Dr. Sunil: How did your journey as an artist, working with watercolor, pencil, and ink, evolve into a deep passion, and how has ancient India’s rich history and culture inspired and shaped your creative expression?

Anna: From an early age I always loved pictures and book illustrations. Drawing and painting is natural for me although I wasn’t born in an artistic family. I have no explanation as to why it developed into a deep passion. It just did. I guess a quest for spirituality and a longing for answers was a driving point when I was a teenager. I was curious and I wanted to find more satisfying answers to existential questions. I was unsatisfied with my Christian upbringing and family tradition. I did not want to end up with a boring 9 to 5 job in a social machinery that didn’t provide more satisfaction other than a paycheck at the end of the month and perhaps a gold watch when retiring like my dad.

There is so much to discover and tons of inspiration in India’s ancient history and tradition. I never get tired of collecting visual images, either in my mind when I am reading stories, or from the internet when I am looking for references for a particular painting. I don’t know if any other culture in the world can come close the richness of India’s cultural and spiritual heritage.

India’s rich history and culture gave my art expression a more meaningful purpose. It hasn’t been art just for the sake of art expression. It is art with a deeper more spiritual meaning. In my mid-thirties, when I began my own art exploration, my motivation was a keen desire to express something of the profoundly joyful inner experience I felt. It was to express the beauty that follows in the wake of self-realization by following the path of bhakti-yoga.

Dr. Sunil: As a Swedish artist, how have your Scandinavian roots and Indian spiritual influence merged to create your unique identity?

Anna: Perhaps you think I have my own unique style—a blend of my Scandinavian roots and my exposure to the wisdom of Bhagavad-Gita in my early twenties.

As we take birth in certain countries into a certain family we get lifelong impressions especially during our early childhood. I grew up with children’s books by Elsa Beskow, John Bauer, and Astrid Lindgren. I also loved the exceptional artwork of Harald Foster in his story of Prince Valiant. Swedish artist Carl Larson and the literary fairy tales of H.C Andersen also had a profound impression on me. I created my own form of pictural storytelling that came straight from my heart. The rich visual story telling tradition of the West merged with my newfound fascination with the tales and yoga tradition of India. To me that was a win / win situation.

It is perhaps not so much that I have been inspired by Indian culture but that I have a deep curiosity in the wisdom and spiritual heritage of India. I am especially fascinated by how the path of Bhakti-yoga can revive our souls love for the Lord of the Universe and how we can transform our minds and hearts to live a life of full awareness of that loving relationship between ourselves and God. This is what has inspired me to try to follow my dharma and my heart’s true calling, creating sacred art with the hope that it can change, or at least, inspire others, in the same way it has inspired me.

I remember, as a teenager looking at the starry sky or watching a magical moon rise over the ocean, my mind was full of questions as to what the origin of life was. I was quite lost and confused as a teenager. I travelled around in Europe hanging out with counter-culture people hoping to find something that could lead me to find inner happiness. I didn’t find happiness with the hippies, or counterculture people, and I returned to my hometown in Sweden, disappointed yet still curious. I joined a Bible study group in a religious Baptist chuch but most of the kids were children of missionaries and had deeply religious upbringings. I didn’t have that- neither my mom nor my dad was religious. Baptist Christianity was not my tribe or my vibe. I tried Transcendental Meditation. It was nice with meditation. There was even an initiation ceremony. Still, it felt superficial. However, a friend of mine had a few books that really caught my interest. One of them was Easy Journey To Other Planets, another one was Sri Isopanisad written and translated by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. I remember that Sri Isopanishad had a beautiful painting of Kesava Vishnu on the front. It immediately caught my attention and piqued my curiosity. As I began reading these books and looking at the pictures in them, I felt some kind of transformation in my heart. Could this wisdom be what I had been searching for, perhaps for many lifetimes? I got copies of these small books and begun to read. I became aware, from my readings in the Vedas, that the history and creation of the world is cyclic and eternal. That appealed to me and made more sense. The history in the Judeo-Christian tradition is linear. It has a beginning and end. The Vedic explanation of a cyclic world history was more compelling to me. I also read about of the laws of karma and reincarnation which also resonated with me deep in my soul.

