Mandalas - A Loose Definition
I’m honestly not really even sure if the word “mandala” really applies to what I’ve created here.
Mirriam-Webster defines “mandala” as:
a Hindu or Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe specifically : a circle enclosing a square with a deity on each side that is used chiefly as an aid to meditation
a graphic and often symbolic pattern usually in the form of a circle divided into four separate sections or bearing a multiple projection of an image
I don’t see my work as neatly slotting into these definitions, but that’s okay: it is art and therefore definitions can (and should) be stretched as needed.
To address the first definition of “mandala”, I don’t believe my designs symbolize the universe, but rather create their own self-contained universes.
The second Mirriam-Webster definition is much closer to what I create. While my patterns are not divided into four sections, I do certainly rely on multiple projections of an image. Each repeated image plays off the repeated image above or below it in such a way that the shape flows harmoniously through careful repetition along a circular axis. The image can interact with its surrounding shapes based on repeating intervals, and since each repeating interval number is different, each shape ultimately forms new shapes with the surrounding images. The circles ultimately create the cohesion needed to make it all a unified piece rather than a hodge-podge of ad hoc shapes. The only square in the image is the negative space formed by the frame or the screen.
I believe the reason I chose to create what I created was because I had an interest in doing more work with patterns. I had some early version that incorporated color and geometry, but they were more cluttered so I disposed with the color to bring more focus to shape and detail. With a little math I’ve devised a method to repeat the shapes in Photoshop so I can make the software work for me instead of laboring too hard to get results.
To me, these works are a method to blend ideas that normally wouldn’t fit together. Each mandala creates a universe based on tension and harmony. Shape and pattern ultimately dictate what make up each mandala; each image needs to work the other image. There isn’t generally a “meaning” for each mandala other than what the shapes say to each other.
Thank you for taking a look.