Joy is You, Josie (Digital Art Print)

By Karla Sanders

Description - Digital art Print

Medium - Digital art; I painted this with a platform called Procreate. It’s just like painting, but my brush is a stylus that offers me to use any number of brushes mimicking fine art tools. I have a canvas (an iPad Pro screen) and every single line and detail in this art is placed just as a painter would do with traditional materials. In fact, my background is in painting, and I found that digital art is environmentally friendlier for now. True, I use electricity, and my equipment contains mined materials, but my power source is from solar panels on the roof. Although it’s still not perfect, I strive toward being as efficient as possible.

The final print utilizes a museum-quality bamboo paper and plant-based inks, so it’s a vegan print. Bamboo is a fast growing plant and using this for paper is less damaging than other types of trees.

Dimensions - 8” x 12”

Price - $100

About the Artist

Instagram - @karlasandersart

Website - revereroots.org

Motivation - The motivation is my love for pigs and my wish to help support them in the ways I can.

I volunteered at an Irish sanctuary called My Lovely Pig Rescue (MLPR) for four months during the winter of 2023-2024. It was a life-changing experience. Every day I was surrounded by 150 beings, mostly pigs, and I got to know them so closely. As a full-time volunteer carer, I worked primarily in one area overseeing 43 beautiful pigs and my daily routine included feeding, changing waters, mucking out, cleaning, health checks, specialized care, providing enrichment, fixing things, and of course, loads of cuddles and belly rubs.

During my time with MLPR the management told me about Odd Man Inn, and being from Ohio originally, I was excited to learn about a pig sanctuary in my neck of the woods (or relatively close). I started following Odd Man Inn on Instagram and now I am grateful to share my art for this show.

Inspiration - My inspiration is the love of our natural world and for all the beings who also call our planet home. From a young age, like most children, I loved non-human beings and lived in the fairytale worlds of my books where all creatures led vibrant lives and where the forest danced at night.

All I ever wanted to do was draw pictures, and when it came time to choose a “career” my wild heart went in all directions, studying and working in the fields of geography, ecology, environmental communication, graphic design and fine art. After many years of doing this and that, the only thing I could do was combine it all for one purpose: to advocate for Mother Nature and for all the characters of my childhood tales.

In my mid twenties I faced the reality of animal enslavement through documentaries I watched and it felt like waking up for the first time. I became passionate about animal rights and much of my work has a vegan message. Now in my mid thirties, I’m extremely passionate about veganism and have dedicated my life to a sole mission: how to live and advocate for a life of true balance without causing harm to others.

My partner and I are currently on the journey of creating an off-grid veganic Earth sanctuary, where we will grow 100% of our food without animal inputs and provide refuge for wildlife. The philosophy of my art supports this mission, while all future sales will help fund our project. We want to create a model of living harmoniously with Earth, showing the massive benefits of a vegan lifestyle, practicing mindfulness and creating joy without the toxic influences of mainstream society, which are causing the acceleration of the climate crisis and mental / physical health epidemics.

At a personal level, I pour my heart into my art with the intention of honoring the wonder of our world and showing just how deeply we are connected with all life, at all levels. I believe everyone is vegan and it's a matter of healing the complex traumas that have society anchored in systems of oppression, so we may remember our true nature. Our nature is peace.

A portion of proceeds from the sale of this piece will be shared with My Lovely Pig Rescue (MLPR) in Ireland.