Free Mandala Wallpaper

All Paths Lead to One Mandala © Sue O'Kieffe 2010
source image: honeysuckle blossom

I love offering gifts whenever I can.

I created desktop wallpaper in three different sizes for all of you who follow my blog and anyone who happens to find their way here in the future.

The original mandala, All Paths Lead to One, symbolizes a philosophy I want to embrace in my own life, when I feel conflict with another person's beliefs. I know that we are all connected and that we are all one. We are Love.

There is a great awakening on this planet at this time and great shifts are occurring. May this wallpaper remind you that we are all part of each other whenever you turn on your computer.

The wallpaper was created in three different sizes, depending on your monitor resolution. Here are the links:
800x600=http://www.box.net/shared/eyejltipdd
1024x768=http://www.box.net/shared/8zm9uxgxj4
1280x960=http://www.box.net/shared/oinn7c516n

If you aren't sure how to install wallpaper on your computer, here are some instructions

MAC OS 9
1. Download image according to your monitor resolution
2. Go to Apple menu > Control Panel and select "Appearance".
3. Select "Place picture" and locate the appropriate picture.
4. Click "Set Desktop".
MAC 0S X
1. Select the picture you want in the resolution which matches your display.
2. Save image to desktop.
3. Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Personal section and select "Desktop".
4. On the "Collection" pulldown menu, go to "Choose Folder" and locate the appropriate picture.

WINDOWS 7 and VISTA
1. Select the picture you want according to the resolution which matches your display
2. Download image and save to your desktop
3. Right click on desktop and choose personalize.
4. Browse to the mandala image and click on it. Make sure picture position is set to fill screen
WINDOWS XP
1. Select the picture you want according to the resolution which matches your display
2. Download image and save to your desktop
3. Right click on desktop and choose properties
4. Click on desktop tab. Browse to mandala image and click on it

Bright blessings to you on your path this day!

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

END OF SUMMER

I have begun experimenting with other forms of digital art-making recently through my involvement in the Coach Creative Space. It's been fun to play around using different approaches to making art. I used the photos above to create the image below.



Curves and Splatters - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008

Many thanks to Kim of Laketrees for honoring me and so many other fine creatives on the web with her very thoughtful award.





It's gratifying to be recognized during a time when I am searching ever deeper for inspiration in my art. More about that at another time.

Summer is winding down. On the North Coast of California, autumn is our best time anyway. The light turns golden, the harvest is readied, it actually turns warm and windless. Just a few more weeks. Huzzah!

Many blessings to all of you who come to read, feel inspired, seek to find comfort and healing in your lives, reach for ease and joy and contentment.

May we all be blessed.


Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

THE WHEEL KEEPS ON TURNIN'

Revelations Mandala -(Reflection Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image: agapanthus (Queen of the Nile)

This mandala speaks to me on a very personal level, an unexpected result from when I began creating it. A couple of weeks ago I was listening to an interview with Bonnie Bell, one of the first artists I discovered making digital mandalas from nature imagery. If you are at all interested in this topic, the interview is well worth the listening time.

Anyway, Bonnie said something about how the nature images almost always pick her instead of her setting out to make mandalas from them. In my own work, I find that to be true. In the analog(handmade) realm of mandala making, I most usually have some goal in mind and I still tend to be more critical of the results (though that is easing up and I am allowing myself more room for play). When going through recently photographed flowers, there was something about the soft blue of the agapanthus that really spoke to me. Blue, the color of the 5th chakra, throat, speaking, finding one's voice..speaking up, speaking truth.

I have set an intention of going deeper within myself to grow deeper as an artist. Within I am also finding those places of blockage. I am looking without for more skill and looking within for courage and strength.

When I looked at the finished image I was reminded of the tarot card Wheel of Fortune. Angeles Arrien writes about this card: Wheel of Fortune (enhancing creativity and fortune) - It is the archetype that can allow your life to turn in more fortunate positive directions if you are willing to grow and expand. (TarotHandbook, pg 64-65)

I would love to hear about your own process of growth as an artist. How do you know when it is time to go past where you have been in the past with your art? How do you feel during this period?

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

LIKE SANDS THROUGH THE HOUR GLASS...

Somewhere in my travels in the blogosphere I found this really cool website: this is sand

While I understand the lesson in Tibetan sand mandalas is about the impermanence of nature, I am equally fascinated by the possibility of creating sand mandalas from digital sand. You can read more about the website here

If you go to the website and play, (be warned...it is hugely addictive play), click on the grey square in the upper left hand corner.

