Thursday, August 24, 2023

Mandala CLXIX

(Above:  Mandala CLXIX.  25 3/4" x 25 3/4". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Found objects include:  A decorative double outlet switch plate; a trivet; salad forks and demitasse spoons; mascara wands; jingle bells; bottle caps; Tinker Toy connectors; keys; can pull tabs; yellow plastic lids; capacitors; assorted buttons. Click any image to enlarge.)

It's been over a year since I met a nice lady who volunteers with Wands for Wildlife, a non-profit based in western North Carolina.  She told me about the organization and the amazing art education projects that use old mascara wands.  She said she would send me an assortment.  Well ... she did!  At first, I was hesitant about opening the box.  After all, I thought there would be smears of old mascara everywhere ... but NO!  All the wands were perfectly cleaned and many had never been used.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CLXIX.)

It seems that cosmetic companies donate unused and discontinued wands.  Some of the wands are used to assist wildlife caregivers remove fly larva from small, furry mammals (like a mouse or a baby rabbit) and others to reach difficult places ... like the underside of a turtle's shell. 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CLXIX.)

Wands for Wildlife now has so many wands that they can't accept more, but they have great ideas for using the ones they have and great ideas for how others can use old wands to benefit wildlife.  I'm just happy that some of them ended up on this Found Object Mandala.  Because I now have so many, I'm sure future pieces will also incorporate more wands!

 

3 comments:

Janet said...

Wow, what a beautiful mandala, Susan! I am absolutely thrilled that you were able to create such a lovely piece out of unwanted things, and can't wait to share this with the other Wands volunteers. They'll go nuts for it, and I'm sure it will go on the website. I'll share the link with you when it does. I'm so happy I ran into you at Grove Park Inn that day.

Ann Scott said...

How fun is that! I learn some very surprising things here on your blog! Another great piece with an interesting story.

Suzann Zoltner said...

Another beautiful mandala! Love the center and the mascara wands.