Mandala

This morning I was out for a walk with Kai and I felt the familiar stirring that I wanted to make something. I sorted through whether it was something written or drawn, coloured or black and white, realistic or abstract, 3 dimensional or 2 dimensional and eventually realised that I wanted to make a mandala. Then, in my mind I went through my paper collection and and decided on a grey page. I got home, dug into my art supply stocks and sat down to make this. A few hours later and here it is. I feel so much more relaxed and centred.

Carnival Visual Arts Exhibition

An exhibition call was sent out at the beginning of the year for visual art work from Trinidadian artists toward a National Carnival Exhibition. I’m happy to report that the 3 pieces I submitted were all admitted into the exhibitions.

For those in Trinidad, please visit the show! It looks like it will be a great one. It’s being held at several venues across the island. If you want to visit or purchase my pieces, you can do so at the Carnival Village location at Queens Park Savannah, where 1 piece (A City with Two Faces) is located and also at the Art Society Headquarters, where 2 of my pieces are being shown (Downtown & South Quay)

The pieces I’m exhibiting at these locations are abstracted drawings of the city of Port-of-Spain that portray the celebration of Carnival. Downtown and South Quay focus on places in Port of Spain, taking the actual urban scene through the lens of the Carnival experience. A City with Two Faces looks at the city of Port of Spain and it’s transformation during Carnival into a city of celebration, connected and animated through the pathway of the Carnival parade.

When I get some images from the exhibitions I’ll post them on here. Hope some of you can make it.

I’m very excited about this show. A great deal of love, introspection and research went into these pieces and although I finished them and exhibited them in Canada in 2010, they’ve never been show in Trinidad.

 

Bird’s Eye View

Pen & ink, 10 x 14

This is my first mandala of 2014. It’s called Bird’s Eye View. It was snowing steadily all day today. Even though it was a fairly warm day in comparison to recent days, I couldn’t bring myself to walk to the art store for more canvas. Instead, I spent the afternoon drawing at the dining table.

Recently, I’ve been watching a documentary series called Through the Wormhole. One episode  I saw last week looked at near death experiences. In that episode, there was a snippet of footage of a butterfly flying through a forest. Since then the idea of flying with an animals eyes has stuck with me. One of the ideas discussed involved the notion that at the moment of death, our minds might latch on to the consciousness of other being in a quantum like transfer of awareness. That’s the best way I can restate it – non technical as I am.

This mandala explores that idea – of reaching out beyond human form and seeing life through another’s eyes.

Hope you enjoy the mandala, and as always thanks for being interested in my work.

Regrounding

After I wrote my last post I started this mandala. Making mandalas are such good therapy. I feel much more grounded now.

Regrounding Mandala, pen & ink on paper

Union

This piece was done with thoughts of two of my friends who are getting married this spring. The piece is composed of two framed mandalas. Each reflects the other and are bound together by the spirit of the bird. It’s a story about the love and union of two separate and beautiful souls.

Union, pen & ink on paper

This Door is Open

Sketchbook, pen & ink