Shawna Hawk Rose - Artist Biography

Growing up on a farm/ranch in Nebraska, I was blessed with a strong connection to Nature, the changes of the seasons - planting, nurturing, harvesting...birth, death, and rebirth. My life has been a journey of transformation. The art which has emerged through the years has been a reflection of Life. Creating art has served as a tool and guide for healing, transformation, awakening, enlightenment and empowerment.

The artistic spirit within me was nurtured by my Mother from an early age. Inspired by painters Georgia O'Keeffe and Wassily Kandinsky, and sculptor Alan Houser, my desire to expand my horizons brought me to New Mexico in 1994, where I continued my studies of art and religion at the University of New Mexico. My studies included three weeks traveling and living with the native people in the villages of Northern India.

After graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts in 1997, I found myself at a crossroads. One road led to graduate school for a Masters degree in Art Therapy. Following some soul-searching, I chose to continue my path as a professional artist with a focus on Art as Healing.

"Prayer, art and healing all come from the same source: the human soul. Research has shown us that a person in prayer, a person making art, and a person healing all have the same physiology, the same brain wave patterns, and the same states of consciousness." --Michael Samuels, MD

I see the earth as a living, breathing being,
Alive with Spirit.
When my hands are in clay
I feel connected to the Earth
To my Ancestors,
To the Creative Life Force Energy.
In the Clay, lives the Spirit of the Mother.

As I connect with the Spirit of the Clay
The clay is transformed,
I am transformed.
I surrender and allow myself to become
A Vessel for the Spirit.