The following mandalas were created from my sand drawings (how to? save on a pc using the alt+prtscn buttons, then ctrl+v on a new file in your favorite digital imaging program). Im not sure how to save a screen image on a mac.

Have fun!


Lotus Sunrise - (Sand Mandala series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image: digital sand


Mandala Abstraction - (Sand Mandala Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image: digital sand



Joyous Colors Mandala (Sand Mandala Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image: digital sand


Synchronously, I just found an interview on ColourLovers (an amazing blog all on its own) with the creators of the This is Sand website



Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

WHAT'S NEW WITH SUE O'KIEFFE

Conduit of Light - (Circles of Light series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007
Source image : Bamboo

I am a member of an Artists in Business group sponsored by our local Small Business Development Center. It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to be introduced to a lot of different information about business, which I suspect is really only scratching the surface of what there is to know. Last Tuesday I met with Victoria Ryan, a local artist and art marketing consultant, because I was not able to get to the meeting when she spoke; I was treated to two hours of personalized information. We talked a lot about licensing my art, as opposed to focusing on gallery representation, blogging, and multiple streams of income. These are directions and goals I had already decided upon for myself, and so it was good to get that validation.

On Friday I met with my business counselor, who also comes with this program. As I was leaving the coffee house, I took photographs of the bamboo growing outside and created the mandala that you see above. I do see myself as a conduit for the everyday beauty around me, and I am grateful for all that there is to see.

For those of you who do digital art and photography, I want to share this information: Snapshots 2007 Open call for entries for an un-juried show featuring digital art and photography: All entries received by the deadline will be exhibited in our gallery arranged mural-like, edge to edge. More info here.

PATTERN MAKERS ON THE WEB

I have been using a handy feature that Google offers called Google Alerts, to have them search for instances of mandala art that appear on the web. I get alot of hits for Tibetan sand art, which really is fascinating, but I have been more interested in contemporary applications and how they are being used. This morning I wanted to point you in the direction of a couple of my recent finds.

Caterina Martinico creates mandalas using techniques developed by Judith Cornell. She also lives in Northern California, but a couple counties south of me. Go visit her blog here. She also does collage and wax encaustic painting.

Another mandala maker I encountered the more old fashioned way (by following a link on Andrew Daniel's blog to her artblog to her mandala blog) is the work of TeriC. You can view her gelpen mandalas here. Bright and colorful and fun. Say hi and tell her I sent you. She is also pretty geeky. Nothing like another techno-sister.

My favorite find recently, though, has been this art exhibit sponsored by Art and Science Collaborations, Inc. (ASCI) I have never really thought of myself as either a mathematician or scientist, but the more I work in digital art with images from nature, the more I recognize how it all blends together. This art show on pattern making is well worth taking the time to look at. I love this quote by Agnes Denes:

"Pattern-finding is the purpose of the mind and the construct of the universe. There are an infinite number of patterns, some of which are known; those still unknown hold the key to unresolved enigmas and paradoxes."
- Agnes Denes, 1967 (1)
Agnes Denes - Tree Mountain, A Living Time Capsule - ©2003


This could almost be a late submission for Blog Action Day as I am reading about her project:

A huge man-made mountain measuring 420 meters long, 270 meters wide, 28 meters high and elliptical in shape was planted with eleven thousand trees by eleven thousand people from all over the world at the Pinziö gravel pits near Ylöjärvi, Finland, as part of a massive earthwork and land reclamation project by environmental artist Agnes Denes. The project was officially announced by the Finnish government at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Earth Environment Day, June 5, l992, as Finland's contribution to help alleviate the world's ecological stress. Sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, Tree Mountain is protected land to be maintained for four centuries, eventually creating a virgin forest. The trees are planted in an intricate mathematical pattern derived from a combination of the golden section and the pineapple/sunflower system designed by the artist. Even though infinitely more complex, it is reminiscent of ancient earth patterns.
More here

There are some intriguing and inspiring mandalas and other patterns inspired by nature/science in this Digital '07 show on Pattern-Finding. I hope you take the time to look as a way of really seeing the overlays of science with art. Im going to add it to my digital art links as well.

I will be back on Sunday with another Photoshop tutorial. I 've had a request for more about masks. Is there anything else you would like me to cover? Be sure to let me know.

Demeter's Dream Mandala

Demeter's Dream Mandala - (Goddess Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

I was in an introspective mood when I created this image, but then that's nothing really new for me. Sometimes I hear my art asking to be named in certain ways, and that is what this mandala did. The story of Demeter going to the underworld to rescue her daughter Persephone from Hades is one of my favorite myths.

