Born in Montreal, Shaktima Michele Brien painted most of her tableaux in California, where she exhibited in respected institutions including the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, the Palm Springs Art Museum, the University of California Riverside, the Marks Art Center in Palm Desert, and numerous galleries across Los Angeles. Her career has also intersected with celebrity culture, as several of her works were sold at art auctions hosted by Shirley MacLaine and Whoopi Goldberg.
In addition to painting, Brien has published two art books. Paint Life, a monograph that includes an essay by art historian Betty Ann Brown, Ph.D., examines her work within the larger framework of contemporary spiritual art. Meeting Zen, Light and Space presents black-and-white paintings and drawings that explore the delicate search for balance between extremes. These publications extend her artistic vision into literary form, offering readers a deeper understanding of her creative philosophy.
Art as Cosmic Consciousness
Brien’s paintings transcend differences to enter what she describes as the age of cosmic consciousness. Each canvas serves as a psycho-spiritual, transpersonal, and metaphysical adventure between the individual and the eternal. Created over the span of four decades, from 1980 to 2020, her works reflect an evolution from darkness to lightness of being, embodying the transformative journey of the soul.
Her images often reflect an evolution from darkness to lightness of being, embodying the transformative journey of the soul. They evoke a visual meditation, where symbolic gestures and abstract forms invite viewers into contemplation. Rather than offering answers, her canvases function as gateways, guiding observers toward their own connection with the eternal.
California Years of Recognition
During her time in California, Brien developed much of her artistic identity and gained wide recognition. Exhibitions at major museums and galleries positioned her as a distinctive voice in the contemporary art scene, especially within circles that value the intersection of art and spirituality.
Her presence in celebrity auctions further elevated her visibility, bringing her cosmic-inspired works into the collections of admirers who recognized their spiritual resonance. This period became a defining chapter, solidifying her reputation as an artist whose canvases merge aesthetics with metaphysical inquiry.
Publications and Expanding Vision
Brien’s books reflect her dedication to exploring art beyond the canvas.
- Paint Life presents a rich overview of her career and features scholarly insight by Betty Ann Brown, Ph.D., who highlights the originality and spiritual depth of her work.
- Meeting Zen, Light and Space focuses on the minimal, meditative aspects of her artistic practice, demonstrating her sensitivity to contrasts of light and shadow, movement and stillness, simplicity and complexity.
Through these works, Brien positions art as both expression and philosophy, affirming her commitment to balance, transcendence, and universal awareness.
Return to Montreal and New Projects
After decades in California, Brien returned to Montreal, where she is preparing for a solo exhibition titled Journey into the Soul. This new chapter is both a continuation and a transformation, gathering together decades of exploration while opening fresh directions.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an art video, enhancing the viewer’s immersion in her vision. At the same time, she is writing her autobiographical novel, Metamorphosis of a Wandering Soul, which offers an intimate narrative of her personal and creative evolution.
These projects reveal Brien’s ongoing commitment to blending art, literature, and spirituality into a unified whole, an invitation for audiences to embark on their own inner journeys.
Themes of Transformation
Recurring throughout Brien’s work is the theme of transformation. The passage from darkness to light, imbalance to equilibrium, and individuality to universality is central to her canvases. Her art does not merely illustrate these transitions; it enacts them, offering viewers a participatory role in the process of awakening.
The paintings serve as meditative instruments, guiding those who engage with them toward reflection, healing, and spiritual insight. They embody the conviction that art is not only visual but also experiential, a pathway into higher states of awareness.
Conclusion
Shaktima Michele Brien’s journey as an artist is inseparable from her search for meaning and transcendence. Through monumental canvases, celebrated exhibitions, art publications, and new projects in Montreal, she has created a body of work that stands as a cosmic dialogue between the soul and the universe.
Her art reminds us that creativity can be both personal and universal, intimate and eternal. As she prepares to unveil Journey into the Soul, Brien offers not just an exhibition but an invitation to look within, to embrace transformation, and to encounter the eternal light of being.
