’Life circles’ Collaborative Mandala Art Installation
Like tree rings or water droplets, I see the ‘Life Circles’ mandalas showing many journeys through life, influencing and inspiring each other, like a radiating cross section of my community. No man is an island, I believe a community, whether made up of family, friends or both, helps an individual to thrive. Experiencing difficult times and losing several members of my family recently, has made me realise how each one had an influence on my thoughts, loves, abilities and interests, even if I believed that some did not. I am thankful to everyone I know or have known for this, as despite missing some people, it feels as if they are always part of the rings that make me. I am fascinated by intuitive expressions of the self and the meditative process of creating a freestyle mandala in whatever medium. Passionate to see the circles within myself, my daughter, partner, family, friends and those around me grow like a forest of stories to be heard.
The collaborative ‘Life circles’ Mandala Art installation continued to grow and culminated at Norfolk Makers Festival in The Forum, Norwich in February 2019. Contributors so far include; The Barrington Farm Artists, visitors to Makers Month 2018, Harlequin Fayre and several more soulful crocheters.
Like tree rings or water droplets, I see the ‘Life Circles’ mandalas showing many journeys through life, influencing and inspiring each other, like a radiating cross section of my community. No man is an island, I believe a community, whether made up of family, friends or both, helps an individual to thrive. Experiencing difficult times and losing several members of my family recently, has made me realise how each one had an influence on my thoughts, loves, abilities and interests, even if I believed that some did not. I am thankful to everyone I know or have known for this, as despite missing some people, it feels as if they are always part of the rings that make me. I am fascinated by intuitive expressions of the self and the meditative process of creating a freestyle mandala in whatever medium. Passionate to see the circles within myself, my daughter, partner, family, friends and those around me grow like a forest of stories to be heard.
The collaborative ‘Life circles’ Mandala Art installation continued to grow and culminated at Norfolk Makers Festival in The Forum, Norwich in February 2019. Contributors so far include; The Barrington Farm Artists, visitors to Makers Month 2018, Harlequin Fayre and several more soulful crocheters.
'Make a Mandala'
At makers month 2018 I invited the community to come and crochet mandalas as part of some drop in workshops. It didn’t matter if you were just learning or a crochet enthusiast. It was all about contributing to a collection of mandalas which will form an Art installation at next year’s makers’ event at The Forum. Express yourself using a variety of different colours and textures of yarns, the process can be as meditative as the final outcome. A mandala represents the universe, wholeness, our internal and external world, a journey through life much like the life rings contained in the trunk of a tree.
I am a textile artist who loves to make sculpture and installations inspired by nature’s spirit and colour. I enjoy the whole process of creating art, from raw materials to finished piece. I find intuitive & freestyle expressions of the self fascinating and love coordinating collaborative installations involving the public. Assembling ‘pillar of the community’ for CLEY12, TOTEM with Jo Couldrey and assisting Kim Morgan with the collection of Saori banners for makers month 2016, it was so fulfilling to see these projects evolve. It is a love of the blossoming unknown of each individual’s creativity which inspires me. Even when we use similar materials, the outcomes are always unique. Like flowers from the same species of plant, they may appear uniform but there are always variations, it is the nature of an organic process.
At makers month 2018 I invited the community to come and crochet mandalas as part of some drop in workshops. It didn’t matter if you were just learning or a crochet enthusiast. It was all about contributing to a collection of mandalas which will form an Art installation at next year’s makers’ event at The Forum. Express yourself using a variety of different colours and textures of yarns, the process can be as meditative as the final outcome. A mandala represents the universe, wholeness, our internal and external world, a journey through life much like the life rings contained in the trunk of a tree.
I am a textile artist who loves to make sculpture and installations inspired by nature’s spirit and colour. I enjoy the whole process of creating art, from raw materials to finished piece. I find intuitive & freestyle expressions of the self fascinating and love coordinating collaborative installations involving the public. Assembling ‘pillar of the community’ for CLEY12, TOTEM with Jo Couldrey and assisting Kim Morgan with the collection of Saori banners for makers month 2016, it was so fulfilling to see these projects evolve. It is a love of the blossoming unknown of each individual’s creativity which inspires me. Even when we use similar materials, the outcomes are always unique. Like flowers from the same species of plant, they may appear uniform but there are always variations, it is the nature of an organic process.
The Raveningham Colours Mandala
From the ‘Life Circles’ installation at Waveney Valley Sculpture Trail 2018
I dyed the yarn for my Raveningham colours mandala using plants which I found on site with the help of my friends Shane O’linski and Henry Walker on our ‘plants to dye for mission’ in May 2018. Crocheting with this yarn felt like recording the path we walked, within the mandala, much like a trees life rings, my own life rings contain many things, the many colours of the people and places I know.
From the ‘Life Circles’ installation at Waveney Valley Sculpture Trail 2018
I dyed the yarn for my Raveningham colours mandala using plants which I found on site with the help of my friends Shane O’linski and Henry Walker on our ‘plants to dye for mission’ in May 2018. Crocheting with this yarn felt like recording the path we walked, within the mandala, much like a trees life rings, my own life rings contain many things, the many colours of the people and places I know.