Sacred Geometry of Nature

April 3, 2017
Hart, a watercolor artist, blends conventional memoir with art explication and spiritual exploration in this beautifully illustrated, genre-twisting book. Hart tells her life story from a childhood of drawing to experimenting with the 1960s counterculture and world travel as an adult, juxtaposing her prose with the paintings that resulted from her experiences. She includes brief commentary about the interpretation of each painting. Hart’s art is deeply personal to her and often conveys a spiritual meaning, such as a recurring motif of jaguars representing her spirit guide, or her love for the ocean (discovered after a move to Hawaii) explored through paintings of water’s unique properties. The paintings are lovely in their use of color and symbolism, and it’s fascinating to read an artist’s interpretation of her own work. However, the memoir is somewhat repetitive and anodyne, with nearly a third of the book functioning as a vacation report. More explanation of some of Hart’s beliefs and practices would better guide readers unfamiliar with the spiritual modes she explores and would help them achieve a proper appreciation of the paintings.