I don’t know how this all translates to my art. Perhaps this newfound knowledge inspired me to make illustrations for the Ramayana and to illustrate a children’s book together with Kosa Ely, a friend of mine. Perhaps it inspired me to work with a group of people in Alachua to try to create an art group with the focus on conscious, spiritual art. What I do know is that to be able to make conscious art and to be inspired by the sweet smiling face of Sri Krishna and his associates in Vraja is my life and soul.

Dr. Sunil: Your Sita’s Fire trilogy illustrations are incredibly detailed and evocative. How do you infuse your spiritual understanding of the Ramayana into your artistic process?

Anna: How do I combine my spiritual understanding with my art? How could I even try to depict Sri Rama, Sita and Laksmana if I had no knowledge about them? Perhaps Indian people think my art is too influenced by the West but for me the ancient Indian classical texts are universal and not attached to any particular piece of land or people. I might be Swedish, American, or Indian but is Sri Krishna and his innumerable expansions and avatars to be described as solely Indian? True, India has been the place where the sages of the past gave us the vast knowledge of the Vedas. I grew up in Sweden, a country that some say is the least religious country in the world. Yet, here I am, loving to listen to the tales of the Ramayana, intrigued by the enormous Vanara army that became Lord Rama’s allies against the dark forces of Ravana and his followers. I love to hear about the different monkey clans that were prepared to lay down their lives for the sake of Lord Rama. I am captivated by the beloved Hanuman and the descriptions of his devotion, supernatural strength, his wisdom, and his eloquence. The whole story of Ramayana has many layers. There is no end to how deep we can go in our understanding. There is always more to discover. Perhaps the paradox of the profundity of this wisdom literature that it is so logical and analytical on one hand but yet, on the other hand, is so mystical with its tales of beings and powers that we have no experience of in our modern natural world.

This is what has inspired me in my years as a sacred watercolor artist. It is a challenge to try to portray this metaphysical world on a piece of two-dimensional watercolor paper. If something comes out nice it is only by grace.

Dr. Sunil: Sita’s journey, particularly her trials, has been interpreted in many ways—some see it as a symbol of resilience, others as a deeper cosmic mystery. How does your own spiritual understanding shape the way you present her in your work?

Anna: Sita devi has been the role model of chastity for Indian girls for centuries. She is one of the protagonists in the Ramayana, yet she is only allotted something like 10% space in the epic. I wonder why? Are souls in female bodies forever doomed to be the quiet subservient servants of their partners at all costs? Are their stories not important enough to be told? As a western woman living in a harmonious happy marriage based on equality, I reject this misogynistic cultural ideal.

What I do understand is that she was far from being a lady in distress, drowning in her tears under an Ashoka tree in Ravana’s pleasure garden. Her powers, however, were not so obvious. Perhaps that was part of the lila to trick Ravana? Had he understood how powerful she was he might have realized his mistake and returned her to Rama without a second’s hesitation. What would then have been the point of the whole Ramayana? I believe Vibhisana was aware that she was Kalaratri, the goddess of the dark night, that had appeared to destroy Ravana. I learned this from reading my daughter’s writings in The Sita’s Fire Trilogy. She wrote the trilogy more from the woman’s perspective.

Of course, I have an immense adoration and love for Sita’s resilience as she went through unimaginable trials and tribulations under Ravana’s captivity. It seemed so unfair. If we accept Lord Rama as an avatar, why did he put his closest servant and lover in situations that would have broken anyone? Well, it almost broke her since she was going to commit suicide using her hair braid as a rope around her neck before Hanuman appeared on the scene.

Although I love Sita-Rama and their story, there are passages I can neither understand nor embrace. I believe I am not alone in this realization. The little space she is given in the Ramayana is one giant area of concern. Perhaps this is how she wanted to be portrayed? Perhaps she wanted to be a backstage player, otherwise her divine otherworldly beauty, intelligence and power would have eclipsed other characters. Or perhaps she didn’t want to be viewed by people in general since our mundane, often perverted idea that female bodies are mere objects for sexual exploitation would cause her persona to be compromised.

