Revisiting the Self Through Photos:
In a recent mandala class, we all revisited our ideas of ourselves by including old photos in our mandalas. We started with a photo of ourselves as a child and we all included the photo in a mandala. To the left is me at three, blooming out of a flower. I was able to see a sweet child, and not the problem I thought I was.
It felt amazing!
To the right is a mandala with two photos of Brylene.
Fun and cute! I think we all were! Cute and innocent!
High School Graduation Photos!
I recently got out my yearbook to look for a photo of someone I ran into who had graduated the same year as I did. I sneaked a peak at my photo—I totally hated my photo in high school, besides not thinking too highly of myself at all. What I saw really surprised me. Again I sawsweetness. I thought “me?” Maybe I could look at myself in a new light and I challenged everyone in class to do the same. Because I found that most did not like their high school photo at all, I suggested we all create mandalas in which we could see ourselves differently.When I gave myself permission to do that, I really had fun.
Play and Have Fun
What you see on the left is a photocopy of my picture, transferred onto Arches hot press watercolor paper, along with transferred roses and leaves from my garden. The sense I got was that I wanted her to float in the universe and be free. I used USArtQuest Stargazers watercolor mica paint to paint the whole image. I finished off with Stickles glitter glue on top of floating images of sacred geometry. Now, without a doubt, I had a wonderful time with this mandala. I spent more time on it than perhaps any other mandala I have ever done. As I worked, I looked and looked at her, and my perception of myself changed. It’s called It Was A Wonderful Integration. I can smile at her now, feel happy, and don’t dislike her.
Lydia’s high school photo (right) in a new light. There’s the sweetness, don’t you think?
Lyn’s high school photo (left) is fun when combined with the butterflies.
We Weren’t Finished with Photos Yet!
One of our classmates wanted to do a mandala with a photo of ourselves “now.” To appreciate what we had become, and not be critical of our aging process.
I picked a photo of myself that I liked and found playful, especially since I am now a senior. My
husband likes taking photos of me and I can get goofy with that. And, frankly, I wanted to look as youthful as I felt. Again, I transferred the photocopy onto Arches hot press paper, and surrounded myself with roses, from my garden. I set off the photo with a transfer of shells, and then realized the shape looked like a tear drop. Immediately the old song 96 Tears began to go through my head, after not hearing it for SO many years! I thought, “How does that work?” I painted the piece with regular watercolor, except for the tear drop center, which I covered with Prang gold glitter watercolor. I drew the lotus-like pink flower over my heart with Prisma colored pencil and a compass. In a way, this humorously reminds me of the Birth of Venus on the half shell, with the wind blowing flowers to her. I call this Rebirth of Venus with 96 Tears. It took a lot of tears for me to get here!
This is Brylene’s mandala of herself now. She is definitely feeling good about herself. It’s so sunny and bright! And, I know, she has painted a lot of mandalas and done a lot of work to feel this way about herself.
To the right is Merritt’s photo mandala of the “now” of herself. She was the one who suggested we do the “Now of Ourself!” She calls this The Merritt of the Flower of Life.Merritt’s goal for this year is to paint 1001 Flowers of Life.
Brylene c
reated this photo mandala for her son’s girlfriend Rachel. It’s photos of the young woman from her life, infant to the present. What a gift of love! The format of the mandala is the Flower of Life.
Lyn’s love of flowers enhances this portrait with dried flowers from her garden.
