Some people have told me that they are not creative, and feel intimidated by an empty page or having to create something “from nothing” (or for nothing). And may get even more uneasy if they don’t have anything to paint from, like an object in front of them. Let me know in the comments if […]
My dear friend and fellow Certified Therapeutic Art Life Coach Michele Stone invited me to lead a free Facebook live class with her on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, October 10th. She wanted to offer it to the people affected by the recent hurricane [Helene], which had impacted millions along the East Coast, […]
I am excited to be participating in the Damascus Open Studios for the first time, this Friday, May 17 to Sunday, May 19, from 10am – 5pm. For more information visit https://damascusopenstudios.com/ If you are near the area in Oregon come and visit. It is supposed to be a warm and beautifully sunny weekend and […]
I have been using intuitive and healing painting for many years and love it. It’s my favorite way to paint. It is so much more exciting to paint without knowing what the end result will be while letting the flow of creativity run freely onto the paper or canvas along with all the emotions and […]
Spring has arrived here in Oregon and its arrival fills me with excitement and wonder. As I drove out for some shopping the other day, I found myself awestruck by the beauty that surrounds me – the vibrant colors, and the breathtaking scenery. It’s like driving through a fairy tale land. With every twist and […]
One of my paintings “Drowning – A Piece of Heaven” has been accepted to the group exhibition “Personages” at the ACCI Gallery and can be viewed in Berkeley, California from March 1- April 5, 2024. The gallery also has an exquisite collection of artworks ranging from paintings to glass, jewelry, textiles, and pottery. Check it […]
We are already well into the new year and I felt so rushed to make a New Year’s resolution when I am still feeling the need to reflect and sit still to digest the past year and I haven’t even finished my review of the last year. I did however have a flash of insight […]
read that…“Instead of thinking of experience as a collection of objects or nouns, feel only in terms of verbs:• Instead of thinking, ‘I know such and such’, feel, ‘There is only knowing and I am that’.• Instead of thinking, ‘I love you’, feel, ‘There is only loving and I am that’.• Instead of thinking, ‘I […]
It is gorgeous here in Oregon, the colors are out of this world. God is the most amazing artist. Living in Oregon now and I am thoroughly enjoying the seasons here. The rains and color changes and crispness in the air remind me of Germany, where I grew up. I am wondering if I will […]
I am back after a wonderful journey to Kashmir. We (Lakshmanjoo Academy) had a group of 65 people joining us on this pilgrimage into the land of the origins of the ancient philosophy of Kashmir. Visiting sacred sides, emerging ourselves in the teachings of the ancient philosophy of Kashmir, and enjoying the landscape of the […]
It followed me, into the beauty of art, the thoughts of war, like a giant hollow, in my heart, a pain, that nags, the insides, I can’t seem, to shake it. words © Claudia Dose painting © Claudia Dose
When I was in India in 2022, I saw a small captivating photo of my spiritual teacher’s teacher. His eyes looked straight at me, intense but compassionate, unlike any picture I had seen of him before. I had to paint a portrait of him in large. Swami Mahatabkak was a revered saint from Kashmir and […]
I went to the Anselm Adams exhibit in San Francisco with my dear friend Linda. I was curious to see very old photos of the Bay Area and see what it looked like in those days and how much it has changed. I was curious how Anselm would portray the landscape that had been my […]
I started a new portrait painting. After finishing my latest digital painting I was longing for some “real” paint and canvas. When I was in India this summer, I saw a very captivating photo of my spiritual teacher’s teacher and decided to paint it in large (20×24 inch). Update 8/18/23 with a slideshow to illustrate […]
I had the great honor to be commissioned for a painting that will grace the temple walls where Swami Lakshmanjoo, a philosopher/saint from Kashmir, India was initiated. It has taken me a long time to work on and get the approval of all involved – a work in process. (background music: guitar by me)
Spending the winter alone in the Nothern California mountains, and enjoying it so much to have the space and time to myself. At first, I was a bit nervous but now that I know it’s only the mice that make a ruckus in the hallway and set off the motion sensor, I enjoy the silence, […]
Starting the year late… with a Valentine ❤️ for trees… for my first sale of the year. Join me for my 2022 fundraiser for planting trees! You can choose between two charities that I support Fundraiser with TreeSisters (best for donations from the UK and EU) Fundraiser with OneTreePlanted (worldwide) The painting below is my […]
I am not sure where or how this year has gone so fast, it all seems like a giant blur. If yours has been anything like mine you may also feel the urgent need to reconnect with yourself and center yourself, especially before the busy holiday season. Let’s center ourselves together. The other day I […]
“It was perhaps one of your greatest acts of love, Claudia. Choosing to be alive at a time when so many live so deeply in the dark. And already things are looking brighter. All bow, The Universe Your finest hour, Claudia. Mine, too.”
