Connecting Eye to Heart to Soul

by Lyndia Radice

The meaning of life is to see" -- Hui Neng

ARTIST STATEMENT
My drawings are cherished gifts from Spirit received while honing my ability to see. I have drawn and painted since childhood and have little formal training in art. Over the past 53 years, I have been many things - a classical musician (12 years), a paralegal (3 years) and for the past 16 years, a child and family therapist and Special Educator in settings such as a psychiatric hospital, foster care, a residential treatment facility and private practice.

I have always been fascinated with the interweaving of daily life, culture and the sacred. My current work with immigrant mothers and babies from South America has enriched my life and brought new colors to my palette. Presently I perform home-based English/Spanish developmental evaluations of special needs infants and toddlers. I spend at least an hour or two every day going back and forth from my home in New York City to homes in the inner city areas of Manhattan and the Bronx.

Sometimes I think I draw in response to some of the experiences I have in my work. The privilege of visiting the homes of families from so many different cultures provides new and vivid energy for my drawings. However, on occasion, I visit families living in poverty and some babies have dire medical issues. At those times, the subway becomes my studio - I feel so overwhelmed and powerless that I retreat to my drawing pad to contain some of the emotions. I tell myself sometimes that, at least on paper, I can exert some control.

In 2002, I lived for several months with an indigenous community in the Ecuadorian Amazon where I helped the women set up a kindergarten. To borrow the words of the esteemed Sufi Poet, Hafiz, I try to be a hollow tube - to allow Spirit to move through me onto the paper. I hope my drawings will provide hope, spark inner inquiry and bring joy to the hearts of those who see them.

Amazon Moth

Volando

Wisdom

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Lyndia Radice
Online Gallery:
http://drawingfromspirit.com