editor's word
cover story
Sustainable Style
health
Aromatherapy - Neroli
Ayurveda
Elemental Wisdom -
Ayurveda at Home
yogi lifestyle
Spiritual Arts -
Star Oakland
Healthy yogi -
Asana for Female
Mind and Body
Yogi Yummies -
Eggplant Zucchini
Parmigiano [PDF]
Yogi's OM -
Sustainably Zen [PDF]
yoga
Series -
The Myth of Yoga Styles
for the mind / for the soul
Exploring the Classics -
Vaastu
Special Guest Interview -
Joseph F. Kennedy
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Artist and author Michele Shea once wrote that “Creativity is... seeing something that doesn’t exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God.” This is an apt description of the life work of Star Oakland, a shamanic artist, whose canvas is the human body. An intuitive painter who creates challenging, evocative works of art, Star is an artist whose chosen purpose is to bring healing into the world through her art.
For the past ten years, Star has been engaging in healing ceremonies that involve the ancient art of body painting to transform negative images of self, sexuality, and shame. As she explains it, “Ritual and ceremony need to be incorporated back into society as a way to move on the continuous path of healing.” Star’s work stemmed originally from her own path of healing and was further fueled by her personal journey through motherhood.
The creation of her artwork is an intuitive response to the person she is working with and is viewed as a co-creation between the artist and the subject. Each session begins with a moment of connection and relaxation through bodywork. This leads to a space where Star moves into what she describes as “a healing place inside where I nurture the inner soul of the client and make a safe space for the work to initiate.” Then, guided by the energy fields she observes around the subject, she reveals the human body with color and shape that interpret the inner self that is often hidden from the world. The experiences of her human canvasses as they are painted are varied and introspective. Often, subjects will feel that the final product is a deep reflection of an inner self that they have veiled from the world in an effort to be safe. For both men and women there is often an exposure of a feminine energy that has been suppressed due to modern cultural constraints and expectations. Star facilitates a safe connection to this hidden energy from a perspective that the “feminine side of the world is not celebrated.”
The final product of these ceremonies is photographed as part of the process and is a reminder of the experience that can be used to re-channel the uncovered energies for the model. They also are a tangible evocation of the ritual that can be revelatory for any person who views them. There is a deep earthly energy that emanates from many of the photos that allows the viewer to tap into primal truth about the beauty of the body, which can then be interpreted into explorations of their own humanity. “Creating imagery that is sensual instead of sexual allows the mind to perceive nudity in a new and more open light.”
Star’s work has appeared in various mediums around the world and has allowed her to experience the cultural differences toward the human body. She finds that “Europeans are much more accepting of my work as art” while Americans often find themselves shocked by the subject matter. That shock is part of the healing process that Star wants to evoke, dissolving the negative body images that most Americans carry about themselves.
Her mission is to bring out the best in people, and create acceptance on all levels. A project that is very dear to her as a mother of two is the Blessing Way Ceremony, which she has developed for pregnant women. During this ritual the mother’s body is painted to reflect the energy of the new baby. More than just a body painting, it is a time when mothers-to-be can fully embrace the sacredness of creation and acknowledge this feminine rite of passage.
Star will be teaching a workshop at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts on July 16. A showing of her work is also scheduled for late June. staroakland.com
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