Art That Circles The Earth

Stitching it Together

2012-01-26T11:32:00.001-06:00

We have an update (Whitney-Anne and me). It took us what seemed like forever to get this round together. And it was me holding things up, she's very prompt. But between the two of us, two cameras were dropped and one computer crashed. So they were both finished at a certain point last week, but I was unable to make a post with the results until now - no photos.

Cycle 7, Round 3:

What Whitney-Anne did here was to paint the outside edge with a nice cherry red color. Then she did some very fine stitching, with (I'm guessing) embroidery floss. She has given me a great geometric pattern to work with in the last round, in addition to the chaotic/loose background. I enjoy the juxtaposition.

Whitney-Anne Baker to Shana R. Goetsch

Brixham, Devon, England/UK to Baltimore, MD, USA

What I did here was to take the movable center portion and attach it to a different "base". This was something that was previously made that I had lying around because I had no idea what to do with it, so I saved it and used it here. I originally created this base, quasi-mosaic piece with magazine papers. However, I did paint a wash of China Orange over the whole thing before I attached it to the movable portion. I also selectively painted over some of the gold in the center that Whitney-Anne had laid down in the last round. A little extra *pop*.

Shana R. Goetsch to Whitney-Anne Baker

Baltimore, MD, USA to Brixham, Devon, England/UK

So there ya have it! (so far)

From the Artistic Iammarino Family...

2012-01-23T08:56:00.003-06:00

I just received a few updates from Alexis on the progress of the mandala created with her father. She says, "Both my dad and I are appreciating this process so much. It's exciting to see what has evolved since the other had it last!" Alexis and Richard are working on three pieces total, that's right three. Here are some images she sent me of their progress so far...

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I am really enjoying all of these, especially the colored piece at the top.

ETA: Alexis just told me in an email that the materials they used so far are: pen and ink and colored pencil!

The next update from Whitney-Anne and me will be coming soon!

"Monad", by Guest Blogger, D. Garzelloni

2012-01-06T11:22:00.017-06:00

Our own D. Garzelloni will be taking us through a few interesting concepts with her first guest blog post for ATCTE! Thanks so much, D!
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MONAD

“One principle must make the universe a single complex living creature, one from all.” - Plotinus

When I was a kid, my neighborhood friend Vicki and I invented a game. Separated from most of the neighborhood by age and gender, Vicki and I compensated by creating our own unique activities. One afternoon, while drawing in the dirt with sticks, we came up with the circle game and it quickly became our go-to game for filling time and space. First, we would draw a huge circle in the dirt and then we took turns drawing circles within the circle. We could make them any size we wanted, anywhere within the circle we wanted, eventually filling all the of the space and the game would be done. No winner, no loser. There was only one rule: in the process of drawing our circle, we could not upset any of the other circles or the main circle. Making our own marks, while maintaining the integrity of the whole; we were becoming individuals separate from each other, but still connected, connected to each other and the whole of nature.

"There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres" -Pythagoras

Math is a difficult subject for most people to discuss even casually. Most of us struggle with math and the realization that we suck at it was, for most of us, a watershed event in our childhood. It was the first concrete limit placed on our potential and intelligence, it changed the way we were taught in school and the way we looked at the future. The few kids fortunate enough to excel at math were rewarded by being shouldered with additional academic responsibilities, the unrealistic expectations of parents and teachers and the prospect of a formal education that never ends. The math we were expected to master in school had little to do with real mathematics, and good or bad at it, we all had math ruined for us at an early age.

Imagine a time in human history when mathematics were regarded with awe, steeped in magic and mystery, rendering the secrets of the universe equally knowable to all mankind and then consider how our modern world is structured to create a sense of dread and inferiority at the mere mention of math. Most of us would claim not to know or understand mathematics and yet, we are captivated by its principles clearly visible in nature in flowers, shells, crystals, plants, and insects. Our fear of math is a facet of our alienation from nature and ourselves, the Monad promises us reconciliation by reconnecting us with the language of the universe; Mathematics.