Woohoo! I am happy to report that the organization that I donated and supported with the “painting for trees” fundraiser and auction, One Tree Planted, is planting trees in Australia by launching three new local nurseries for bushfire recovery! As of today we have contributed $2,325 and planted 2325 trees with OneTreePlanted. Thank you all […]
Moving into the “middle of the woods” has rekindled my childhood love of nature, seeing so many trees around me, curious to learn more about them. As a kid I would roam around “hinter den sieben Bergen” (behind the seven mountains) as we called the wild lands behind where we lived or ride the bike […]
Ending the limited I-consciousness. The eighth Kali finally puts an end to the limited I-consciousness (containing 5 organs of knowledge – Jnanendryas: organ of hearing, organ of touching, organ of seeing, organ of tasting, organ of smelling; 5 organs of action – Karmendryas: speech, hand motion, foot motion, excretion, creative organ; plus 2: mind and […]
I am so happy to report that the Auction for trees and spirituality – painting to benefit the causes I am most passionate about raised a whooping $590.40! That is $295.20 for each of my favorite causes…. almost 300 trees planted by OneTreePlanted and almost $300 for the Universal Shaiva Fellowship. It brings the “2020 […]
As an indirect result of my study of the 12 Kalis, and perhaps the current circumstances in the world at large, I found myself drawn towards painting Kali standing on Shiva with the surroundings slightly modernized to the current situations…
Update! I have added new items and re-opened the auction again for only this weekend… Check it out now! I have been so saddened about all the trees going up in flames in the millions around the globe right now. And, it has made me feel inadequate trying to even plant 2020 trees as […]
We have been having so much smoke and red sky here in the bay area, I can’t even comprehend how many trees have gone up in flames… so sad! Living here with all the beautiful national parks and wildlife around it feels even more urgent to do something about Climate Change, as we are directly […]
I am happy and looking forward to a group exhibit that I am going to be part of in Florida at the Carrollwood Cultural Center. The group I am exhibit with has been a very special group of women. For the past 7 years, we have been meeting online regularly to generate more joy in […]
Furiously frowning in Her dance of destruction. By the flame of Her unlimited power, she devours in one gulp the entire universe at the time of total dissolution. She destroys all doubts immediately without any effort on the part of the yogi. Compare to Yamakālī who requires effort. An exploration into the 12 Kalis thru […]
When I was starting to explore the 12 Kalis creatively, sketching and intuitively painting, and just letting happen whatever wanted to emerge (my favorite way to paint), the beginning of this painting appeared. As I was further researching more of the details of the 12 Kalis, it didn’t seem to fit the series, so I […]
Got myself a little aquarium pump, and together with a giant glass jar and a few pebbles it turner into instant relaxation and calm! I just love the sound of it. So simple! What is your way to relax?
The conscious energy, hungry for pure subjectivity ‘kills death’. Here in the cognitive cycle it is the death of the ego, self reflection, and yet the knowledge “i created this” which still carries the residues of duality. Pride is the king of objectivity and therefore of death; the ego and death being intimately connected. This […]
Where the senses awaken and all potential lies. A brain ready to receive its signals. Sending its tangles of nerve fibers into the unknown. A black hole, which absorbs stars and planets in its void and at the same time spits out another new universe elsewhere. Black the color that includes all colors. White is […]
Mixed media painting (round fabric designed by me, watercolor, acrylic paint on watercolor paper 8 x 8 inches). An abstract exploration into the 12 Kalis. Functions in five states of Kali: who throws out, who knows, who counts, who goes/resorts, who shouts/sounds.
