HOLIDAY MANDALA 12

Applied Wonder Mandala - (Circles of Wonder series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008

Today is the 12th day of Solstice. Traditionally it was a time of celebration. The Light was returning, people played games, feasted, and said farewell to the darkness. Today is also Epiphany, a Christian feast to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the shining forth of God in human form. As a feeling, epiphanies represent a sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something. (fromWikipedia here and here).

And so I bid adieu to this season of light and greet the beginning of a new season with a new mandala series, Circles of Wonder. I have stated my intent for 2008 as one having more fun and exploration and have joined in Leah Piken's low impact challenge to Create Every Day in 2008. If you aren't familiar with her blog and inspirational encouragement, be sure to mosey over her way. This is my first posting about this year long goal. I hope to create from a place of wonder and curiosity, and have a bit of fun in the process.

I must admit that I have been feeling a little bored because I have grooved out a comfortable rut in my creating. After reading Debi Cates' enthusiasm over Photoshop's apply image command, I got to wondering and the image above is what shined forth for me. Now that I have a little understanding of this function, I will dissect it in a future Photoshop tutorial, which I hope to continue on a bi-weekly basis.

And in case you were wondering, here are the source images for the mandala.

























marsh mosaic merged


So below is the holiday series in slowslide form. I look forward to the continued sharing of our artisitic visions with each other in the year to come. May you all find delight in your many and varied personal epiphanies. Here's to wonder!

HOLIDAY MANDALA 10

New Year's Eve Mandala - (Seasonal Circle series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007
source image - fiddlehead fern

Debi Cates' love of grasses inspired this particular mandala, taken from a photograph of an unfolding fiddlehead fern. I love spirals and fibonacci numbers and finding them appear in nature. I've talked about feeling contemplative and introspective the past few days. I've not only wanted to gather before me what I accomplished this past year, but feel into my intent for the coming year. I've had lots of different adjectives come up for me to describe my desire for 2008, but nothing really felt "right" to me, until I read Christine Kane's blog on the Resolution Revolution. If you do not already read Christine Kane's blog, I would heartily recommend adding her humor and wisdom to your blog reading list.

So below is my resume, if you will, of my life in 2007. I would love it if you would share some of your own highlights here, or on your own blog, or both!

2007 was a year of HEALING from the past and AFFIRMING the new
Recovered from major surgery
Launched a greeting card business
Participated in an Artists in Business focus group (ongoing thru March 2008)
Developed an art blog and a community of readers
Started posting Photoshop tutorials on my blog on a semi-regular basis
Was featured in four local art shows
Submitted a mandala to an art show for digital artists in Fresno, CA that had an international call for submissions and guaranteed acceptance
Established three local wholesale accounts for my greeting cards
Sold my holiday greeting cards to a highly desirable local retail gift shop (my big goal fulfilled for the year)
Gained greater confidence in my art's desirability
Began conversation with a manufacturer of home furnishings about licensing my art to her
Returned to the work force after a five year period of reinvention and transformation

WHEW!

Tomorrow I will post my intents for 2008. I will tell you right now it begins with having F U N!