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Yesterday I was out of sorts (otherwise translated as grouchy and grumpy). All the zendalas I created were out of balance. The Red Mandala is not centered on the card and feels slightly skewed to me. The second zendala is called "Off Center Mandala" for obvious reasons. (Although I don't like the red pen I was using, I don't think that had as much of an effect as the fact that emotionally I was feeling "off.")
Today's zendala is much more balanced and harmonious. And that is how I am feeling. I named today's: "Finding My Center (Again)."
Carl Jung believed that mandalas represent the Self and I agree.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I am experimenting with having certain thoughts, people, or emotions in my head (and heart) as I create the zendalas. In my previous post, the third mandala was created for a friend's little girl who just celebrated her first birthday. I framed that mandala as a gift for her.
I am interested to see what kinds of mandalas will emerge as I continue this journey.
--Vicky :o)
What is a zendala? It is a blend of mandala and Zentangle-inspired art. Here are 3 of my latest zendalas.
I love the meditative quality of making this art and the feeling of flow as I go around the designs. Some of them have titles. For example, the one in the middle I call "Candelight Mandala." Some are made with a person, emotion, or other idea in my mind. Most are just emerge from the process of making them.
I am also playing with the idea of borders that go around the edge of the cardstock I use to give them more of a finished look. Though, there is something magical about them floating in the white space that remains. No boundaries--imagined or otherwise. ;o)
--Vicky :o)
3 Zendalas
Ink on cardstock
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
Two more zentangle-ish explorations. I am trying to get away from drawing "strings" (the shapes in which the "tangles" are made).
The mandala was created from the central flower and is very flower-like throughout.
I really love the second drawing because of the white space through the central part. And I like the black "pearls," too. ;o)
These are so much fun to do. You should give it a try.
--Vicky :o)
Zentangle-inpired mandala
Zentangle-inspired art
Ink on cardstock
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.
--Vicky :o)
2 Zentangle-inspired mandalas
Ink on Zentangle cardstock
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
I continue to make Zentangle-inspired art almost daily. Here is one I did yesterday that I call the Mandala Maker. As you can see, I added a mandala in the space left by the "string" so that it looks like the mandala is emerging from the artwork. I also love the way the sun is angled and the stars in the moon. The whole piece illustrates how a mandala emerges from the Soul.
Enjoy!
--Vicky :o)
"Source's Wordless Web"
"Your True Self"
Mixed media collage series, #5 and #1
Acrylic paint, paper cutouts, zentangle-inspired mandala, photos on canvas
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
This Zentangle was done differently than the others I have done. Usually I draw a string (which is basically several lines and curves that form the basis of the Zentangle). In the case of this Zentangle, I just started making tangles (that's what the repeated shapes and lines used to fill in are called) on the blank card.
I don't really have a title for the one on the left (anyone have any ideas?), but the one on the right is called "Spring Morn."
If you purchase a kit, you will receive everything you need to make your own Zentangles, including the square tiles (cards) on which Zentangles are created. Currently, I am not using tiles but 3.3 x 5.2 cards that I bought a couple years ago at a craft store in Montréal.
The Zentangle® company was started by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and they have a specific method for creating a Zentangle. You can find out lots about them, their method, things you can buy, and Zentangle® on their website http://www.zentangle.com/.
And now, the record is straight ---->! ;o)
--Vicky :o)
Original Zentangles
Ink on card stock
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
Zentangle ®
www.zentangle.com
Because I am big on following rules (limits) exactly (something I really need to work on this year), I got everything ready the night before and got up at 5:07 a.m. on April 15 and started. Now, I didn't quite finish the map precisely at 8:29 a.m. (more like 9:29 a.m.) but I did finish the bulk of it by the deadline. I have posted it here for your perusal and enjoyment. :o)
An interesting thing happened on the way to making this collage. When I awoke on April 15, I was already thinking about the collage. It was during that brief reverie that I actually thought of putting my Treasure Map on a map. So the background is an very used street map of Montréal.
I hung my Treasure Map on the wall over my collage table. I love looking at it and considering what the elements and words might mean for each day and the year. It is the largest collage I have ever made (22 x 28 inches)! The astrologer who recommended this exercise told me later in the day that the reason my collage is so large stems from the fact that the new moon that inspired it is having and will have a "big" effect on my life.
Now isn't that encouraging?!
--Vicky :o)
"Inspired Difference, 2010"
New Moon Treasure Map Collage
Paper cutouts on posterboard
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
A new mandala that makes me think ofAnd, isn't this the way we live
in The Universe, too?
The Universe is constantly moving,
rotating, and revolving
and we find Life in this
constant motion.