I would be interested to hear what you see or feel in this image. (I didn't go to the Underworld, by the way; I've been working a temp job this week. It's good to be back)

AUTUMN HEARTBEAT MANDALA

Autumn Heartbeat Mandala - (Seasons Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

Safe in feeling excited learning risking trusting
Heartbeat
Friendly open loving kindly kind of beating
Heartbeat
Caring, honest, pulsing, grounding, present time now
Heartbeat
Beating like a work of art
The drumming of my heartbeat

~SOK

DIGITAL KALEIDOSCOPES

Clancy Kaleidoscopes - © Sue O'Kieffe and Diane Clancy 2007

Diane Clancy creates some of the most colorful digital art I have ever seen. Like me, she is all about color; her art enhances the spirit. I feel most grateful that she bumped into me somewhere in the blogosphere. I think of Diane as a central part of my business network, too.

It only seemed like the next transformative step that some of her art be converted to mandalas. I knew her playful use of color and strong lines would lend itself well to this rendering.

And indeed it did. Thanks for providing me a little Sunday rainy day fun, Diane!

You can see her original art I used as source images here, here, here and here.
Sources: At the Opera, Inner Flow I, Turtle Batik, Life Expands I

VISIONS OF MANDALA MAKERS DANCE IN MY HEAD

AUTUMN FUN - (Seasons Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2006


I have looked at the work of many many mandala artists over the past couple of years. If you have a look-see to the right, you will see that I have put up links today to other mandala makers sites that I have found informative, inspiring and beautiful.

When I started to envision going into business with my art, of course issues of competition came up for me; as an artist this is dangerous territory to stay in for very long. About a year ago, after looking at the Gaia Star World site, I had a vision of a world wide community of mandala makers bringing light and healing to the planet. We all have our own vision and voice. There is enough for everyone because there is plenty of need for healing.

I am humbled and pleased that others have felt inspired to begin creating mandalas of their own; and while it is heady for me to be called inspiring, I would encourage this: Find your voice, find your truth, and have fun in what you are doing.

I would love to read your thoughts in commentary.

WE ARE ALL CONNECTED

We Are All Connected - (Healing in Circles series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

I suspect Diane Clancy has some good skills in persuasion. The enthusiasm with her post on ClusterMaps won me over; you will see I have now added a map to my blog as well. It will be fun to see exactly how we are all connected. Im glad I have an atlas next to my computer, too!

Where are you from?
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On another note, the months of wondering, questioning, researching and final decision making regarding my line of mandala greeting cards is about to go to the next level. I will begin taking them to stores this week. If you have never seen my cards, you can view them in my gallery here

Interested in purchase? Email me here for details.
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P.S. I will be back next Sunday with another Photoshop tutorial. Life, as it does at times, won over my best laid plans this week.

A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE

VARIATIONS ON A THEME - © Sue O'Kieffe circa 2005
Three of my first mandalas
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TALENT
Talent, in common parlance is "what comes easily." So, sooner or later, inevitably, you reach a point where the work doesn't come easily, and - Aha! It's just as you feared.

Wrong. By definition, whatever you have is exactly what you need to produce your best work. There is probably no clearer waste of psychic energy than worrying about how much talent you have -- and probably no more common.
~from Art and Fear, Observations on the Perils of Artmaking, David Bayles and Ted Orland:
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I must admit I do get queasy when people tell me I am talented. I think it is more than remembering the haunting voice of my mother who told me at 5 I would never be good enough to be an artist.

When we talk about talent, it's as if it is a given rather than the gift that it is. And it's a gift that must be nurtured in order to grow.

I was proud of these first mandalas I created two years ago. I like looking at them now and then to remember creation really is about the journey.
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I will be back next Sunday with another Photoshop tutorial. Life won over my best laid plans this week.

HOW DO I MAKE MANDALAS?

Awakening - (Healing in Circles series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2006

More than one person have asked me how I make my mandalas. It is no secret that I start with the templates offered at earthmandalas.com Komra Moriko wrote those tutorials quite a long time ago, and the way Photoshop is laid out is quite different now; but the concepts are still the same. If you have tried to use those templates and got lost in the tutorial and need some help, let me know.

Starting with a good photograph helps too. When I shoot photographs, I tend to look for flowers that are fleshy and reflect light well. The mandala above, made from a photograph of a rose,and the one yesterday, which was made from a photograph of a succulent, both have lots of substance. I also work with high resolution photographs (240 ppi) which means I duplicated the templates to 240 ppi as well.