The ancient Greek mathematician, philosopher, and mystic, Pythagoras (c.570 - c.495BC), believed mathematical principles were the principles of all things and that all things can be known through numbers. Pythagoras, a mysterious figure who inspired messianic-like awe in his followers including Plato, was hugely influential in Western thought and philosophy as well as esoteric traditions such as Alchemy, Numerology, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry.

Symbolizing perfection, unity, wholeness, divine nature, and design excellence, Monad is the Greek term for the principles represented by the circle. From the root word ‘menein’ which means ‘to be stable’ and monas or ‘oneness’ we get ‘Monad’. The Monad was known to the Pythagoreans as The First, the Seed, the Essence, the Builder, the Foundation, the Immutable Truth and Destiny.

Assigning a numerical value to the circle takes it out of the realm of the symbolic and brings it into the material world, where we can see concrete examples of how it works. The mathematical meaning simply reiterates the symbolic meaning. The circle symbolizes wholeness and, as wholeness preserves the identity of all it encounters, the philosophers gave it a numerical value of 1. The number one, sometimes referred to as ‘unity’, preserves wholeness, any number multiplied or divided by 1 equals the number. As a result, 1 is its own factorial, its own square, its own cube and so on.

5 ÷ 1 = 5 (5 remains itself)
5 × 1 = 5 (5 remains itself)

The circle is, quite literally, the mother of all geometric shapes. As all subsequent numbers proceed in single increments from the number one, all geometric shapes are inscribed within the Monad. All pattern and symmetry proceed from one shape.

The circle is the cradle of our symbolic and mathematical universe, it embodies the characteristics of unity, everywhere the same and all circles are equal. It is the womb of our creative universe as well. The circle makes a mate for itself by contemplating itself, reflecting itself, casting its own shadow, by dividing and therefore multiplying itself. This process is mirrored though geometry in an ancient geometric construction called the vesica piscis, the Birth of the Other.

"Life is born only of the spark of opposites." - Carl Jung

The ancients called the principal of ‘two-ness’ or ‘otherness’ the Dyad. They considered it with suspicion as it seemed to revolt from unity, distancing itself from the Monad. They referred to it as ‘audacity’ for its boldness and ‘anguish’ because of its separation from the whole. The Dyad is polarity; it is at the root of our notion of separateness, separateness from each other and from nature. The paradox of the Dyad is that while it appears to be separate, its opposite poles remember, and attract one another, which is why the ancients also called the Dyad ‘illusion’. The Dyad is at the basis for every creative process, as creativity allows us to discover and return to ourselves, in our deepest selves, we are beyond all polarity.

Discovery of the Circle is the discovery of the Self separate from the Other, an inside separate and distinct from the outside. It is our first glimpse into the perfection, polarity, unity and order inborn in ourselves and Nature. Everywhere wholeness and unity exist, yet remain unapparent, as in a seemingly simple yet profound children’s game.

Fathers and Daughters

2011-12-11T11:14:00.006-06:00

I have some new pieces...with a twist! A few of my artist friends have taken this collaboration to a new level. It all started with Wes Way and his young daughter, they worked on a few mandalas together. This was such a delightful idea, that I decided to expand on it and ask my artist friend, Alexis Iammarino to join the project with her artist father, Richard. I will also be joining with my non-artist father in making a mandala soon! This is adding another dimension of community that I had not considered before. So, thanks Wes, truly, for your art of being a good father, and to all fathers involved for encouraging creativity and independence in your daughters.

On with the show. Wes's daughter is a very young artist, around 2 years of age. Daddy and daughter worked on two pieces, but he was not happy with the first...the separation between the two-the imagery was too vast. So for the second piece (below) they worked together at the same time and in the same space...

I think it looks like the Tree of Life.