Watching (and “reading” the audiobook of) Outlander has been a real time-bender for my mind. It stretches and bends and warps my sense of the idea of time. There is ‘me’ in this time of global pandemic watching an actor from my time playing a character from the time just after the Second World War […]
The void stage. This stage of withdrawal happens in the objective cycle after creation (#1 Sṛiṣṭikālī,) maintaining (2 Rakta-kālī,) and destruction (#3 Sthitināśakālī) if one doesn’t fall into sleep. This is where the energy (of Kali) attracts everything into herself. This is the continuation of a series on the 12 Kalis, read more about the […]
How has the COVID and #stayhome time treated you? Are you working from home, back to work with social distance and face covered, lost your work/home or thriving with the extra time to yourself? Getting anxious to get out again? Or are you relaxing into the “not knowing” that this time brings and the uncertainty […]
नवरेह मुबारक “Navareh Mubarak”, as they say in Kashmir, congratulations for the New Year that just started according to the Kashmiri calendar. I am very inspired by Greta Lundberg, maybe because I feel a bit like her, tiny and powerless to change the world. Yet her courage has tremendous power. I admire how she keeps […]
I guess by now you have heard about the impact climate change has through the extreme example in Australia. The pictures of dying animals and fleeing people on smoke-filled beaches are heartbreaking. I couldn’t stand it any longer and had to do something. I looked at the fundraisers for koalas and people and saw that […]
I finally joined the local art center and participated at their member show. The reception was incredibly packed, with people as well as with amazing artworks. Here are some of the artwork that impressed me…
Do you believe that the Universe or Higher Self or God or whatever you want to call it puts us in situations where we learn more about ourselves? I kept thinking about that while I was painting and finishing my most recent portrait of a toddler girl. At first, I was just glad that I […]
After a month of work, here she is… Tada! I am happy to hand her back to her mother 🙂 Details, close up… Acrylic paint on canvas, 24 x 20 inches, painted around the edges, ready to hang. You can see the process here… Contact me if you would be interested to have your or […]
I am taking a welcome break from painting the 12 Kalis and instead working on a commissioned portrait painting of a cute toddler girl. It feels more lighthearted to paint a portrait and not to be focusing so deeply on the meaning of life and death, hahaha. To prepare the portrait and to I transfer […]
What is emotional literacy and why do we need it? “We have to have emotional literacy to practice empathy and self compassion. We have to have a vocabulary to talk about our emotions. The average number of emotions that people are able to name is three: Happy, sad, depressed. That is not enough. The more […]
This is the continuation of a series on the 12 Kalis, read more about the concept behind the series… The first Kali: Sṛiṣṭikālī – first expansion – creation in the cycle of objectivity., #2 Rakta-kali – drinking from the goblet of the senses – maintaining in the cycle of objectivity. The third Kali: Sthitināśakālī – […]
I just moved into my new studio in our garage, so I can finally paint undisturbed. I was yearning for this for a while. Beginning of this year I got a taste of it as I rented part of a garage down the hill in town. Now, this is much more convenient, close enough to […]
This is the second Kali in a series on the 12 Kalis, read more about the concept behind the series… The first Kali was Sṛiṣṭikālī – first expansion – creation in the cycle of objectivity. The second Kali: Rakta-kālī – drinking from the goblet of the senses. Protection in the cycle of objectivity. The second […]
This is the continuation of a series on the 12 Kalis, read more about the concept behind the series… Starting with the first one: Sṛiṣṭikālī – first expansion. Creation in the cycle of objectivity. The first expansion*. Creation in the cycle of objectivity. The first impulse of perception, the first expansion*. Here is the verse […]
Staying with my friend and her cute little dog in her Japanese themed house and marvelous Zen garden. Its so calm and meditative here that I feel like I am on a retreat.
Spent a wonderful creative painting afternoon with my favorite art pals from the Culver City Art Club.
