Illustration of Kali — Ink and colored pencil on paper

I drew this for my friend. It depicts the goddess Kali, with a few changes to the traditional design. It's based on an old picture in a book I found in my yoga school. Kali is a Hindu Goddess of Time, Creation, Destruction and Power:

Kali famously stands on top of Shiva, although in many depictions he seems quite pleased about it. In my opinion, Kali represents the female aspect of humanity taking urgent action to restore balance in a world that has become dominated by men and patriarchal system of domination and control.

As Wikipedia describes her:

In spite of her seemingly terrible form, Kali Ma is often considered the kindest and most loving of all the Hindu goddesses, as she is regarded by her devotees as the Mother of the whole Universe.

In my adaptation, Kali has drumsticks — because my friend plays drums. But also because I feel that music can be a powerful medium through which to dismantle authority and patriarchy.

I'm now working on a bigger, more elaborate piece, with Kali in the center.