This oil pastel drawing titled "Yoga Meditation" presents a serene, introspective scene rendered in a loose, expressive style with rich, layered colors. At the center is a female figure seated in a meditative posture on the ground. Her legs are folded beneath her, though the lower legs and feet are largely enveloped and obscured by tall, swaying grasses or reeds. She sits with a straight but relaxed spine, her hands brought together in a classic prayer position (Anjali Mudra) at chest level — palms pressed together, fingers pointing upward — conveying a sense of inner focus, reverence, and calm.
Ben Graham sets the figure low in the frame and lets the grasses rise around her like a curtain, so the first read is not portraiture alone but a sheltered, inward space. Oil pastel is handled with a loose, pressured line and layered strokes that leave the surface visibly worked: dark contours, rubbed passages, and soft blends build the body against a field of lavender, ocher, and weathered green. The palette carries the work toward quiet rather than brightness, and the long directional marks in the background give the composition a steady wind-driven rhythm. Graham’s fusion of devotional pose and pastoral setting places the drawing in conversation with expressionist figuration and modern meditations on stillness, where gesture and atmosphere carry the emotional weight.
SGT Ben Graham, based in 1731 Fontana Lane, creates original artwork available to collect on Art Emerge, an AI-powered marketplace for artists and collectors.
Key Facts
Location: 1731 Fontana Lane
I am a Wounded Veteran, 46 with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor among many other awards and decorations. I've seven tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, until I was shot and received 2 Brain Injuries from Roadside bombs in an attack. I went to school for Art and its my Passion. This was before and finished some when I was deployed online, which was not easy when it comes to art. I am Married to my Lovely Wife Lori and my 12 year old Ninja and Smart Daughter. We are definitely a Tripod.
Artist Statement
Artist Statement My name is SGT Ben Graham, and every piece you see here is more than just art — it is a living thank-you and a way for me to give back. As a wounded veteran, I create because it keeps me moving, focused, and connected when my disabilities try to hold me back. The true price of my work is not for profit. What you pay is a donation. That donation first covers the cost of the supplies I need to keep creating.
