Art Exhibit in Progress

It has been awhile since I've done an exhibit of my artwork, so I was pleased at how this display came together.  There's a little bit of everything...mandalas, alcohol inks, Citra Solv art, mixed media and tiles.   I also have two of my scrapbooks on hand that people can look through.  One chronicles the progression of my artwork, including the first mandala I ever made back in December 2005.  The other has examples of mandalas from nature and everyday objects,  as well as,  the "sacred circles"  from various cultures and spiritual traditions.   If you're in the Canton, MS area between now and October 8th, I do hope you'll stop by and take a peek.    The exhibit is taking place at the Canton Welcome Center, which is located in the old Trolio Hotel, 141 N. Union Street.  The  Welcome Center is open from 10 - 5 Monday through Friday and from 10 - 2 on Saturdays.

Of Prayer Beads and Mandalas

Recently, I began making Anglican prayer beads.  I've long been fascinated with rosaries, both Catholic and Anglican, as well as malas, and always wanted to learn how to make them.  Finally, I took the plunge.  I found a good resource to guide me, A Bead and A Prayer by Kristen E. Vincent, raided my jewelry chest and set to work.  

I quickly realized that the process of making them was very calming and meditative...very much like the way I feel when creating mandalas.

Choosing the color combinations and size of the beads is another opportunity to exercise a measure of creativity.

Anglican prayer beads traditionally consist of a cross,  an invitatory bead, a resurrection bead (optional) and four cruciform beads.  In between the cruciform beads are four sets of "weeks" beads. 

 There is something so satisfying in the making of these...to know I am creating something that is both beautiful and functional.  Or perhaps it's the fact that I am reconnecting with some of my earliest spiritual longings and leanings.  Whatever it is...I'm going with it...and praying as I go.

On the Importance of Following Breadcrumbs

Communion Batik (Stacy Wills, 2013)

watercolor on canvas + digital (sacred) altering

In my process of what I've come to call, sacred altering - combining traditional mediums with digital technology, I never cease to be amazed by the final outcome.  In the case of this mandala, what started out as watercolor on canvas was transformed into something that reminded me of batik.   I didn't know that much about the actual batik process, so I began to do some google/research.  Well...that led to one of my favorite breadcrumb trails...aka Wikipedia.  This paragraph on the cultural role of batik especially captured my attention:

Batik garments play a central role in certain rituals, such as the ceremonial casting of royal batik into a volcano.  In the Javanese naloni mitoni "first pregnancy" ceremony, the mother-to-be is wrapped in seven layers of batik, wishing her good things.  Batik is also prominent in the tedak siten ceremony when a child touches the earth for the first time.  Batik is also part of the labuhan ceremony when people gather at a beach to throw their problems away into the sea.

Several years ago, on another breadcrumb trail totally unrelated to batik, I had learned about the ceremony of a child touching the earth for the first time, and also another custom known as "lotus birth" which is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut after childbirth so that the baby remains attached to the placenta until the cord separates naturally - a process that can take anywhere from 3 to 10 days.  Fascinating stuff!  Of course there is much debate about whether that is a good idea, but that is not my point.

My point is...for me, each piece of art I create, whether it ever makes an appearance in public or not, becomes my teacher...a starting point on  a unique kind of journey I would otherwise never have taken.  My own "road less traveled."    I follow breadcrumb trails into forests I never would have known about otherwise - the kind you don't  find on a map.  I become acquainted with countries and customs and more than a few characters I might have missed out on.

The things I learn may seem esoteric...obscure...even useless to some...but to me they are things worth knowing, because in them, I hear echoes - faint, yet distinct hints of something I can't always quite put my finger on, but  I know, nevertheless,   is important.  It's another piece of the puzzle in place, another dot connected...which brings me back to "batik" - which comes from the Javanese words:  amba ("to write") and titik ("dot" or "point").  It's ok...it makes sense in my world. 

Medicine Wheel: The Evolution of a Mandala

A few months ago, I brought home 4

hubcap "canvases" from Hubcap Heaven.

The first one that sparked my imagination  

was the greasy one in the middle.  Its 

basic design,  already divided into fourths,

 reminded me of a medicine wheel.

After a good scrubbing, I gave it 2 coats 

 of  Valspar  Interior/Exterior Primer in white.

Using Golden Fluid Acrylics, I began painting,  

sticking with  the traditional medicine wheel

 colors of red and yellow, black and white.

I chose turquoise  as the main accent color, 

and kept the overall design clean and simple.

After the painting was complete,  I added

two coats of Krylon UV-Resistant Clear

 Acrylic Coating, and embellished with

 beads, feathers and black leather strips.

Just for the Record

Recently, I began painting mandalas on old LP's again.  A few years ago I did several, sold some, donated some, and put the last one I had left in an exhibit at the  Tunica Riverpark & Museum.   (The exhibit runs through August.)

It was a discussion about the benefits of recycling that had me dusting off the old record albums and breaking out the acrylics, crystals and dimensional paint...I even threw in a lid from an empty jar to use as the center.

I had forgotten just how much fun it is to do these.  This is  the first mandala in a series I'm calling:  Just for the Record.  

Radiate Joy!

Radiate Joy!  (Stacy Wills, 2013)

The mandala was created using a photograph of a gladiola as the source image.

Just a little "happy" on this last day of May from Rumi and me!

Circles: A Poem by Hafiz

(best viewed in full screen)

Circles

The moon is most happy when it is full,

the sun always looks like a perfectly minted gold coin

polished and placed in flight by God's playful kiss.

And so many varieties of fruit hang plump and round.

I see the beautiful curve of a pregnant belly

shaped by a soul within,

and the earth itself.

I have gotten the hint:

There is something about circles the Beloved likes.

Within the circle of a Perfect One

there is an infinite community of light.

-Hafiz (1325-1389)

This is the fourth installment in my Mandala Meditation series, and was inspired by the words from one of my favorite poets, Hafiz.  I enjoy creating and sharing these videos in the hope that they might provide an oasis of beauty and rest in the midst of your busy days. 

The mandalas for this video were created using some of my existing artwork (alcohol inks) as source images.