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Sunday, December 30, 2007

HOLIDAY MANDALA 9

angel lightAngel Light Mandala - (Seasonal Circles series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007
source image: holly leaf

Where there is great love, there are always miracles
~ Willa Cather


I created six greeting cards for the holidays this year. Of them, this was my favorite, and it is also my offering for today's holiday mandala. When I was creating it, it was such a pleasure for me to see the angels and doves being birthed into creation. I never know until the very end of the mandala making process what is going to appear or how I will feel about the image. Usually I sense something in the photograph of the source image I use, a sort of murmuring "use me, pick me" that will lead me on the journey of creation.

I used to wait until the golden hour, that magical time a few hours before sunset, to go out on my photoshoots; but sometime during this past year I began taking photos in nature that were more saturated in light. Often those images don't really work for mandalas, but the exploration brings me more flexibility in my schedule. It also sparked the tagline for my blog ... circles of light inspired by nature.

I think of myself as a holder of the Light, and so do these natural elements.

And so, my fellow travelers, I am curious to know what kind of leaps you have taken that have brought you to a closer reflection of your true creative voice?

5 comments:

artandtea said...

Hi Sue,
Thank you for posing a very interesting question. I've been sitting here thinking about it. For me, I think the leaps have been about a return and rediscovery of passions I have always held inside of me since I was very young - writing, painting, drawing, collaging. I am learning that there are so many other ways I love to express my creative voice besides beading and making jewelry.
This mandala is simply lovely!
-Karen

John M. Mora said...

I love finding beauty in the overlooked and creating limited order within chaos. I have what I have self interpreted as a bit of attention deficit disorder and this keeps me "mixing it up" then pacifying the "blend." Vicious (creative?) cycle, but it is something I seem required to do.

Mandalas are becoming an acquired taste for me - like the way I learned to appreciate beer, wine, scotch, gin, tequila, mescal - oh, I digress.

Lovely site - calm like being alongside a small creek in Yosemite.

Bobbie said...

I love your description of yourself as the holder of light for you certainly are. Your mandalas radiate with light and wholeness.

I feel that this year as been a very pivotal year for me, one that has taken me from a world of logic and order to creativity and inner expression. For this I am grateful and especially for your help in making my journey, dear teacher.

dianeclancy said...

Hi Sue,

Angels ... and light ... YES!!!

I too see myself as a holder of light as you clearly are. I think my journey is aligning with the light within more and more and listening to see what gives others joy and helps them align and still brings me joy,

~ Diane Clancy
www.dianeclancy.com/blog

Tangled Stitch said...

This mandala is amazing. I thought it looked like porcelain or pottery. You can definitely see the light in it. Thank you for inspiring me once again.