HOLIDAY MANDALA 9

Angel 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?

DEDICATION TO BEAUTY

Joy Mandala -(Healing in Circles series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

What I like best about the art that I make is the privilege of creating such beauty from every day occurrences. Growing up in Minnesota I never saw wild onion growing in the proliferation with which it does here in Northern California, and the flower still delights me as a bringer of spring joy. I took this photograph of wild onion on Easter Day this year; the flower does have a sort of feel of miniature Easter lily, doesn't it? I see it even more in its translation into the mandala.

I do think that part of my calling to my art is in my dedication to beauty. I feel good about what I am doing, proud of my product and honored to use my talents in such a positive way. They are all a reflection of my own journey, but I know from the responses people have shared with me that I touch something deeply profound in them as well. My job is to create the art without expectation and let others find their own meanings. This process is often humbling in ways I would never expect.

Thank you for reading my blog and sharing in my art and my processes. If you would like to share your thoughts with me, I would love to read what's on your mind.

MORE ON THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Key to the Cosmos Mandala - (Earth Mysteries series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

I have been thinking about the mandalas in my Earth Mysteries series the past few days. I am fascinated by the possibilities I think these mandalas present, but I have not as yet been satisfied with the way they have translated into print. Part of what makes them energetic on screen is diminished somewhat on paper. My desire is to showcase and accentuate the energy of the crystals which are the source images for these mandalas.

I have been looking at different printing processes which would allow me to transfer digital prints to glass. I have begun to visualize these mandalas as plaques on a stand with light shining through them. There are many ways that I solve problems, and visualizing what I want even though I don't exactly know how I am going to manage to bring it all through, is just one of many techniques that I use.

This is just the beginning of another creative journey that I want to manifest to reality.

Please share your thoughts with me. I would love to read about your processes too.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

REACH FOR THE SUN MANDALA v2 - (Healing in Circle Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

This is a short post about my creative process. I posted a mandala a couple of days ago , but I didnt quite feel right about it; and so I asked another artist friend of mine, Diane Clancy, to critique my work. From the feedback I got from her I changed the background back to black (which I had tried but hadn't cared for when I initially created the mandala) and retained the yellow stroke around the frame (which I hadn't tried when I first was playing with the black background.) I like the way it holds the contrast of interior/exterior that I was looking for, but gives the mandala itself center stage.

I do love working digitally in layers and the easy way it gives me to experiment with different approaches to my art.

Please share your opinions with me. I would love to read them.

Creative playing

CRYSTAL PORTAL MANDALA
© Sue O'Kieffe 2007

Creating this mandala was all about playtime. What inspired me was thinking about messages and language and the history that crystals hold within them about the earth. If crystals have stories to share with us, how would they look visually/graphically? Could we step through this portal to find the answer? I see the markings along the rim as encrypted messages, perhaps an invitation. What does it say to you?

I used an Arkansas crytal point as the source image for this mandala.