Remember, Ravana offered her ownership of his vast kingdom and to be his main queen. She would have had unfathomable riches and universal dominion of Lanka if she acceded to his desires. She could have had anything all of us can only dream of and much more. But she declined the offer. She valued Sri Rama and their unconditional love above anything else. This is the mark of a true heroine.

Dr. Sunil: How did your collaboration with your daughter, Vrinda Sheth, on the Sita’s Fire trilogy evolve over the years? What insights did you gain from this mother-daughter creative journey?

Anna: My daughter Vrinda left Sweden to attend a boarding school in the U.S. as 14-year-old teenager and, when she turned 19, she went to Chennai to attend Kalaksetra Bharata Natyam dance school for five years. I had begun to make artwork for an illustrated Ramayana at that time. It was more in a seedling stage. I guess I started everything backwards since I began to make illustrations for a potential book even before I had a writer or manuscript for it. I knew that my daughter, Vrinda, although young, had an inclination and talent for writing so I thought it would be a nice way for us to connect as we were separated geographically. Perhaps a mother/daughter project would help me cope with my feelings of separation from my only child who left me at the tender age of 14. Since I am not much of a writer, I left it up to her to write what she felt was appropriate, always encouraging her own creative expressions. I knew that she knew the Ramayana well having grown up in the Bhakti tradition on a Hare Krishna farm in Sweden. Her first exposure to this sacred tale was when she was only three years of age. At that time, we were visiting Mayapura for the annual Gaura Purnima festival and we went daily to listen to Atmatattva and his fascinating stories from this epic tale.

I believe both my daughter and I grew, healed and matured together during the time it took us to complete the whole Trilogy. She was a 19-year-old single girl when she started. She was a mother of three when we finished the last book. I was in my mid-thirties, still living in Sweden, when the seeds to this trilogy started to germinate in my heart. I am now a gray-haired grandmother, yet still with all my teeth intact! Never did I imagined that this trilogy and mother-daughter cooperation would take a life of its own like it did. It was not in my plan to make over 350 illustrations and watercolor paintings for this trilogy. What was the invisible force that inspired me all along, never giving up? Was it destiny? Or, perhaps, was it the divine desire of Sita Devi?

Dr. Sunil: Ram’s adherence to dharma, even when it brings personal loss, is central to his character. As an artist, how do you convey the depth of this inner struggle in your depiction of him?

Anna: In one sense, although Sri Rama is an incarnation of the Supreme, one thing that attracted both me and Vrinda is his humanness. Was Lord Rama aware of his divine nature? Or was it part of his transcendental lila to display his inner struggles in the guise of a human being? Perhaps his humanness made it easier for both my daughter and I to approach him in a more easy and understandable way. I didn’t dwell so much on Lord Rama’s struggles. They are difficult to understand and besides, he was never really alone, like Sita devi. Laksmana was by his side all along, supporting, helping and doing everything in his power to push his older brother out of his despondency. He had the love of his closest family member by his side. I don’t mean to minimize his inner struggles, but it is easier for me to be more emphatic with Sita devi in her vulnerability. She was alone, surrounded by a hoard of disgusting, cruel and horrifying guards that would have scared even a brave person.

I am attracted to depict the more positive and beautiful scenes in the narrative since I am attracted to beauty in all its forms. I must admit though, that I also like to depict the dark and ugly raksashas. It was a real challenge for me to try to capture Ravana’s persona. Even anatomically it is a challenge to draw and paint a person with ten heads and 20 arms. In the Sita’s Fire Trilogy. I think my daughter did an excellent job in describing Ravana. I became aware that he was not just the potbellied cruel ruler of Lanka that I had learned from Amar Chitra Katha. He was magnificent, magnetic, attractive, and even handsome. He was also extremely powerful, beyond my imagination with his ten heads and twenty arm. Despite him being gifted with extraordinary qualities he was also extremely dark, selfish and cruel. My fascination with trying to understand and capture the dark energies and vibes resonates with some of the dark corners within myself. It is undeniable that we live in a world of duality. We can experience heavenly beauty and happiness, but there is a very dark and ominous side of our existence. The story of The Ramayana has it all.

