I Am the Mountain, the Mountain is Me

I Am the Mountain, the Mountain is Me is an acrylic on canvas painting, part of my new Life's Journey series. This series of paintings explore fundamental processes or heightened, dramatic or significant moments in our life's journey. I Am the  Mountain, the Mountain is Me a variation on the Māori saying "Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au (I am the river and the river is me)". The concept of embodied pēpēhā explores how we can connect with the natural phenomena in our environment that are significant or meaningful to us, and use these to inspire certain specific qualities of being within ourselves. This painting is an expression of the mountenous qualities of steadiness, stillness, peacefulness whilst at the same time the veins of mountain and person intertwine, providing us with the energy, vitality and compassion - drawn from Mother Earth.