My Opening

Here are some photos of my "A Year of Mandalas" show:










The artwork before the opening:

Show Hung

The show "A Year of Mandalas" was hung this afternoon. Opening will be Friday at State of the Art Gallery in Ithaca, New York, this Friday (Feb 4).











Special thanks to the SOAG hanging committee.

The Sorceress

This oval mandala, made from artemesia foliage, inspired me to create a figure of mystery and power.
In keeping with that theme, I surrounded the piece with a frame that I made using ancient Futhark runes.

Turtle Storm

A few years ago I created a mandala piece that I have always liked. The piece, "Mandala Storm", was created by selectively removing small contiguous elements in a series of mandalas to create the effect of an electrical charge connecting the mandalas.
After a vivid dream involving lightning bursting from the image of a turtle, (no doubt brought on by a day's exploration of the Mandelbrot Set), I decided to revisit this technique.

Isis

Isis, Goddess of Magic and Giver of Life, was considered the ultimate in feminine power by the ancient Egyptians. Wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, she is often depicted with the crown of Hathor, the solar disk surrounded by cow horns.

Ram's Horn Mandala

Of all the foliage plants, perhaps my favorite is Begonia "Escargot". Its snail-like curl at the base of the leaf in seemingly impossible, yet it provides a lovely and fascinating structure.

In this mandala, the spirals seemed to combine to create a ram's horn effect. The piece had a decided Southwestern feel to it.

Spotted Begonia Wheel

The New York Botanical Garden is a wonderful place to visit. I have spent many delightful hours there exploring the conservatory and grounds. The collection of begonias is particularly impressive, and I have taked dozens of photographs there, and used the photos for many of my botanical mandalas.
I loved the many colors and textures of this spotted begonia and the ethereal edge. I did minimal enhancement of this mandala to set it anginst a black background for an otherworldly effect.

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.

Autumn Butterflies

I love the rich coppery browns in the foliage of this heuchera, as well as the interesting geometric pattern that is unusual in my botanical mandalas.
The colors had an autumnal feel. I decided to draw butterflies and paint them with the colors from the foliage.

African Warrior

Whenever I visit the Smithsonian I always try to go to the National Museum of African Art. It is a wonderful space with huge galleries on three levels, all completely underground.
The collection of sculptures is extensive and many are stunning in their artistry.
I made this drawing from a photograph of a wood carving of an African warrior, and positioned it so the mandala would provide an elegant crown. I designed the frame based on the colorful fabrics of the region.

Fern Fantasia

I generally create my botanical mandalas to serve as a canvas to which I add my drawings. But every so often a mandala stands out on its own and needs no embellishment.
I liked the elegant structure of this mandala created using Japanese Painted Ferns. My only artistic contribution was to add jewel elements using the colors of the stem and to edit the outer edges so it would stand out against a black background.

Ravenwheel

Recently, ravens have moved to our hilltop. They tend to prefer higher elevations, and 1800 feet seems to provide them with a hospitable environment.

I have been observing the crows in our woods for many years. While similar in shape and coloring, the ravens are dramatically different in size, call, and behavior. They are much larger, with a deep throaty call, and rather than flock, they are often in pairs.

With their huge size and obvious intelligence, it is no wonder they play a large part in Native American culture.

Autumn Greenman

A few months ago I did my first greenman mandala. I used leaves that I took from the botanical mandala itself to piece together and create a face. Although it was fun, and I did like the effect, I found the technique did not allow me a range of colors to work with.
To create a leaf man using autumnal colors I had to draw and paint this face from scratch. However, I was able to use only colors that I found in the original mandala to paint the face.

Vernal Equinox

The green of this oval mandala reminded me of spring. In early spring many the low lying shrubs and plants burst into lush foliage while the trees are still bare. The nights are often crystal clear and ablaze with stars. Some of my favorite constellations are high in the evening sky and I included them in this piece.