Leave it to a two year old to subconsciously pick up that bit of universal, archetypal brilliance.

The next piece is courtesy of Richard and Alexis Iammarino. They are both prolific artists, Alexis works in many mediums, including dance, painting, film and all types of community and participatory arts, and she has quite the extensive journaling and reading practice. Richard Iammarino makes crow-quill pen and silver point drawings, he is also a painter, and a sculpture. The two started working on a piece together and I have images of their first round!

Here is Alexis showing me the piece her father started in pen and ink

This piece promises to be very intricate, I can't wait for them to work on it more, AND I can't wait to start a piece with my dad over winter break from school. Happily, community comes in many forms, my friends!

Turning the Tables with Elbee

2011-11-22T10:56:00.002-06:00

Very insightful! A great new artist interview with Elbee from Tallahassee, Florida y'all!

1. Thinking back, I might have pressured you into it, that being said, what interested you in joining this collaboration?

I'm not easily pressured into doing things I don't want to do, the pressure I felt was more of an artistic, loving nudge from someone who has faith in me, my talents and potentials; things I typically underestimate about myself. What interested me was tapping into that silent side of myself and watching what came to pass!

2. You've described yourself in the past as a "non-artist", but I was wondering what being an "artist" really means to you.

To me, an artist is someone who has, for a better lack of understanding, found their innerchild. When we are children, we are not afraid of our creativity; we shine in it, we thrive in it. When we become adults, that child tends to become muted and hidden and many times locked away forever. A true artist is someone who not only feels that innerchild, but embraces it and reflects it back to the world.

3. Was the artmaking more of an intimidating process for you, or did you enjoy yourself?

As a non-artist, many times the process felt intimidating, usually when I would question how my piece would compare to the other participants. I would find myself wondering if they would ask just what the heck this ridiculous piece of glued items was doing in an art series. However with that being said, I would remind myself to hush and let the art speak for itself.

4. Is there a specific part of this project, beyond your direct involvement, that is interesting to you?

I am very excited to see the series completed, displayed and presented to the art world. I am honored to be a part of such amazing creations.

5. What does the mandala mean to you in your life? Does it apply?

The mandala means a few things to me--it sparked some real creative juices for me so in a sense, it was a rebirth. I have been making collages since the series started and came to the conclusion that even a non-artist can create something thought-provoking and beautiful.

***Now we'll turn the tables, wherein you may also ask me a question. I'll post my answer on the blog with your interview...it can be whatever you want!

What was the most satisfying part of the series? Most frustrating?
Why are you so smart?

...I think the most satisfying part of the series has been getting mail/packages, honestly. I do enjoy making things work and marrying two divergent styles together. That gives me a certain sense of "thinking" satisfaction. But I really like getting mail. I don't get enough packages or mail that aren't bills, I rarely get presents, and if I do they are usually not wrapped, so I love opening packages! It's more of an inner child response I suppose, but my gut still tells me that I LOVE GETTING MAIL.

If I am smart at all, it is because I have phenomenally intelligent parents and their genes naturally elevated my mediocrity a teensy bit. ;) Thanks for being open and willing to take a chance on this project with me!

Movable

2011-11-13T10:18:00.001-06:00

I have another update from Whitney-Anne Baker. Whitney, much like Heather Gordy, works fast. I am used to holding onto these things for months...but not with Whitney-Anne. She receives it, works on it and sends it...and then lets me know it's sent. My reaction is always akin to, "Oh crap, better get moving!" So, I did send hers out, and she received it again. The mail (or "the post" as Whitney-Anne says) seems to work pretty fast between here and there, which is fantastic. Now onto the show!

Cycle 7, Round 2:

Whitney made the mandala movable! How awesome is that? It looks like she took the mandala, cut out the center, sparingly applied some gold paint, mounted it all on some bright, aqua painted cardboard, and then made it move by clipping it to the back. Genius! I would never, in a million years, think of that, but it seems to be the most natural state for a mandala - changeable.

