days of sparkle

I first met Vanessa Sulzer at Akasha Yoga Studio a few years ago. I really liked her classes and the bits of wisdom and reflection she brought. You know how certain yoga instructors – or trainers/healers of any type – appeal to different individuals differently? The same way we click with the work of certain artists. I just knew, without knowing Vanessa very well, that I liked her perspective on life.

Then I come to find out she is a photographer too! Which means she shares her perspective on life visually as well as through her teaching. You can learn more about Vanessa as a healer and teacher in this great JH News&Guide article by Rich Anderson. And you can check out several recent winter photographs from Vanessa below. I love her sense of humor and warmth!

I asked Vanessa to reflect on the intersection of making art and her yoga practice. This is what she said:

Before I got into yoga I would get confused about the deep connection to something mysterious, to something bigger than myself that I felt when I was creating.  Sometimes it would actually be painful to have these transcendent art-making experiences because I would feel separated from what I understood my life to be. But the longer I practiced yoga and meditation, the more I had a ground of understanding for the spiritual connection I felt when making art.  Now instead of feeling split in two, art is a way for me to bridge the gap between the life of the spirit and my usual everyday existence.

“Snow Contemplating Snow” by Vanessa Sulzer

Vanessa: I loved this scene because the snow reflected in the mirror brought to my mind the idea that the snow was contemplating itself.

“Days of Sparkle” by Vanessa Sulzer

Vanessa: On really cold days I comfort myself with the sparkle that comes with the extreme temperatures. The beauty brings in the joy.

“Judy Ray” by Vanessa Sulzer

Vanessa: This is a picture of my mom on Christmas morning. We hadn’t spent Christmas together since I was in high school, so we were very happy to be together. I think this picture captures her spirit.

“Wyoming Parking Lot: Hunting Season” by Vanessa Sulzer

Vanessa: This was one of those moments that I really felt like a Wyoming resident.  I was walking my dog in town and strolled right by this pool of blood.  A few moments later, when it registered what I had passed, I went back and investigated what a blood puddle was doing at the edge of the parking structure. It wasn’t until I saw the drips leading up to the pool that I realized the blood was from game bleeding in the back of a hunter’s truck.  That was all very surprising in itself, but what got me most was that my dog wasn’t the least bit curious about the scene.  I thought that he was either really turned off by hunting, or just really old.  I’ve decided it’s the latter.

“Sally” by Vanessa Sulzer

Vanessa: This is Sally, she is wonderful.