep dark ocean slowly carries the figure towards a faint light in the distance. Another shore where they can catch their breath, recover, begin to live again and, over time, rediscover happiness. This piece attempts to recognise and describe the slow, dark, deep and essential function of grief. “… And here am I, budding among the ruins with only sorrow to bite on, as if weeping were a seed and I the earth’s only furrow.” –Pablo Neruda, “Lightless Suburb”

“Women At Work - Builder”. Made using iPad + Procreate. Was made as part of a series showing women excelling in male dominated professions, to be used as one of several illustrations making up a larger, repeating pattern. These were made as a collaboration with the amazing Stephanie Jade, fashion designer. She has created a beautiful men’s shirt and bomber jacket from the material featuring my illustrations.

“Women At Work - F1”. Made using iPad + Procreate. Was made as part of a series showing women excelling in male dominated professions, to be used as one of several illustrations making up a larger, repeating pattern. These were made as a collaboration with the amazing Stephanie Jade, fashion designer. She has created a beautiful men’s shirt and bomber jacket from the material featuring my illustrations.

“Women At Work - Fighter Pilot”. Made using iPad + Procreate. Was made as part of a series showing women excelling in male dominated professions, to be used as one of several illustrations making up a larger, repeating pattern. These were made as a collaboration with the amazing Stephanie Jade, fashion designer. She has created a beautiful men’s shirt and bomber jacket from the material featuring my illustrations.

“Women At Work - Firefighter”. Made using iPad + Procreate. Was made as part of a series showing women excelling in male dominated professions, to be used as one of several illustrations making up a larger, repeating pattern. These were made as a collaboration with the amazing Stephanie Jade, fashion designer. She has created a beautiful men’s shirt and bomber jacket from the material featuring my illustrations.

“Women At Work - Moto GP”. Made using iPad + Procreate. Was made as part of a series showing women excelling in male dominated professions, to be used as one of several illustrations making up a larger, repeating pattern. These were made as a collaboration with the amazing Stephanie Jade, fashion designer. She has created a beautiful men’s shirt and bomber jacket from the material featuring my illustrations.

“Women At Work - Pro Skater”. Made using iPad + Procreate. Was made as part of a series showing women excelling in male dominated professions, to be used as one of several illustrations making up a larger, repeating pattern. These were made as a collaboration with the amazing Stephanie Jade, fashion designer. She has created a beautiful men’s shirt and bomber jacket from the material featuring my illustrations.

"Legs Eleven". Created using both traditional and digital media.

"Take Loneliness For A Walk". Made using a mixture of traditional and digital media. Another old one which came from a conversation with my mum about how she deals with loneliness. She said she goes for a walk.

"Licked". Made with both traditional and digital media. One of the original artworks that I featured in Signed & Numbered in Greville St. For me, the lion represents the inner parent/guardian, the child represents the inner child that we all foster. I believe it's good to take care of that inner child. Stop to play. Be spontaneous. And be free from that to-do-list if only for a moment in the day.

"What Have I Done?". Made with both traditional and digital media.