Circles within, Circles without

I'm so happy to show you the beginning of a wonderful project. 

It is so strange the way the universe weaves its magic. The chaos that is brought about by loss and change opens new doors that at first appear to be nothing more than an entry into a waiting room but then as the fog clears becomes a destination in itself.

What at first appeared to me to be, just a part time job has introduced me to some wonderful people and now an inspiring project. The Carroll Centre is a community centre in Stanmore, Winchester. It is a truly special place run by amazing people with big hearts who aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty.
It is a community library, a cafe, a midwifery centre, an after school care club, a creche, a job club, a senior youth club. It holds dance classes, art and craft activities, counselling and childrens' services....  the list of jobs it does will never truly encapsulate what it means to the people it helps and supports.

This project is for the 20th anniversary of the Carroll centre and it has come about almost of it's own accord that it will take the shape of a Mandala– a 5ft x 5ft Mandala. No need to tell you that it is not my usual scale of art work!

I have long been captivated by the Mandalas of ancient cultures, particularly those of Tibetan Buddhism. There is a sense of peaceful awe as the eye wanders over these intricate pictures that although hold incredible detail have a beautiful simplicity to the overall design. A design that acts as a container for these delicate images and messages and gives it a sense of unity but much more than that, a sense of wholeness and completeness. Much has been written about Mandalas, their magic and their abilities, Anthropologists, Theologists, Psychologists all have their particular bent on the matter. But no matter how many words they write and how much they analyse it will never truly communicate what Mandalas actually do or are – in this case a picture is truly worth more than any amount of 1000's of words. And so for the moment I will say very little and just show you the very beginning...


Gosh it's huge!


just a little happy!!


the first marks


circles within circles


in the zone..


More pictures soon

Comments

  1. Wow!!! That IS huge! ~ I will be looking forward to seeing the end result, and curious to learn how long it takes you to finish it??? :)))
    While I wait, I will look up mandalas ~ and perhaps try my hand at one, but on a MUCH smaller scale! ha ha
    Best wishes for the (fun) task ahead ~~ :)))))))))

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  2. Hiya Melody :), Yep pretty big!! And it's got a deadline...October....lots of painting for me!!

    Please let me know how you go with your manadala, I would love to hear about it xx

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