"Peace" - A poem by Sara Teasdale

Peace (Stacy Wills, 2014)

watercolors on paper + alcohol inks + sacred altering

Peace

Peace flows into me

As the tide to the pool by the shore;

It is mine forevermore,

It ebbs not back like the sea.

I am the pool of blue

That worships the vivid sky;

My hopes were heaven-high,

They are fulfilled in you.

I am the pool of gold

When sunset burns and dies,

You are my deepening skies,

Give me your stars to hold.

-Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

Rekindling a Daily Mandala Practice

Rekindling a daily mandala practice has been such a gift.  As I wrote in my last post, it began with my participation in Judy Shintani's creative project - 12 Mandalas in 12 Days.

Now, I'm keeping a small art journal...

and creating a mandala (4" in diameter or less) each day,

 using my chosen tools of a compass, pencil, permanent marker,

 a pan of watercolors and my favorite Niji waterbrush.

The process is very calming and  centering and takes an hour or less to do.

You could say it's just my way of  "checking in -

to see what condition my condition is in."

Here's a little slideshow I put together that shows some of February's mandalas...enjoy!

If you are unable to view it here on the blog, you can watch it on YouTube here.

12 Mandalas in 12 Days Project - January

"Happy" by Stacy Wills, 2014

(acrylic on watercolor paper + sacred altering)

At the beginning of 2014, I decided to take part in 12 Mandalas in 12 Days - a creative project put together by California artist, Judy Shintani.  Judy invited us to make one mandala a day for 12 days using any media we chose, and then post that mandala on a designated Facebook page along with a word connected with our mandala.  Our own 12 mandalas would then represent the  twelve months of 2014.  "Happy" was my first mandala of the set.  The project attracted enthusiastic mandala makers from all over the United States, and beyond.   After the initial 12 mandalas were created, many of us didn't want the experience to end.  Judy graciously and wisely extended  the project, inviting us to go deeper with the process by creating 4 more mandalas each month using the original one for that month as inspiration.  The four mandalas below were inspired by "Happy" either directly, using it  as a source image, or in spirit, using the bright color palette as my starting point.  Of the four, do you have a favorite?  I do...can you guess which one it is?

 "Light from Light" by Stacy Wills, 2014

(digital mandala using "Happy" as a source image)

 "Lighthouse" by Stacy Wills, 2014

(digital mandala using "Light from Light" as a source image)

 "In Touch" by Stacy Wills, 2014

(3-D mixed media on canvas)

 "Inversion" by Stacy Wills, 2014

(digital inversion using "In Touch" as a source image)

I'm H-A-P-P-Y

Crossing Over (Stacy Wills, 2013)

acrylic on canvas + sacred altering

I'm leaving this year on a high note, and dancing into 2014 with joy in my heart.  I was introduced to this video by Pharrell Williams recently, and I can't stop watching...listening...and dancing all over my kitchen!  It's a round-the-clock mandala of HAPPY!  Enjoy...24 Hours of Happy!

Just Another Mandala Monday...

No "manic Monday" for me...today was one of my "Art in Pajamas" days...relaxed...creative...Happy!

I had seen a video recently (I wish I could remember where!) of a fun, easy way to create mandalas using a square sheet of canvas and acrylic paints, and I was eager to try it for myself.  

Take a square piece of canvas and fold it into  8 sections.  Dab acrylic paints in various colors randomly around the canvas...then start folding and unfolding along your pre-made creases.  Use a brayer to make sure the paints squish and blend well.   Add more paint and repeat the process until the mandala feels complete.

Warning - this is a messy process - so be sure you have your table covered with newspaper or something protective.  Also have a roll of paper towels handy.

And here are  the results!  

Untitled I (Stacy Wills, 2013)

acrylics on canvas, 9" x 9"

Untitled II (Stacy Wills, 2013)

acrylics on canvas, 9" x 9"

Untitled III (Stacy Wills, 2013)

acrylics on canvas, 9" x 9"

They remind me of Rorschach Inkblots.

What do you see???

Coming Full Circle 2014: A Mandala Calendar by Stacy Wills

It's been a long time coming...but it's finally here...the calendar I've been wanting to do for so long.  I've learned so much from the time the seed for its creation was planted until now, when I can hold this in my hands...and it had to be that way.  There really are no shortcuts in life...at least no shortcuts that lead to a good end.  In December of 2005, I drew my first mandala...never dreaming it would change my life the way it has...but also knowing it saved my life at the time.  I hope that doesn't sound overly dramatic...for I certainly do not mean for it to...it's just that...I know how much I needed/wanted/desired/had-to-have a creative outlet for all that I had bottled up inside of myself for years and years.  There's so much more to the story, and if you ever want to hear it, I'm more than happy to tell it...but that's really not the focus of this post.  Today's post is for celebration...and a "Welcome to the World" moment for this - a calendar featuring 12 of the hundreds  of mandalas I've done over the years:  Coming Full Circle 2014!  I hope you will enjoy seeing what I've put together in this little video...if nothing else, let it be an oasis of centering calm in the midst of your busy day.

If you are interested in purchasing a calendar, please contact me through my website at:  stacywills.com 

Adventures in Experimental Art

Sacred Altering:  Adventures in Experimental Art

by Stacy Wills

I recently shared this on my other blog, but thought I would share it here as well.  It's a little video of my recent experimental artwork.  Most all of the source images came from my existing alcohol inks on yupo, which I then played with digitally - or as I like to call it:  sacred altering.  Sacred altering is about transformation...it is about having taken  something as far as it can go within the scope of one's own natural ability using traditional mediums and then traveling beyond that limitation in a different realm or medium - in this case, digital - to bring forth something entirely new.  For me, it's not so much about trying to debate the merits of  "traditional" ways of art-making with digital ways...but rather, it's about satisfying that creative urge, and finding new ways to create art that speaks on an intuitive level,  allowing  the viewer to decide what it is...or how it makes them feel.    Enjoy!