Theosophy and the Society in the Public Eye

  The artist

I began and finished my last series of works entitled, Petals of Morya Flowers. This series of works was created on black card, measuring 20x20cm, using gold, silver, and copper ink pens, crystals of various colors and shapes, and gold-plated metallic jewelry flower pieces. It comprises 33 works and was inspired by passages from Helena Roerich's books that mention FLOWERS, especially the book "Leaves from Morya's Garden" from 1924 and 1925, hence the series' title Petals of Morya's Flowers. It is my way of paying homage to Mahatma Morya, the personal instructor of her Upasika, H. P. Blavatsky.

Text and photos by Richard Dvořák (photo) 

Photography does not merely record a scene; it translates light into relationships between brightness and darkness, illumination and form, movement and time. It also creates a relationship between the subject, the photographer, and the viewer. The creative impulse behind these photographs was to alter these relationships deliberately. I wanted to create images that originate entirely in visible reality but are not immediately recognizable as part of the world as we normally perceive it.

A photo series by David M. Grossman 

(photo: AI generated)

Our streets are in deep trouble. In cities they often develop a bad reputation due to a combination of visible urban decay, concentrated crime, and systemic infrastructure neglect. At night folks sometimes are afraid to go out, to walk their dog, to go for a stroll or just to get some fresh air. When a specific street or neighborhood is perceived as chaotic or unmanaged, outsiders and residents alike quickly label it as dangerous.

Our streets are in deep trouble. Higher rates of visible offenses like theft, vandalism, and open-air drug markets quickly ruin a street's public image. One perceives  public intoxication, loitering, and unpredictable behaviors make pedestrians feel vulnerable and uncomfortable. Accumulated garbage and dirty walkways signal to the public that the local community or municipality has abandoned upkeep.

Our streets are in deep trouble.  Masked agitators wearing black or brown shirts are marching the streets  again, often carrying outdated flags while chanting  dubious slogans. Here we have uniformed political militants trying to scare and intimidate their opponents or innocent bystanders.

 Joma's dream, now a reality. The artist, accompanied by Lily and Tim Boyd 

I had my dream come true during the opening of my Art Exhibition at the Adyar Headquarters on the 10th of May. It was a voyage full of blessings, all art works arrived safely and are now on display at the Adyar Library and Research Centre until 29th January 2027. Whoever comes to the International Convention will be able to see these.  

There are 11 covers made for The Theosophist over many years with crystals, 30x40cm size, and 5 original artworks on the themes, Lucifer, Adyar, The School of The Wisdom and the 150th anniversary of The Theosophical Society.  

The major piece is the cloth “Upasika”, made with gold and silver ink pens and crystals, around 0.60x1.50m, which is my own internal homage to H. P. Blavatsky. 

Joma Sipe – Portugal

In general, I do not have any specific training in the arts. The Portuguese art classes I took were basically about visual experiences and drawing, without training in arts with some specific school. I am a civil engineer in my “working hours” during a part of my day, working with Autocad (computer assisted drawing program), drawing and projecting new houses and roads projects. I think my skills as a civil engineer helped me with the geometrical and accurate form of drawing, trying to be as “perfect” as possible with the lines. I am essentially self-educated in the drawing process and art. Since my early years, I was always interested in art, drawing and painting as a hobby.

My interest in art is related to subjects like Symbolism, and the Symbolist Movement of the late XIX century. I am also very interested in the Pré-Raphaelite Movement, English and French Symbolist painters like Burne-Jones, Simeon Solomon, William Blake, Walter Crane, Watts, Gustave Moreau, the Belgian painter Jean Delville, Fernand Khnopff, Arnold Bocklin, among many others. In the XX century, especially the artists Johfra Bosschart and Diana Vandenberg.

Text and photos by Richard Dvořák (photo) 

These four images follow a quiet transition: not the full arrival of spring, but its first unmistakable stirring. Winter has not yet disappeared. The air is still cold, the ground still restrained, and yet the light has changed. It touches branch, leaf, grass, and blossom differently now. What was dormant starts to stir. 

To enlarge the images click on the icon at the right bottom.

Joma, a gentle and warm soul ...

Following the series of works I begun doing with the Christ Energy and Light, I share the ninth artwork in total, the first I have made this year.  

This work is called MOLECULAE E SALIVAE CHRISTUS (Molecules from Christ´s Saliva) with approx. dimensions: 50x35cm, all made with gold-based ink pens and crystals.