Forest Twilight

I have always considered twilight a special time of day. Watching the light fade as day yields to night, I get a great sense of peace. The the forest edge set against the fading light seems lovely but mysterious. Very slowly, as the sky darkens, stars begin to appear.

First the brightest show themselves, but soon the sky is filled with stars.

Persian Shield

One of my favorite color combinations is green and purple. There are many lovely plants with that combination, but I find that the Persian Shield (strobilanthes dyerians) is the most dramatic. Its deeply contrasting veins make very interesting mandalas.

A Winter's Dream

My mandalas made from winter woodland scenes tend to have very interesting structure. In spite of being a bit monochromatic, the branches weave into a surreal lace pattern.

I found this oval mandala had a particularly dreamlike quality. I designed a frame for it that is reminiscent of ancient runes.

China Red Coleus Circle

The reds in this mandala made from coleus leaves reminded me of the brilliant colors I had seen during a recent trip to China. I had drawn a tree silouette based on the stylized motifs in Chinese design and this botanical mandala seemed like a perfect frame for it.

Yellow Flamewheel

The brilliant hot colors of the yellow orchid in this mandala reminded me of photographs of the sun's surface. The seething cauldron of thermonuclear fire that is our sun inspired me to create a spiral flame design and incorporate it into the mandala.

Cicada Treeflower

This botanical mandala, created from begonia foliage, reminded me of a green sunflower. I was inspired to include the silhouette of a lovely maple tree that I photographed last winter.
Then I noticed that it seemed to be ringed by a series of winged insects, perhaps cicadas. One of the fun aspects of creating mandalas is the serendipity. Like a Rorschach ink blot, fantastic images seem to appear from time to time.

Crows Contemplate the Pleiades

One cold evening last winter I was out admiring the night sky. The air was crystal clear and even the faintest stars were visible. My favorite star cluster, the Pleiades, was brilliant, and appeared as a jewel in the heavens.
Then I heard some rustling in the nearby trees and saw some crows at roost. I wondered if they have any sense of beauty I was witnessing. I know birds are aware of the stars; many use them to navigate. But perhaps I tend to anthropomorphise.