Often times, several mandalas are finished/framed on the same day. This was the case a day or so ago. Thus, this blog post will include four pieces! I'm really pleased with the one depicted immediately above and below because the blue syringe plungers create a really lovely star shape.
(Above: Detail of Mandala CCI.)
The drawer handles are likely the last things to be prepared using my cheap, little grinder. I was given a much bigger and far better grinder by a friend whose wife bought it years ago. Unfortunately, she died. She was a big supporter of my artwork, and I think she'd be really pleased to know that her grinder will be used for art!
I'm trying to take photos of these mandalas at an angle. Such pictures really do convey the texture and dimensions much better than a straight-on image.
Some of my found objects have quite a bit of relief ... like the Planter's Peanut dish in the center of this mandala. Finding balance ... height-wise ... is one of the challenges I face. For this piece, the copper-colored K-pods were used to smooth out the elevation change. Their curved forms were the gentle transition from the rim of the dish to the flat quilt surface. The Tinker toy connects did the same thing for the smaller dishes.
The "side view" really illustrates the different heights of the objects.
Mandala CCIII was a challenge in elevation too! I've had the round knitting ring for weeks but couldn't seem to find a way to use it because it was too tall for everything else in my stash ... until I got the squirt guns and the wooden block. Yet ... the blocks were problematic. They were just too tall and bulky looking with the other objects!
I've used wooden blocks before. So I knew how to solve the problem: cut them in half. Yet, this was risky! No matter how firmly I braced each block under the blade of my miter saw, one side flew up and was damaged. Plus ... doing this on a miter saw was DANGEROUS. I don't own a table saw ... so I never would have figured out how to quickly, effectively, and SAFELY get them cut. Thank goodness for the Internet! I found a woodworker hobbyist living less than three miles away. I contacted him via a private Facebook message. He responded inside of a half-hour and later that afternoon cut all the blocks in half for no charge! Now how lucky was that!
I'm also pleased with the colorful buttons around the edge ... so happy that I entered this piece in a local juried show. I hope it gets in!
Mandala CCIV was a different sort of challenge. There was once a square, beveled mirror in this rather fancy frame. My task was to create a mandala that could fit the frame but not be overpowered by it. I think I did pretty well!
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