Dr. Sunil: Your Bhakti-related art is deeply and highly acclaimed. How do you immerse yourself in that spiritual space when you create, and what does this process look like for you?

Anna: It is important for my mind to be in harmony and to be aligned with my purpose. When I am in my studio my primary objective is to try to capture some of the glimpses, I get in my mind of the spiritual dimension described by the Vedas. My studio, in one sense, is my sacred space. Working on my art is part of my daily spiritual practices.

Hearing, chanting and remembering are part of the nine limbs of bhakti yoga so I also have an intention to be absorbed in these processes at least some part of the day. I often listen to kirtan or flute music or I listen to interesting podcasts or a seminar. However, I find that silence is my best friend.

Silence is very important to me. It helps me to connect with my inner voice and the universal spirit in silence – to tune in to what I think and feel without being distracted by anything else in my surroundings- eliminating all the background noise. I use mindfulness and relaxation to reach this place of silence and to get a respite from all the stress that that is so prevalent in our modern world. Then and only then will my inner world be revealed to me, allowing me the time and space to get it down on paper.

Perhaps this gives a perfect picture of contemplation and stillness. I have to admit it can be stressful at times to make a painting. Specially if you have a project that should be completed in time. I am a bit of a perfectionists, and it is hard to let go of my own inner judgemental, monkey mind. Believe me, I have been through many sleepless nights thinking about how to make my paintings better.

Often times people think that you have to be talented to make visual art. I often hear comments like “Oh, you are so talented.” But talent will only get you so far; you have to sweat and toil at your art to produce a painting. It doesn’t just happen. Many, many hours are spent in trying to complete a painting. Many hours were spent acquiring the necessary skills needed to be a good visual artist. Visual art, as any form of art, is a learned skill. It is not something that just flows effortlessly like a river downstream. Excellent art is 10-15% talent. The rest is hard work. I hope I have debunked a myth here about how far talent will take you. A painting does not arrive easily from the flow of the mind to the flow of the brush onto the canvas or paper.

Dr. Sunil: In a world filled with visual stimuli and distractions, how do you feel sacred art can serve as a spiritual practice for both the artist and the viewer?

Anna: I believe that sacred art can be inspirational and healing for both the artist and the viewer. All of us have something that is unique to our personality. Perhaps part of our journey is to discover who we are, what our natural gifts and tendencies are so that we can live a more fulfilling life. Our unique experiences and gifts are to be shared with others. We serve our fellow human beings in a capacity that is natural for us using our God given talents. I am grateful to be able to have an inner sanctuary where I can find shelter and inspiration in my daily life. A sanctuary I feel is real because it is not just based on what I think, it is based on the ancient transcendental teachings of Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.  It is easy to become busy with our phones, internet, and the constant flow of information that we are exposed to daily. Perhaps it is good to take a step back and ask ourselves what our purpose is, and question if what we are doing serves our purpose. At least that is what I want to do with my time and life. Time is precious and our present life is not eternal.

Dr. Sunil: What aspects of India do you feel resonate most deeply with your creative soul and why?

Anna: The descriptions of Sri Krishna and His enigmatic beauty and charming personality are the drivers of my art. His grace and His majestic presence are unparalleled in the history of the world., He is the invisible puppet master in a world full of mysteries. Epic stories like the Mahabharata and Ramayana are treasures full of drama, adventure, intrigues and wisdom and an unending source of inspiration.

The knowledge and guidance I have found in the depictions of the wisdom of the sages feel like a shining jewel that gives me a way of understanding our chaotic world. It helps me to approach Sri Krishna, my pranamora*, and reciprocate with Him in my own unique relationship by following the ancient path of Bhakti-yoga. The explanations of karma and reincarnation, the depth, wisdom, and elegance of these sacred texts, written in Sanskrit, the oldest language in the world have enriched and transformed my life by adding Eastern philosophy to my Western body. This philosophy is universal and can be enlightening for all nationalities and all cultures. Not just India. It is something to be shared globally.

*Lord of my heart, also a name of my youngest grandson.