Here is the set of 24 watercolor pencils that I am using for this series. This palette is called "Walk to the Sea." No wonder I love these colors. I bought this set at the Bellingham Community Food Co-op some time ago. The sketchpad came from the Dakota Art store. Now I understand why the colors are named as they are:
fog
rolls in
along
the lane
rabbit
boots
hop
skip jump
squirrel
jacket
dew
at 5 am
carmine
bird
hedgerow
While
I was working on mandala #3, I wasn't able to keep everything as
symmetrical as I wished. Oh well. It looks fine to me anyway. I don't
need to aim for Fearful
Symmetry. Leave that to some immortal hand or eye.
Progress not perfection.
For
this mandala, I started with "dandelion" and made my way
through the rainbow to "tupelo honey." I haven't been using
"biscuit festival," "fog rolls in," "wildfire,"
"teddy bear," "brown bear," or "picket
fence." I use "grizzly bear" to date each mandala. At
some point, I could made some mandalas with the browns and the grey.
It
feels good to watch this unfold. I feel better than I have felt
in a long time. The counselor I am working with in regard to my
war-related PTSD suggested processing my experiences through art
work. I am grateful to her for that suggestion.
From
1980 to 1991, I did
process
much of my old trauma, but beginning with the First Gulf War and with
the
wars that have followed there
was new trauma that had the effect of blocking me from drawing and
painting. This blog has been my creative outlet for almost 8 years,
and there have been a few times when I have been able to paint or
draw or weave in addition to writing blog posts and taking
photographs:
Now
seems to be a time for fearless and asymmetrical mandalas. Start at
the center and move outward. Anyone can make one or be one. Each one
unique.
P.S. Somehow I lost control of the fonts and text sizes and colors as I worked on this blog post today.
Oh well (-:
2 comments:
hey, did i already mention i think this is the best one (so far)? i especially like the green triangle in the center (i counted 3 shades of green).
it totally caught and held my attention until it felt like i was flying above a very tall building surrounded by pools or lakes. this is really stunning work. i'm eager to see what's next in the rainbow series.
Thank you, Zach!
Post a Comment