Whitney-Anne Baker to Shana R. Goetsch

Brixham, Devon, England/UK to Baltimore, MD, USA

Here I am moving it around with the tabs provided. Right now, it reminds me of a compass.

For my round, I again utilized some recyclables. I had been saving the playing card I used (for the red/white portion) for quite a few years. I originally saved it because it has cute little winged creatures on the back. Beyond that, I ripped some of the cloth off of the mandala that Whitney-Anne sent to me. I did this because I knew that the glue she used would leave a nice residue and create another pattern. Then I literally just covered the whole thing in my dirty watercolor water. The remnants of my watercoloring were a nice purpley-red color this time.

Shana R. Goetsch to Whitney-Anne Baker

Baltimore, MD, USA to Brixham, Devon, England/UK

Sssshhh, don't tell anyone my watercolor water is that dirty. I am the worst about using actual clean water.

BTW, Whitney-Anne also sent along this postcard which gives us a visual of the town she lives in...

Now we all know about how quaint Brixham is, thanks Whitney-Anne!

Mayans and Crop Circles

2011-11-13T09:33:00.002-06:00

I found and watched another film about crop circles. I must admit that this is one of the most fascinating phenomena for me. Our class recently took a trip to the American Visionary Art Museum here in Baltimore to see, "All Things Round", and included in that amazing exhibition were some photos of crop circles as well. I think crop circles are beautiful, very mysterious and exciting. Not so secretly, I'm hoping their creation is due to aliens. Anyway, this film really made a lot of sense to me, judge me if you must, but it really did...

Free on Hulu right now: Mayan Prophecies and Crop Circles

Tricksters

2011-10-28T10:04:00.001-05:00

I had to laugh when I opened the package from Whitney-Anne, just because it was the very antithesis of what I had expected from her. Never underestimate...her note even said she had some tricks up her sleeve. I believe it. Based on her past work, what I expected was something digital, with high color. What I got was paper, fabric and stitching, in a cream on white color scheme!

This brings me to a little anecdote about my philosophy and pedagogy class--it's a class about teaching art in college--we have to design a curriculum for two classes, complete with sources and references, and reading material for them, whatever we want. One book I chose to have as required reading for the students in my class, "Not Your Grandma's Watercolor" (for real, I named the class that) is Chromophobia by David Batchelor. "Chromophobia" is "a fear of corruption or contamination through color". It just makes me laugh when things are so topical and linked together; real life and art life. The Universe is such a trickster.

So needless to say, I'm going to get craaaazy with this, because I ain't afraid of color...watch out Whitney-Anne! This is her stitched canvas and paper piece...

Cycle 7, Round 1

Whitney-Anne Baker to Shana R. Goetsch

Brixham, Devon, England/UK to Baltimore, MD, USA

I liked the stitching on the back as well as the front, so if I decide to use the back I will have to take a photo of it first (mental note). On to me and what I sent to England, which was something very colorful and simple, it's made of yarn on cardboard! I made quite a few of these during the months of August and September and this is one of them. This was used as a technique in an art workshop I facilitated with the kids and adults at the domestic violence shelter. It's somewhat about concentration and creating order, subconsciously. That aside, I hope Whitney-Anne rips this thing apart!

Shana R. Goetsch to Whitney-Anne Baker

Baltimore, MD, USA to Brixham, Devon, England/UK

Next up, Artist Paula Phillips, also from Baltimore (I'm mixing it up).

Elemental

2011-10-25T07:11:00.009-05:00

Recently, I was invited by my friend Jessica Wyatt to be a guest artist in her GTI class, Elements of Visual Thinking. Jessica is the GTI or Graduate Teaching Intern for one for these classes at MICA. I was graciously welcomed by the professor of the class, Colette Veasey-Cullors and all of the freshman students. The theme of the class was, you guessed it, mandalas!