My other secret? Lots and lots of practice. I have worked on my art at some point every day for the past two years. This means learning about making adjustments, selections, layers, different filters, blending modes and how they all work together. I would say of all the photoshop tools I use that blending modes is my favorite. I have found that the less "photoshoppy" an image looks, the more I like it. And I keep wondering. What would happen if? I remain willing to break my own rules of creation. And I keep learning and relearning.

And that's how I do it!

I AM A DIGITAL ARTIST

FLEUR LUMINEUSE - (Circles of Light series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007
(Thanks to Rima Koleilat for the French lesson and assistance in naming this mandala)

I have been trained and instilled with certain artistic values. One that runs deep is that of non-appropriation, i.e. using other people's images in my artwork. When digital art was in its infancy, one of the criticisms was that people were stealing images from the web and using them as their own. Im sure that is still occurring, given how easy it is to download and save from any person's given website directly to your desktop. I think for a long time digital art was not considered a true art form. Im sure those attitudes are still prevalent in the art community. I am the only digital artist in my Art as Business group.

I remain conscious of only using images for my mandalas that I have photographed myself. Anything I have used that is not mine has been done with the permission of the photographer, and I give that person credit on my greeting cards and the labels that come with my prints. I have spent as much time this spring and summer learning to capture the light in the images I am shooting with my camera as I have in creating their portraits of light in photoshop. It is much easier to create with a good photographic source image than it is trying to heal the source image digitally.

The first time I touched a computer, before there was barely anything known as a Mac or PC, I knew I was home. It took me another 20 years, though, to really walk through the door.
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On Being an Artist: Artmaking involves skills that can be learned. The conventional wisdom is that while "craft" can be taught, "art" remains a magical gift bestowed only by the gods. Not so. In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive. Clearly, these qualities can be nurtured by others. Even talent is rarely distinguishable, over the long run, from perseverance and lots of hard work. It's true that every few years the authors encounter some beginning photography student whose first-semester prints appear as finely crafted as any Ansel Adams might have made. And it's true that a natural gift like that...returns priceless encouragement to its maker. But all that has nothing to do with artistic content. Rather it simply points up the fact that most of us (including Adams himself) had to work years to perfect our art.

~ from Art and Fear, David Bayles and Ted Orland
(Credit goes to Tammy Vitale for pointing me to this book. Merci.)

TOMORROW: A PRETTY QUICK TUTORIAL ABOUT QUICK MASKS

CIRCLES OF LIGHT

Star Light Mandala - (Circles of Light series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

I decided to continue exploring the theme of dark and light that I have been investigating in my recent mandalas. I love the richness of the dark and moody colors found in this penstemon wilcoxii I photographed and transformed into a Circle of Light. I wasn't quite satisfied with my usual plain dark background, though, but also knew I didn't want to clutter the image with a lot of extraneous detail. So I created another mandala from an image of amethyst that my friend dosmangoes photographed and has been letting me use. I like the very subtle revelation of light coming through from the dark plum-hued background.

Yesterday Rima Koleilat of Maraya Galleries asked me if I ever get tired of hearing superlatives about my work. I can't imagine anyone who doesn't like some kind of recognition. My biggest desire is that my art will calm, soothe, and inspire. It is what keeps me going on those days that are dark for me too.

GOLDEN LIGHT

Golden Light Mandala - (Circles of Light series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

I stared at this mandala for quite a while after creating it, which means, well, I like it! The source image is a picture of sedum in bloom that was taken at that golden hour before sunset . I'm pleased with the interplay of shadow and light and the antique quality of the mandala. The golden light seems to glow in the image, doesn't it?

Photoshop Tips:

• First things first. Create a duplicate layer of your image (How? Ctrl/Cmd key+J or Layer>Duplicate layer) and work from that. This way you will have an unaltered version of your beginning point,in case you need it.
• Name your file and save it before beginning to work on your photoshop image. (Im really bad about this step myself). If your computer freezes for any reason and you haven't saved your work, all that time put into your image will be gone forever.

I also spent time tidying up my blog today, adding a few more links of artists I like and references to digital art that I enjoy. While mandala making is my vision and my passion, I am also a digital artist and like being introduced to different approaches to the medium, which I am delighted to share with you as well.

Enjoy!

My mandala prints are $20 plus shipping/handling/tax. If you are interested in purchasing my art, please contact me at the email address linked above.

OUT AND ABOUT

Summertime Mandala - (Summer Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2006

I am going to be in two local shows for digital artists during the months of July and August, so if any of you get to the North Coast of California be sure to check us out. The Eureka Photoshop Users Group is showing at Simply Macintosh, on the Arcata Plaza, in July. Another group of digital artists will be showing at the Humboldt County Library's Hagopian Gallery during July and August. What fun!