The Milton Art Bank will host Inhale Here. Exhale Now., a unique exposition of meditation-inspired artwork accompanied by several yoga and mindfulness activities Aug. 11 – Oct 1.

Artist Amanda Marko, formerly of Danville, Pennsylvania, will exhibit colorful abstract oil paintings that depict the struggles and joys of being introspective during quiet contemplation.

“When I began painting with oil and cold wax, I found myself using mantras to guide me and keep me focused. As the connection between creating artwork and my yoga and meditation practices became apparent, I understood that the energy of the mantra was shaping the painting,” Marko said. “Soon I began to purposefully embed the mantra into the painting with each layer and to further explore the visual representation of the internal processes of meditation.”

As described by Marko, layering the mantra into her work takes many forms. She first writes the mantra on the blank canvas and adds it with each layer of paint  – scratching it into dried paint, reverse inscribing it through transfer methods, scribbling in oil pastels, pasting via collage, and more. She paints in silence while meditating on the mantra, thus infusing each work with the powerful energy of the mantra.

Marko will display approximately 30 pieces from her mantra and mini mantra, and intention stones series. Those pieces range in size from 5-by-5-inch mini mantra blocks, to 9-by-12-inch to 30-by-48-inch stretched canvases and a large 7-by-20-foot unstretched canvas. Pieces in the intention stones series are black and white paintings on paper.

Marko began her yoga practice and later trained to become a certified yoga instructor while living in Danville. Along with her family and their three Italian Greyhound rescues, Marko now resides in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

For more information about her work, visit www.amandamarko.art

Founded in 2017, Milton Art Bank (MAB Museum) is a museum located in Milton, Pennsylvania. MAB aspires to make art accessible to its local community through its diverse range of exhibitions, workshops and events. The gallery is open from 12 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. MAB is free and open to the public.  Masks are required to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As part of the exhibition, the public is invited to participate in yoga and mindfulness workshops being held in the gallery space. Contact the Milton Art Bank at curious@miltonartbank.com or 570.218.8718 for more information.