Jessica and I essentially created a two day curriculum. We utilized the knowledge of one of our MFACA professors, Cinder Hypki, who gave a presentation on the background and symbology of mandala the first day. The second day, after a short, for lack of a better phrase, "artist talk" from me, Jess and I broke the class into pairs/groups. We then asked them to work together to create a finished mandala during class time. This was a workshop that was designed to get them in touch with other ways of working, and a way of managing an archetypal symbol.

Since the mandala is such a broad, universal topic, we really used a "top-down" approach to the lesson. Cinder's presentation revealed the universal - macro to micro - use of the mandala. Jess and I then brought it into the collective realm of this very blog project. We recreated a variation of the Art That Circles The Earth Project, the catch being, that the participants had to decide amongst themselves, HOW to work together.

Many of the students worked in tandem on the mandala, but several pairs took a different approach by taking turns, working on the collective mandala piece separately. Two of the students were quite radical, in that they used coding for the project. They created code on their computers for sound and the mandala. Their manner of working was interesting to me, in that they sat right next to each other, and worked on separate parts of the whole, while focusing almost exclusively on their respective computers. Their efforts came together well for their critique, in the form of a participatory piece, which we all had a hand in.

Since I consider the mandalas more of a "sacred space" and we really wanted them to inevitably create personal art, their assignment (working on a personal mandala piece) was not critiqued, but the group work was. After the collaborative mandala critique, one of the students rightly noted that it was difficult to critique the collaborative pieces, which I completely understood.

But this lesson was really to make them understand that artmaking, critique, being an artist, might take many different forms throughout their career. Their role as artist may be expanded, or conversely, contracted, depending on the manner in which they work, the challenges they meet, or their own intent for each piece of art. So, we presented them with a challenge or two, and they made it through their collaborations with flying colors, and not much grumbling.

Some of their personal work was shown, but the students were not pushed to show it or speak about it. Everything was voluntary as far as their personal mandala assignment was concerned. I am glad that many still took this assignment to heart, even though they were not obligated to speak about it or expected to share it with the class. My time with them showed me that they are willing to try new things, are thoughtful about their artmaking, and really "got" the idea of "personal art" through these explorations with the mandala.

More photos of the students working together in class are below...

FOOD!

The mandala that Jess and I made together...

On the day of the critique there were a few unique surprises. A piece that glowed...

And a piece that was generated by participants...

Although this is a screen capture (below), it does not, in fact, "capture" what was going on here, nor the movement of the whole when it was finished. Both of these pieces, along with an audio piece generated from the sounds of us all talking in the workshop session, were very transitory. They existed only under certain conditions; in the dark, or upon audience participation.

"The idea of mandala seems extraordinarily abstract. We see it as a metaphysical or philosophical principle. We cannot learn anything about it unless we see how the mandala principle is connected with a learning process or a practicing process. The Sanksrit word mandala literally means “association” or “society.” The Tibetan word khilkhor means “center and fringe.” Mandala is a way of looking at situations in terms of relativity: if that exists, this exists. If this exists, that exists."

-“The Razor’s Edge,” in Orderly Chaos: The Mandala Principle, Chogyan Trungpa

Thanks again to Jessica, Colette and the students in "Elements" for letting me share the mandala with you, it has really informed my own thought process regarding my ensuing thesis work, as well.

Strength

2011-10-18T13:03:00.000-05:00

Did I ever tell you that I've known Elbee since I was 14 and we were both very silly and little and got into a lot of silly little trouble? Well, I have, and she's been very kind to me over the years; one time, she even took a spirit possession for me (! for reals). She's still one of the strongest and wisest and oddest people I know. Also, she made this mandala with me... :) I think this piece speaks to all of her aforementioned qualities. This has the weirdest "ingredient" list of any of the mandalas so far: a bubble wrap envelope, watercolor paint, coffee, an unused heating filter, acrylic paint, random plastic objects, metal, lace and wood (and a little something pink, because that's just who Elbee is). Whew. You can view the entire process here, and then the finished piece is at the end. YAY!