Back in LA, preparing for the birthday celebration for our spiritual teacher, followed by a study retreat. In an attempt to get at least some small amount of creativity into my day, and inspired by a stash of glitter and gel pens I decided to do a doodle a day. Combining that with an emotional […]
We went to Kashmir for a family celebration and then ended up staying double the time we had planned, all of April. It was the most peaceful and the most beautiful I have ever experienced in Kashmir. We were able to visit a few temples and sacred places and ancient sites…
Expansion! That is my motto for the year 2019. To find and expand my boundaries, stretch* and challenge myself. As I continue with the series of the 12 Kalis, I understand them as a quest to expand myself also… “Each of the 12 Kalis is called Vikasa or expansion because the universe is not created […]
I had enough! Enough of not having a space to paint. Enough of doodles and small sketches and still being disrupted. I was going crazy without being able to put my creativity anywhere. As Virginia Woolf so famously wrote in her book A Room of One’s Own (1929), “a woman must have money and a […]
While I was in India to rejuvenate at an ayurvedic clinic/ashram doing panchakarma (cleanse), I was also planning to paint, journal and scribble. What I didn’t plan was that I had a cold/cough for two weeks and couldn’t start the treatments during that time. At first I was a very disappointed but then realized that […]
I went on my first outing since my mega cleanse. I had asked the doctor if we could see where the Ayurvedic medicine comes from (like many other Ayurvedic clinics they make their own herbal concoctions). Every Sunday they go and visit the farm, not far from the main house. One of two plots is […]
It’s been already two weeks in India and it seems like I have been here forever. We spent almost a week with the sweetest family in Bangaluru. Now we are a week into Panchakarma Ayurvedic treatment but due to a bad cold I haven’t been able to start the actual treatment. What has started already […]
Looking at some pictures of the recent, horrific forest fires in California, and also some photos of previous wild fires I noticed how nature bounces back, even in some cases thrives, after a forest fire and how some trees can’t propagate and grow seeds without being exposed to the fire and extreme heat. In some […]
Kali is an Indian name for the feminine energy, who like a divine mother creates, maintains and destroys the universe from within her own nature. You have probably seen already a painting of her with tongue sticking out and many arms, one of them holding a sword. Well, that is not what I had in […]
Went to the panel discussion for the art show “Wonder Women: Local Treasures” at the Berkeley art center . . . and thought about the 12 Kalis, feminine energy! From their brochure: Curated by George Krevsky featuring artists: Helen Berggruen, Kay Bradner, Stacey Carter, Dana DeKalb, Lisa Esherick, Robbin Henderson, Naomie Kremer, Diana Krevsky, Tabitha […]
Not sure why I love Persian music so much, and this one went straight to my heart . . . my heart will not be still it is trapped in his noose if it does not perish in this passion it is because of the master’s grace his pain is the real cure heart ache […]
How do you cope with “dark” days? At least weather wise I am having difficulties to get used to the darkness and clouds here in the north of Germany. To cheer me up I decided to visit the art museum, Kunsthalle in Bremen. This time I was strange drawn not to the colorful paintings but […]
Today was a typical foggy day on the coast and I took the bus down to the small town of Vegesack, Bremen, in the North of Germany. In the tiny harbor of Vegesack they have a museum part where they keep older ships, its like a museum. This is where I took the photos… Hope you enjoy!
I ordered a couple of stretched canvas prints of my paintings and really love the way they turned out. Check out my store or contact me for more information. Below are some older paintings I had printed on stretched canvas… 40 x 30 inches
I believe that there is wisdom in trees. “When we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy,” wrote Hermann Hesse in his lyrical love letter to our arboreal companions. Kalpavriksha, the tree of life, also meaning “World Tree” […]
Did you know that the heart is actually what runs our brains? I read that… “Most of us have been taught in school that the heart is constantly responding to “orders” sent by the brain in the form of neural signals. However, it is not as commonly known that the heart actually sends more signals […]
This is the continuation from a series of paintings that started off digitally (A Sacred Sanctum for the Wounded Feminine Voice). Now continued in mixed media on styrofoam*, my favorite medium for the time being. While I was painting this one I was listening to throat chakra opening chants and meditative music, to tune in. […]
Thank you all who came last Saturday at the Culver City Art Club annual Holiday Show in Playa Vista CA. to enjoy inspiring art works by wonderful local artists, awards (our judge for this year was Louis Stephen Gadal), door prices (for guests only), food and drink and fun. I really enjoyed meeting with old and […]
You are invited to the CULVER CITY ART GROUP HOLIDAY – ART EXHIBIT 2017 Saturday November 11th, Noon – 6 pm Meet me and my art and that of many other talented and professional artist. This is the perfect way to enjoy your Saturday afternoon, surrounded by beautiful artwork, meet new exciting people, enjoy refreshments […]
A friend of mine invited me to an award ceremony at the Bower Center here in Berkeley, for an organization that protects the mangrove forests and islands called Seacology. As I entered the building I was captivated by by what I thought at first to be some giant paintings but then when I reached out […]
