JAISHI

Many of you know me as Jaishi, a brush name I selected for myself many years ago. It is the first three letters of my last name JAI and the first three letters of my first name SHI combined. It often gets misspelled as jashi (with just one "i"). I wanted a name that would stand out. You know like Oprah, Madonna...JAISHI. Although I have painted using a brush name, I never hid my real name. I’m often referred to as either Jaishi or Shirley. Jaishi has since become more than a name it has become a state of being. Defined below: <a href="http://www.jaishi.com"><font color="pink">Jaishi</font></a> \jAy’she\ <i>verb</i> 1a: The act of embracing one’s inner child. 1b: to completely and freely express yourself without the worry, fear or judgment of others. <i>noun</i> 2: Name of a re-occurring character found in artwork of artist Shirley Jaiman; character often appeared child-like with big eyes and an even bigger afro. alternate pronunciation \hi-’she\ or \hi-’eeshy\ We all have a Jaishi in all of us. Celebrate and embrace yours (and you don’t need an afro to do so). I am a self taught artist who was born and raised in Massachusetts. I was born to a Haitian mother (the light) and Puerto Rican father (the dark); maybe one day I’ll elaborate. Art training came in the form of countless hours spent laying in front of coloring books (often creating many of my own); drawing in art diaries, sketchbooks and on construction paper; teaching myself how to crochet, knit and sew; and classes from elementary to high school. I won art awards every year of my schooling although I had no “formal” training. What I did have and still do is a voice and passion and in my opinion that more than suffice. I started offering my work publicly in 2003. Soon after that I was recognized by <a href="http://www.ebsqart.com/"><font color="pink">EBSQ</font></a> for <a href="http://www.ebsqart.com/ArtOfTheDay/cmd_20031223_ArtOfTheDay_Celebrate+the+Spirit.htm"><font color="pink">December 23, 2003 Art of the Day</font></a>. Recent accomplishments include <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/i_lythia_print-228865699599809829"><font color="pink">I’Lythia</font></a> and <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/goddess_print-228217814041184842"><font color="pink">Goddess</font></a>, two of my original paintings, being selected for the <a href="http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=17096&SetBG=Yes"><font color="pink">2008 Art Wanted Calendar</font></a>. I hope to list many more accomplishments so be sure to come back and visit.