Carol enjoys combining complex images, rhythms and themes and making ART in all forms - music, poetry, painting and sculpture.The beauty of the figure, created in the image of the Great One - is central to Carol's work

A Renaissance woman involved in many activities - Carol Shireena Sakai paints in oils (portraits, florals), (illustrations), sculpts in bronze and other media, composes contemporary music and is a published poet. She creates art by day, and teaches yoga and tai chi in the evenings.

She was originally trained as a Ph.D. scientist, and in 1983 had a major breakthrough. Up until that time, she literally could not draw or paint . Her breakthrough occured when she decided that for her husband's birthday party she would create 40 gifts, one for each year. It was during this time a major rebirthing occurred and she started to paint, draw and compose music for the first time.

Subsequently, yoga and meditation played a central role in recovery of traumatic memories related to her "hysterical artistic blindness" and child abuse . Since 1983 that time she has worked hard at herself to healing of herself and to the healing of and others (she is a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist).

She received her doctorate in Medical Physiology from the U. of Maryland School of Medicine, with postdoctoral training in Reproductive Endocrinology at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD. She has studied human anatomy many times over, as a scientist, as an artist. This knowledge of the human body has helped her to create many portraits and figurative sculptures.

Carol received drawing & portrait painting instruction from the Corcoran School of Art, Wash., D. C., the Art League at the Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA and bronze sculpture training at the Montpelier Art Center, Laurel, MD and Johnston Atelier, in New Jersey. She is an associate of the National Sculpture Society has had numerous art showings of her work. Her portrait commissions are in private collections nationwide. The Chicago Tribune published her artwork in a featured article on visionary artists. The McLean Gazette wrote an article about casting commission for URB magazine on behalf of the Toyota company which were then taken on a worldwide tour.

Her paintings have been on the cover of Pathways Magazine and in the pages of the Capital Hill Rag. Additionally, Carol is a classical musician and published poet and her music compositions for small ensemble have premiered at the Levine School of Music, Washington D. C.