In August we went to do Panchakarma in Kerala, South India. Panchakarma is an Ayurvedic means to purify your body in five different ways and Kerala is the classic place to do it. Those ancient Ayurvedic techniques are still practiced today in India and they still work.Panchakarma is perhaps even more important today with all […]
I updated the painting of Abhinavagupta by adding a dignifying shawl to his torso instead of him being bare-chested. So here he is with the rest of the Lineage of Kashmir Shaiva Masters (Gurunatha), with his chief disciples Kshemaraja and Yogaraja at his feet, and Swami Ram, Swami Lakshmanjoo and Swami Mahatabkak in the foreground. […]
I have been working on this portrait for my friends of their four year old daughter for quite a while, and it has been quite challenging. Part of that could be that i am so used to seeing her every day and yet she won’t sit still long enough to actually study her features. I […]
Just came back from teaching my first doodling mandala class at a workshop in LA. Two very dear friends, that I call family, Shanna and Denise Hughes, have asked me if I wanted to teach a healing art class at a Yoga Day in Culver City. After setting our intentions Shanna taught a gentle yoga class followed […]
That’s the title of one of the new course my dear Friend Natascha is offering on her website. Natascha is a very gifted and intuitive and empathic voice healer. I felt very inspired by the title already “A Sacred Sanctum for the Wounded Feminine Voice” and after she explained it a bit more I was deeply […]
As I was looking for an inspiring yet not too challenging project for teaching a student with no experience in painting, I stumbled about my old notes from studying in Bauhaus style, which taught me a lot of elementary painting projects that are profound but simple to do. I loved this one especially: just dots in different themes, like […]
I know this is a long word and probably doesn’t exist in English language. In German we connect words together, long words, that have new meaning. In Sanskrit, I learned, it is also quite common to combine words as long as a sentence. What are Zendoodlemandalas? As the name suggests, they are mandalas, made from […]
I am a “shader”! I have a hard time to leave a line all by itself. I feel more at home in the realms of painting and drawing as a means to create shapes or the illusion of shapes. Sure, I remember filling the margins of my math notebook with doodles to avoid looking like I wasn’t working on […]
Thank you all who came last Saturday at the Culver City Art Club annual Holiday Show in Playa Vista CA. I hope you enjoyed inspiring art works by wonderful local artists, awards (our judge for this year was Ernie Marjoram), door prices for guests only, food and drink and fun. I really enjoyed meeting with friends […]
You are invited to the CULVER CITY ART GROUP HOLIDAY – ART EXHIBIT 2016 Saturday November 12th, Noon – 6 pm Apart from viewing my art and that of many other talented and professional artist this is the perfect way to enjoy your Saturday afternoon, surrounded by beautiful artwork, meet new exciting people, enjoy refreshments, […]
I am not exactly sure what I found so scary about attending a workshop called “Unstoppable” by Bill Baren Coaching. Bill is known worldwide as a transformational business coach. Over 20,000 people from 32 countries have participated in Bill’s online and live trainings. I was invited to attend the workshop for free and since it was just […]
What a summer it was! Exiting and adventurous travel in North India. Visiting friends and family in Europe to hang out and relax. Actually it was so nice to be in Europe in summer, I haven’t been there in the summer for so many years, so it was a real treat. Everything flowering and green. […]
Just re-reading Red’s book of poems that his daughter gave us after he passed away. I will forever remember the silence that surrounded him. We used to visit him many times first in his house in the blue mountains and later in the nursing home playing the guitar for him. I even made a sketch […]
Been thinking about this a lot. How this crazy, at times wonderful, at other times painful illusion of existence and non-existence makes it possible paint, to love and be in love with God and in the end be taken by God and yet be of God. Rumi says it so well… We and our existences […]
This painting is about the cycle of life, earth, mother, feminine energy, shakti and how we are nourished and nurtured by her. She is made up of 5 elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether). Although she sometimes gets depicted as an icon or a statue in her prime of life, she is actually existing in […]
My latest painting is about the cycle of life, earth, mother, feminine energy, shakti. I am still unsure about the final title. As it appeared on the canvas it felt like quite a long birthing process with lots of possibilities. I love this about painting in an intuitive way. Its like something inside is trying […]
I was reading that in order to move forward we need to first look back at what we have already done, then learn from that and plan ahead. Now, I have to admit for some reason I have never really paid much attention once I have done something or looked back at my paintings unless […]
“Fragments” I was contemplating the experience of most people living in this world of feeling separated, fragments of the whole. Whereas we can clearly see how we are all connected on so many levels. It’s visible on a physical level in re-recurring patterns of the universe in our bodies, brains and cell structures. We can […]
I had a great time today at the art show and really enjoyed seeing my friends and their new art works. Thank you for coming and making it a wonderful event. The commissioned portrait below won a ribbon with “Honorable Mention”.
