religious art

Ryan Chappell is inspired by the serenity that emanates from this sculpture of Buddha, at the Jogyesa temple in South Korea. "I wanted to convey Buddha's sense of peace," confides Chappell. Originally it was taken as a color photograph, then Chappell transformed it into black and white in the light room. He works with Fujicolor crystal archive paper, presenting the signed photograph on a mat board.

Two agave plants line the entrance to the Colonial church in card 33 of Marina Pallares' exclusive interpretation of Mexico's lotería. It is a unique version of the classic bingo game featuring traditional images. The loteria made its appearance in the second half of the 18th century, and it is still a favorite at schools, fairs, carnivals and festivals. "I grew up in Jalisco, known for the production of tequila from agave plants, and as a child I used to play lotería all the time. These two facts inspired me to create the 'Tequila Lotto' series," confides Pallares, who credits the influence of Leopoldo Méndez and José Guadalupe Posada in her work. She masters aquafortis and aquatint etching techniques to create this eloquent composition.

Titled "El templo" in Spanish

Buddha's infinite wisdom is depicted in this stunning composition by India's Devendra Kumar Jha and Family. Lotus flowers surround the sacred image, symbolizing resilience and rebirth. The artists paint every detail using dark vegetable dyes for a high-quality design.

This powerful portrait rendered in Indian folk art style captures the divine transformation of the Hindu goddess Parvati into her fierce Kali form through a striking palette of white, black, grey and red that pulses with spiritual intensity. The composition showcases the deity adorned in elaborate traditional jewelry and a magnificent headdress while her flowing hair creates dramatic movement, embodying the raw power of her ferocious manifestation. Indian artist Shikha Kaistha's masterful blend of watercolors and acrylics on paper brings this sacred composition to life with bold strokes and authentic folk styling.