THE " NATURE" OF ILAN SHAMIR

I L A N  S H A M I R 

  ARTIST  .  POET  .  ENTREPRENEUR

 IS  COLORFUL

AND SO MUCH MORE.

I met Ilan a few weeks ago at the Design Showhouse. I was photographing the event for CHASING and when I spotted him and his wildly-colorful silk jacket, I stopped to talk. What I discovered was that his life - past and present - has been as vibrant as his wardrobe. And when I suggested that I do a feature on him, he graciously said yes...

Where to begin?

Perhaps with his solo 40-day, 410km pilgrimage/journey across Iceland that proved a catalyst for his immersion into art and becoming a steward of nature.

photo courtesy of artist

"It was a beautiful journey; an amazing 'movie' of the landscape - the sun rising and setting; the rivers flowing; the birds and the wind... I walked away from my corporate life and a life of busyness and began walking toward the essence of who I was; connecting deeply to myself and nature."

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SO WHAT CAME NEXT?

With nature firmly as his guide, Ilan created a non-profit company that planted over 30,000 trees. That successful venture  evolved into YOUR TRUE NATURE - a company creating and selling Advice from Nature products and gifts - featured in National Parks and thousands of stores across the country.

So, what advice can a tree give?

Everyone needs a wise friend, says Ilan. Someone who knows how to say just the right thing. These wonderfully-illustrated books share simple wisdom about life. Such as... 

Stand tall and proud
Sink your roots deep into the earth
Reflect the light of your true nature
Go out on a limb
Be content with your natural beauty
Remember your roots
Drink plenty of water
Enjoy the view

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T H E  P O E T R Y  T R U C K

Ilan moved to Santa Fe in 2012 and opened a studio/gallery and a year later he took to the streets with his magical Poetry in Motion Truck - a former ice cream truck he found abandoned in a field in Colorado. He created giant word magnets that inspire short poems.

"I park near the Santa Fe Plaza," explains Ilan. People wave, take pictures, rearrange the words, smile and have fun; feeling like they are part of something vibrant and alive."

M E O W  W O L F

He was an initial investor in this amazing, immersive art complex, and now has a studio space there where he creates painterly silk scarves that are featured in the Meow Wolf gift shop (along with an array of his Your True Nature products).

HIS STUDIO is ensconced in a building just down from the Meow Wolf complex. Dozens of artists share the large studio space, each creating wonders for the ever-changing exhibits.  

The day I visited he was beginning to compose a silk scarf that would morph from simple black lines. and shapes...

Into this - a process of adding color and water and watching as the paint blooms and

 creates a wondrous surface.

When he added salt crystals and liquid to this silk creation it generated unexpected designs, like the shape of a hand at the right edge of the scarf below.

"It's magical working with the silk and the colors; they take on a life of their

 own and you never know what will happen."

The pattern above conjures up an image of a magical snake skin...

A splash of color for a conservative jacket..

His beloved trees...

  

A STROLL THROUGH MEOW WOLF

He's a natural in front of a camera!

Curtains he designed for windows in the mysterious Victorian mansion...

CLEARLY, ILAN SHAMIR IS HAVING FUN!

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT ILAN'S JOURNEY

http://www.yourtruenature.com

 E-mail: grow@yourtruenature.com