I look forward to meeting you… at the Culver City Art Group Holiday Art Exhibit 2015 Sat. November 7th noon – 6 pm Artist’s Reception: 3:30pm – 4:59pm (meet the artist and enjoy refreshments) Awards: 5 pm Playa Vista CenterPointe Club, 6200 Playa Vista Drive, Playa Vista CA 90094 (get directions) Come stop by to […]
Just finished a commissioned portrait painting. A friend of mine and devotee of Swami Lakshmanjoo asked me to paint his portrait. This is not the first painting I made of him. It started years ago with me archiving and editing his photos in Photoshop. At a certain point I was so familiarized with his face […]
Detail of larger painting of the Kashmir Shaiva masters: Abhinavagupta – Gurunatha In this detail: Swami Ram, Swami Lakshmanjoo, Swami Mahatabkak
I just finished a huge painting that I made for my friends living room. They have been so kind to let us stay here again this year after we had been visiting and extending our stay last year. Its been a blessing on both sides. Their small children brighten our days and they are happy […]
Went to a beautiful workshop with Julia Weaver and Barbara Karlsen last Sunday. “Devotion to the Ocean”: Awaken, Embody, & Illuminate Our Oceanic Self: Mandala Process and Continuum Movement. Join Julia Weaver MFT, BFA and Barbara Karlsen BN, MA for a unique and intimate opportunity to revitalize your human blueprint and to awaken this ancient […]
I look forward to meeting you… at the Culver City Art Group Holiday Art Exhibit 2014 Sat. November 22nd noon – 6 pm Artist’s Reception: 3:30pm – 4:59pm (meet the artist and enjoy refreshments) Awards: 5 pm Playa Vista CenterPointe Club, 6200 Playa Vista Drive, Playa Vista CA 90094 (get directions) Come stop by to […]
Encaustic (hot wax and pigment) on Masonite board, framed H 20 x W 16 inch (51 x 40.5cm), framed, ready to hang. Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid or paste is then applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and […]
My painting “Burned Angel” has been selected for the traveling exhibit of THE PEACE PROJECT. If you are in the bay area, near San Francisco please visit… “Peace, Love & Understanding – The Event” is this Saturday, October 5, at ArtZone 461 Gallery RSVP for this free event online at http://www.thewhole9.com/makepeace and we’ll see you there! ArtZone 461 IS […]
“Promise me you will not spend so much time treading water and trying to keep your head above the waves, that you forget, truly forget . . . how much you have always loved to swim.” -Tyler Knott Gregson Birthing “Out of Light Darkness is born” acrylic on masonite panel 21.75 x 14.75 inches (55 […]
It all started with a dream: Where I slowly fell into the depth of a pool, really deep, and looking up I could see the square opening of it, like a dark window. “It makes no sense” I kept telling myself, as usually the surface of the water would be light, not dark, and I […]
It all started with a dream: Where I slowly fell into the depth of a pool, really deep, and looking up I could see the square opening of it, like a dark window. “It makes no sense” i keep telling myself, as usually the surface of the water would be light not dark, and I […]
I had a wonderful inspiring time at Kline Academy, in a workshop learning about encaustic painting by the fabulous Yvette Gellis. If you have never heard about encaustic, it is a mix of pigment, wax and resin that needs to be applied warm, that’s why there are all those tools: an iron, a heat gun, […]
