Mandala Workshop- Recent Images...

I am finally posting the images from our recent Autumn Equinox Mandala Retreat Day.


We had a wonderful, small circle of women, drawing and sharing in my studio, last Sunday.  The weather really co operated, thankfully and it wasn't as hot as this weekend, with Indian Summer blazing away  here in northern Ca...otherwise the studio would have been like a sauna.

 Photos speak louder than words for the process so here are some from that day of what emerged and our process.

Here are some of the small practice mandala's that were created just in the white on black.

 The contrast of the white prismacolors on the black canson mi tientes paper is always so stunning.  It is hard to jump into color, because often these  are so perfect just as they are.

This is the mandala that I began that day.  It really expresses alot of my feeling about transitioning into autumn and the approach of winter.  Actually, fall is my most favorite time of year, but their is always a bittersweetness to it as well.

Lots of release and letting go is inherent within it.

There is something about the dark center that is so provocative

After a wonderful morning of diving in and drawing small mandalas, we began our bigger ones and then created small test color wheel mandalas, practicing blending the rainbow prismacolor pencils that we use in the process. Color is so exciting, and it changes everything.

 We use a limited palette in this process, just 6 colors plus white.  Aquamarine, true green, yellow, orange, magenta, and violet.

                                 With these 6 colors it is possible to mix hundreds of vibrant colors.

The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.╡

>

> - Kahlil Gibran -

Here are all the mandala's in process up on the wall.  Because this is such detailed work, we need to give our eyes, hands and backs breaks.  Often times when you stand back and look at what you are doing, it is possible to see the work in new ways. The mandalas will let you know what the next step is.

Please note the intricate detail on this amazing mandala.

Close up..........

This is the mandala that I began that day, in process. I will post the completed process at a later time.

This is Patricia Waters mandala in process, created with a dear friend in mind who is going through some traumatic life changes.  

Most everyone in the group promised to send the completed mandala images to me, perhaps those will be included in another post.  

I knew that in finding the mandala as an expression of the self

 I had attained what was for me the ultimate.

 C. G. Jung

Evolution of a Mandala -Full Moon Mandala

Here in Northern California, the changing of the seasons are subtle, on the surface it still feels like summer, yet in my body and my psyche, I can still feel the turning of the wheel of the seasons and the inevitable turn towards the dark.  Autumn exposes itself daily, in the vibrant colors of the leaves, the changing of the sunlight as it moves lower and cooler towards the horizon, and the bold orange autumn moon, rises over the valley of the moon.

Since I am so process oriented, I decided to share the  process of the drawing  of a mandala, that speaks strongly of the moon and the changing of the seasons.  This Full Moon Mandala, was created in honor of the winter solstice.  As the seasons, glide effortlessly one into the other, I continue to be drawn to this piece.   

I usually photograph as I am drawing, every step of the process, sometimes obsessively.  Here is my creative journey for this mandala.

Matted  prints of this mandala are available for sale on my etsy store

SoulArteEclectica

Greeting cards of this mandala, as well as T-shirts of it are also available for purchase on my 

Cafe press store.

Fall Equinox Mandala Workshop

Last Sunday, we facilitated another Illuminated Mandala workshop at my studio.  This is a photo of the outside of my studio.   I love doing these mandala retreat days.  The process is so healing, I get to set intentions for the new season and witness what comes through for the participants.  



Here are some of the mandalas created in the group that Patricia and I taught.  

You can see the begining scale of light drawings as well as the begining of each mandala in black and and a progression of some of them.  

The work that every one did was beautiful.  We spent the day focusing on the harvest and all the gifts of abundance in our lives that we have harvested.  

It was a lovely day.