Chandra Valkyrie, Visionary Artist

My name is Chandra Valkyrie, also sometimes known as "Unicorn Pie", and I'm a visionary artist. My approach to art revolves around my mental health, as I find it incredibly therapeutic to allow my emotions to spill onto the page in a colorful, full-bleed, no-rules-sloppy-mandala style. To achieve this, I often use the surrealist automatism method of art-making, which involves suppressing conscious control over the process and letting the unconscious mind take over.

 

For me, the journey is more important than the result. I started draw-sketch-journaling back in 2003 when I weaned myself off antidepressants too quickly and suddenly found myself in a firehose flood of emotions. My sketchbook pages provided the perfect outlet for those emotions. Later, as I had gotten focused on my sales career, I had drifted away from drawing for a while. Then the pandemic hit and lockdown happened.  The stress of lockdown turned my well-behaved Bullet Journal out of control.  Alcohol markers were used to soak through the thin pages and then overlaid with various media including colored pencil, paint pens, and ballpoint pens all in service of an outlet for my fears, joys, and frustrations during quarantine. 

 

If you're interested, I've posted a YouTube video tour of that first pandemic journal.  https://youtu.be/EZ4Ew9eIKOM  

 

During the pandemic, I also faced some health issues that drove me deeper into my practice of Buddhism. Through this practice, I discovered how to direct compassion towards myself in order to heal past wounds. As a result, expressing my deepest emotions through artwork became an increasingly important aspect of my practice. You can find prints of my therapeutic art sessions available for sale on the "shop" section.

 

WHAT IS THAT ?? …… It’s HEARSICORN!!  

In 2021, I purchased a hearse that I transformed into an ArtCar, complete with a unicorn costume, aka "Hearsicorn". Seeing all the smiles and looks of intrigue and curiosity that people have when they interact with Hearsicorn is the most therapeutic experience. Hearsicorn also represents turning something associated with pain and death (a hearse) into something positive and happy (a unicorn), which aligns with my Buddhism practice of turning difficult experiences into positive ones.

 

Hearsicorn can also make local visits in and around Tulsa. Check out the "Hearsicorn Visit" section for options.

 

Ultimately, my objective is to lead others to find solace and mental wellness benefits from the no-rules-sloppy-mandala-journaling that has brought me so much healing. 

 

Thank you for supporting me and my work!

 

Best regards,

Chandra Valkyrie