GLOWING WITH GRATITUDE

Glow Mandala -(Meditation Card series) -© Sue O'Kieffe 2008


Both Connie Rose and John Mora passed along this wonderful Gratitude with Attitude blog award to me. I am humbled by this recognition from my friends and artist peers.

Thalia at Audacia Muliebris has created three mandala templates inspired from the original work of Komra Moriko. For this I am grateful, and it is my pleasure to pass on this blog award for the time she took in developing these new configurations. I used one of Thalia's templates for today's mandala, which is the second of my meditation cards. Im not sure about the choice of meditation words...glow? radiate? shine? ...

Anne Christine Dennison commented about my use of black for the background of these cards. I like to use darker colors for my backgrounds to demonstrate light piercing the darkness. I love Anne's mandalas. Be sure to visit if you haven't already. Her work is bright and enchanting.

I am grateful to all of you who come by to read my blog and take the time to comment. Consider yourselves bestowed as well.

Have a glorious weekend.

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

SATURDAY GRATITUDES

Hello Sue,

I have a website about life-limiting illness from diagnosis through bereavement. Pls look at it. www.qualityoflifecare.com my question is may I please use your beautiful mandala picture and of course I will link it to your website? That is what another photography website is letting me do. I would love to put your picture on Donna Belk’s article, “dying, you can’t do it wrong”.

I look forward to your reply.

Deanna

Please be sure to take a look at Deanna's website. Here is a link to the article.I have great respect for those who work in palliative health care, and I am honored for the request to have my mandalas added to her site.

Conduit of Light Mandala - (Circles of Light series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007
source image: bamboo stalks


From my inbox:

I came across the sacred-circle mandalas page quite by chance, but wanted to let you know how beautiful i think your work is. How can it not bring a touch of warmth and colour to even the greyest of days. Keep it going ! Best regards from Milano, Italy.

Angus


Dear Angus,
Thank you for your very kind words about my art. It is moments like these that keep me going.

An audience or "viewer" is necessary to create a mandala.Where there is no you, there is no mandala. (from: You Are the Eyes of the World, by Longchenpa, translated by Lipman and Peterson).
~www.mandalaproject.org/What/Index.html

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

Heaven's Embrace - (Healing in Circles series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2006

Earlier this week I was honored with more recognition from my fellow community members in the blogosphere. I feel gratified to receive these kindnesses; just to have my basic nature recognized is plenty indeed. Frances at A Carpet Full of Holes not only honored me with An Apple for the Teacher Award, but created the award herself. Bobbie gifted me with the Nice Matters Award. This great grannie is blossoming with her ongoing skills in learning Photoshop. Thanks for this immediate feedback.

For both of you, I offer this up: CLICK HERE

GRATITUDE

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

Everything is made of light; everything is alive. The Great Mystery of life has little to do with intelligence. The universe is not an intellectual process. The intellect is helpful; but our hearts are the wiser part of ourselves.

~ Mellen-Thomas Benedict

I chased this mandala around Photoshop yesterday afternoon and this morning. Usually when I put more than a couple of hours into an image and it just isn't coming together for me, I hit the delete key and move on. But I wanted to get to a place with this mandala where I could at least feel satisfaction. I do like how the peachy tan ties all the different colors in this image together.

I have been experimenting using different colored backgrounds with my mandalas. This is all for the time, of course, when the struggle I have been experiencing with printing practices comes together and I am able to live with an answer that satisfies me. Currently I am researching different inkjet printer possibilities; I suppose I will also contact local printers for price quotes, just so I know.

Mostly what I wanted to talk about in this post, though, was to express my gratitude to Neda Doany and Diane Clancy for bestowing upon me the Thoughful and Inspirational Blogger awards. I have chosen to wait until later to bestow these awards to other bloggers out there, so you just never know when the fairy blogmother might shower you with her goodies.

TEA, ANYONE?

Into the Green Mandala - (Healing in Circles series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

Recently a flower box filled with some of the largest succulent specimens I have ever seen caught my eye. My posting on May 1st was created from the flowers of one of those succulents. This mandala was created from another of those succulents.

When I look at the mandala, I am reminded of some Wedgewood plates that were in my mother's china collection. I see sliced summer tomatoes with cottage cheese and chives and a tall glass of iced tea, a touch of elegance after a day in the garden.

These past couple of weeks I have needed to take some time out to regroup. Unforseen issues needed to be and are still being considered. I acknowledge that art, business, and all of life is a process and things take time. During these times it is good for me to remember the larger picture and also the messages of gratitude I have received from my collectors. It is part of what keeps me motivated.

What do you do to keep the negative energy of discouragement from taking over?