I am reminded of a verse found in the Bible:
"For in him we live, and move, and have our being;"
Acts 17:28
Happy Easter!
Happy Spring!
--Vicky Lynn =:o)
"Life is Blooming Under the Sea" Mandala
Ink (markers) on paper
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
...anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
--David Whyte
This collage is one of a series I am calling "Inspiration for the Journey." Each collage is a blend of painting, collage elements, and a phrase or quote. I chose the background colors to represent a chakra center. While this one uses green to represent the heart chakra, it also is special in that all 7 of the chakras are represented by color. You can see two other members of the series on my blog here and here. Eventually I will be making cards of each of the 5 collages.
I discovered this quote while looking at a blog. An artist had included David Whyte's poem "Sweet Darkness" from his book House of Belonging. The quote on the collage is the final three lines of the poem. When I read those lines, they grabbed me and showed me my own power and greatness (and not in an egotistical way). When I read those lines, I thought of how often I allow others (even those I love) to determine and diminish who I am and what I offer because I am swayed by their opinions! I also thought about how my heart feels when I embrace opinions or situations that are "too small" for me; it feels tight and constricted!
When I think about the quote, I often substitute the word "grow" for the word "bring" in the second line. If someone or something is not growing me alive, why would I waste my time being upset or concerned about their opinions or thoughts about me or my work? Why would I continue to engage in behaviors or thoughts that stunt my growth?
As you finish reading this post, take a moment and consider the question posed as the title of this post: Who or what is too small for you?
--Vicky Lynn :o)
"A Heart Grows Alive"
Mixed media collage
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
"What's in a name?" Juliet asked.
What's in a title? is my question today.
I conceived your form and shape and color
And there you are,
Looking at me with your one eye,
how?
Wondering? Exploring?
Existing? Wishing
for a name to describe what you mean,
what you say,
"who" you are?
No defining voice whispers inside.
No sound at all
except for the birds
playing their chirps outside.
What's in a title? What's in a name?
Let others who see you decide.
Today,
I will simply enjoy the creation
you are.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
Untitled Mandala
Ink on paper
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
"TREATING mySelf like A PRECIOUS OBJECT makes me STRONG!"
Dig through layers
of ego's harsh deceit
Uncover a forever worthy Self
silent, strong, and sweet.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
Mixed media collage
Hidden in Winter's plainness,Each year
this holy miracle
overtakes us by surprise,
this brash and lavish explosion
of hues and newness,
song and scent,
as Spring,
dressed up in finery unsurpassed,
arrives!
Fern Collage Mandala
created and color manipulated in Photoshop
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
What's hers?
Who knew
Winter's blacks and whites
Hide geometric beauty
Where birds seek shelter.
Winter emotions
Deficient in warmth and light
Conceal Joy's dwelling.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
The Sea sees.
After all, It always comes rushing in
to greet me!
Stars sparkle in Its watery darkness.
Luna admires her silvery light
as the Sea gently whispers
words to caress
the brightness bouncing
off Its glassy sheen.
The Sea sees:
Gazing above and below,
Keeping watch over those who make
their home in Its watery arms.
It is Mother and Father,
Life and Death,
Ebb and Flow,
Unending waves.
The Sea sees.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
"Sea-ing Eye" Mandala
Ink on paper
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
Serenely towards us she bows;
Love flames in her heart,
Grace touches her lips,
Light glows from her Being,
And serenely she bows to God's earth.
Gently to us she gives;
Starlights to illumine our way,
Flames to enliven our Souls,
Love to guide our Paths,
And gently she gives to us God's gifts.
Softly to us she whispers:
"Peace" to you who fight;
"Comfort" to you who ache;
"Life" to you who despair;
"Joy" to you who embrace this day;
Softly, in each moment, she whispers to us
God's words.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
"Angel of Blessings"
Doodle, ink on paper
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
Looking into the Vesica Piscis...
Peering into the sacred doorway of the Goddess,
what magnificence awaits?
What glories lie quietly sleeping there?
What wisdom stirs and moves,
resting comfortably--or maybe uncomfortably--
until the birth pangs begin:
Forcing emergence of the new Life form.
Is it Spirit or Matter, union or intersection?
How can we, who once dwelt in this Sacred Vessel,
enter again this hidden passage to become a different blend,
a re-formed intersection?
Embracing what we once knew, and forgot;
Forgetting what we once lived, to remember.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
"Looking into the Vesica Piscis"
Mandala in ink on paper
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
What message comes through this collage today?
Most people will focus on the bird in the middle. I love the bird, too, which is why I chose to cut it out and use it in the collage. To me, the bird represents the Universe. And the Soul message from the Universe is by Rumi, reminding us that to enter the Mystery, we need to go within, to find the "fabric of the Universe," we need only to look inside.
