About Masa Rasa

    Apotheosis of the Corn Goddess   oil on linen   84"H x 60"W

  Masa Rasa Studios was created to share the painting, sculptural, and multimedia work of artist  James Nichols.    In much of his current work, Nichols uses Maize  as a visual symbol for Consciousness, fully embodied in the art environment entitled  Cornfield - An Artstory. 

  Masa is the Spanish word for 'dough,' commonly made in the Americas from Maize, or corn.  It is a grinding staple of life, a nourishing food at the root of the American diet for untold generations.  Rasa is the Sanskrit word for the 'nectar' of life, the ambrosial essence of artistic and aesthetic experience, the sweetness in the corn.         Masa Rasa is both food and nectar for the spirit, ground to life through a harmonious blend of effort and grace, spiced with uncertainty, and sweetened with love.  

   About Maize:  Also known as the English word 'corn', Maize is a hybrid plant of mysterious origin appearing thousands of years ago in Mesoamerica.  Maize is sacred to many native cultures, venerated around the world, a vehicle of Spirit and Divine Consciousness.   Mysteriously, it is the only grain in nature that cannot propagate itself - Maize must be cultivated and planted by hand.  This makes Maize able to stand with roots in two worlds:  that of the natural biological world, and that of the world of human effort and ‘doing’  -  the world of art, culture, and myth. 

  Story:  The story of  Masa Rasa Studios  is likewise a hybrid.  It combines two streams of inspiration, one celebrating the efforts of individual vision and craft, and the other recognizing the Self as the source of all creativity.  They are in truth one story, an Artstory, and merge to create a river that nourishes the Cornfield  within and without. 

   Masa Rasa Studios is not affiliated with any particular philosophy, religion, spiritual community, or farming cooperative.   With the initial inspiration and help of Ganapati Levine, a collection of bronze statues entitled  Great Beings  has been created by the artist in order to share their mutual experience of the wonders of the Gurus and the experience of Divine Consciousness.   Please enjoy. 

                                                                                                           Artwork and design  © James Nichols 1976-2023    All rights reserved