Mandala CXCII

(Above:  Mandala CXCII.  Custom-framed:  26" x 26" (hung as a square); 36 1/2" x 36 1/2" (hung as a diamond).  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Found objects include:  A vintage sanding disc on a gold, plastic lid and inside a made-in-China souvenir dish; Teamster buttons dated from 1946 - 82; colorful, wooden bird ornaments; orange men-on-horseback toys; touchless door openers; vintage, silver belt buckles; yellow telephone connectors; bingo pieces; copper-colored Mardi Gras doubloon/coins; empty, gold plastic craft ornaments; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I wasn't sure I really needed the colorful, wooden bird ornaments when I saw them.  They were "brand new" ... as "still in sealed packing ... four in each one."  Yet, the stack was part of the offerings at the Creative Reuse Marketplace in Springfield, Illinois.  Clearly, these were things donated to the place.  Perhaps they were discontinued merchandise. Each flat box was marked one dollar.  So, I bought them ... ten boxes of them.  I'm glad I did!

 

(Above:  Mandala CXCII, detail.)

When I received the donation of vintage Teamster buttons from my talented friend Patty-Kennedy Zafred, I knew that these colorful bird ornaments would look fantastic with them.  It did not take long for me to design this mandala!  It just "flew" together! LOL!  I did take a far amount of time, however, to drill all the holes I needed in the buttons, the Bingo tiles, and the Mardi Gras doubloons/coins!

(Above: Mandala CXCII, detail.)

Ordinarily, my Found Object Mandalas are framed in a floater styled presentation.  This one, however, was intentionally created to fit under a traditional moulding.  Doing this only requires a bit more attention and careful measurements ... in order to leave extra space at the perimeter which fits under the lip of the frame.  I'm really pleased how it turned out!

(Above:  Mandala CXCII at an angle ... with my studio in the background!)