James Nichols

James Nichols lives and works as an artist.  As a young man with roots in Oklahoma, and after completing a fine art education with highest honors at the University of Michigan, he journeyed across the United States and on to India.  There the artist spent time and found peace at the feet of his spiritual master and Guru, Baba Muktananda, who imparted this instruction regarding the creation of art: 

        “Paint as you meditate, with Beauty and Truth, work to uplift yourself and others.  Always do your best and create from your own Self, from the Heart.”

Muktananda also said to him, "you should sculpt" and gave him the name Satyavan which means 'truthful.'  Satyavan James, aka Jim, returned to America and, in addition to painting and sculpting, adopted the craft of illustration in order to support and raise a family of three wonderful children, working full time as a self employed artist for over 40 years.  All the while he has maintained his own studio practice in fine art, focusing on artistic explorations around the subject of Consciousness, aka God, The Subject. 

James is currently working on a global exhibit entitled  Cornfield - An Artstory, a multimedia environment of painting, sculpture, cinema, and the written word.   Those efforts form the artistic spirit of Masa Rasa Studios, where the Great Saying of the Upanishads,  Thou Art That , sums up the essence of love and life  –  with an emphasis on Art, and a tip of the hat to Thou and That.  

                                                                                                           Artwork and design  © James Nichols 1976-2025    All rights reserved