But the background of the collage is just as important as the central image. I created the background by tearing the elements and choosing pictures of wood, metal, fabric--anything that is used to build or create something else. The painted part is like the sea or space of creativity. So the "fabric" part comes out of that sea/space and in the center of the "fabric," we discover the Universe and the inspirational message for our journey.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
"Fabric of the Universe"
Mixed media collage mandala
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
Each version of the collage seems different to me.
Which one do you like best? Which one seems to be more of mandala to you? I would love to know what you think about this experiment.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
"Odds & Ends" Collage
"Kaleidoscopic Senses" Collage Mandala
"Wishing Upon A Star" Collage Mandala
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
The mandala posted here was taken from a collage I created a few years ago for my two daughters. The collage (posted below) is titled "On the Path to the Sacred Feminine."
To create this mandala, I took a slice from that collage. The finished result is an introspective into the energy of the Divine Feminine. For example, what do the longest arms of the center star look like to you? To me, the answer is obviously female! (That shape came from the skirt of the central gypsy's dress. How interesting!)
Creating this mandala has shown me that my collages have an energy behind them...and like a hologram, that energy resides in every piece or section of the collage. What a delightful discovery!
--Vicky Lynn :o)
"Energy of the Divine Feminine"
Digital Mandala created in Photoshop
Copyright © 2010 by Vicky Lynn Macchione
I am first and foremost a collage artist. I love to make collages. I love to sit myself down in the middle of magazines and my collage cutouts, scissors in hand, to find the images and colors and words that speak to me that day or that have a special message for the person for whom I am making a collage. I love assembling the elements together and gluing them on card, canvas, or wood.
But I got stuck. Stuck in my worries about copyright issues; stuck in my thinking about what my art meant to other people--if it "spoke" to them; stuck in an apartment in which a fan was vibrating and making noise over my head for 12 to 15 hours a day and that was filled with smells and smoke from the restaurant two floors below.
And, in the 7 months I lived in that apartment, I made one collage--only one. I tried selling some of my collage cards at a local boutique and no one bought anything. The owner said that people looked through the cards but no one bought one, not one.
So I really started thinking that my collage days were over and I looked for another outlet for my creativity. And that's when I joined a mandala e-group and started making mandalas and angel doodles. That group opened an avenue for my creativity. I created a whole bunch of mandalas and angel doodles. I even started creating digital mandalas. But then an "interesting" thing happened.
I hurt my right arm carrying my bike upstairs. My elbow was quite afflicted and painful. Soon I couldn't use the computer for any length of time, doodle, or draw a mandala. In fact, I couldn't even write in my "Morning Pages" journal. I was confused and irritated and, yes, angry. What was I supposed to do with my creative longings? Why had this happened? What was the lesson?
There was a part of me that said it was time to go back to collaging. But I resisted. I loved the thrill of making a digital mandala or creating an angel doodle. And I did force my arm to do things it didn't really want to do. Of course, I paid for that in discomfort and a lack of mobility. So eventually I had to let go and stop working on mandalas and doodles. I just had to let go.
Then, we found a new apartment: a place where there was no fan running overhead, where there were no BBQ smells at 10 p.m., and there was no smoke that required running an air purifier all the time; a place where we didn't have to call inspectors and government agencies to get help or keep a log to substantiate our "case." So we moved.
Although moving has not solved all the drama around the old apartment, it did give us a quiet, restful, well-lit place to live. Now, I want to stay in the apartment and do my art. I don't feel like I have to "escape."
The other day I received Denise Linn's January newsletter in my email. One of her suggestions for the new year was to make a "Magical Miracle Box." I took what she said, added a twist of my own, and created the box you can see in the photos at the beginning of this post.
The collage for the box was a struggle in some ways because all the elements didn't necessarily come together easily. For example, I had cut out the word FAITH but couldn't locate it when I was ready to glue the collage on the box. I looked everywhere for it. And when did it show up? After I had glued everything else on the box!
Upon reflection, I realized that it was good that the word didn't "arrive" until then because I certainly would have placed it somewhere else--on the heart was one idea--and that would have eliminated the word "surrender," a very important word in the process of manifesting.
This "Magical Miracle Manifestation Box" has already produced its first magical miracle manifestation--the collage that adorns the top. I wonder what other marvelous, magical, and miraculous manifestations await me in 2010. I await in awe and expectation.
--Vicky Lynn :o)
Magical Miracle Manifestation Box
Idea courtesy Denise Linn
Collage and Artwork Copyright © 2010 Vicky Lynn Macchione
