Mandala no. 1

Am I addicted to my blog?

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. It is true that I feel somewhat anxious to share another post, even though my current project is not finished. I still think it is pleasant to look at, though, and it will become something very different once it is painted.

I have been working on a mandala over the past several days. Here is a short description of mandalas:

The word “mandala” is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean “circle,” a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself–a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

–The Mandala Project <<http://www.mandalaproject.org/What/Index.html>&gt;

I got the idea after seeing the light boxes of Matthew Shelton, and the mandala was mentioned in an article I read about him. The process is very straightforward, I followed the instructions here and gradually built the complex design that you see in black and white. First in pencil, then in ink. I am now working on painting it with tempera paints (that my grandpa had in his basement, probably since the 1960’s). It is very pleasant to work on, but painting it is somewhat overwhelming. I have to work on it only a few hours at a time. So far, no madness. Only joy.

Cheers.