Cycle 4, Round 4:

Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee
Milwaukee, WI to Tallahassee, FL

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee
Baltimore, MD to Tallahassee, FL

Elbee and Shana R. Goetsch
Mandala completed in Tallahassee, FL

Boomerang

2011-10-10T12:59:00.003-05:00

I have just finished the piece between Momo Luna and me! This one is bright and glossy and pretty, specifically, it reminds me of candy mints. To finish this piece, I did a little painting and a small amount of printmaking. There were a few objects on this piece in the last round, which I removed and then printed directly on the paper in the spot where they were originally (they are the aqua spirals). I also put a light wash over the pieces, creating less of a white background for the faces. Then I painted some solid colors in designated areas, and added some bright red strips along the edges. I struggled a bit with resolving this piece, but I think it's really "there" now.

Now, let's take a trip down memory lane for the completion of this mandala, Cycle 5, Round 4...

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Milwaukee, WI, USA

Shana R. Goetsch to Moma Luna

Baltimore, MD, USA to Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Baltimore, MD, USA

Shana R. Goetsch and Momo Luna

Mandala completed in Baltimore, MD, USA

It was great working with Momo Luna on this piece, and it still retains her distinct flavor, despite my working on it as well. Good show! I'll have another post in the works soon, because I have just received Elbee's last round in the mail today!

Over Land and Over Sea

2011-10-06T11:35:00.003-05:00

Please help me welcome our newest contributor, artist Whitney-Anne Baker! Whitney-Anne is from Devon, United Kingdom. I must admit that I had to go look up exactly where that was. Now we all know. As you may have guessed, I know Whitney-Anne through the blogging world. She has two of her own blogs, Whitney's Weird Stuff and What Whitney Made Next. She also has a few thriving Etsy shops, Every Girl's Story and Scribble Domain which has THE COOLEST THINGS EVER. I'm sorry for shouting, but I think it's true, and that she should make these designs into wallpaper....so that I can hang them on my wall. Whitney-Anne seems to be versed in a lot of different media as well as digital, She sent along images of some paper pieces, which she described as being in her "old style".

Paper Experiment No.1

Whitney-Anne Baker

Paper Experiment No. 2

Whitney-Anne Baker

In her own words, "I began making art about 15 years ago although I had always made things as a child ( lego, lots of lego ). Over the years I have tried lots of different things; hand-made paper, artist's books, textiles, collage, abstract art, experimenting with as many different techniques and mediums as I could. Being self taught gave me a lot of freedom! I loved it all but Photoshop is where everything came together for me. For my digital pieces I take lots of photographs, scan in found images and text, cut out shapes, use papers that I've painted to create texture, scribble with the mouse and generally mash it all up."

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Whitney-Anne Baker

Blue Collage 2

Whitney-Anne Baker

I really relate to this statement, especially the last little bit of it, "and generally mash it all up". I used to be more of a purist, in terms of technique and use of media, but over the years I've grown to really love mixed media work, and now couldn't imagine myself not mashing it all up!

I'm very excited about working with another artist outside of the United States. I'm hoping that Whitney is able to incorporate her digital imagery into this somehow. I may need help if it's on a digital file, but it's been far too long a time since I have said I wanted to learn how to use my Photoshop. The program is just sitting here on my computer, its power only used for re-sizing images and the most menial of tasks...maybe we'll get a work out, who knows!

In the meantime, Whitney and I are both mailing our first rounds this weekend/Monday-ish. I know that it might take a few weeks for them to arrive in the mail since they are going overseas and that stuff can be expensive to mail, shoot y'all....but please check back to see the results!

Oh, Universe...

2011-09-30T19:03:00.002-05:00

You and me, we are so 'right on'...

This is a photo of the ceiling of my home studio. It was like this when I first saw the place, but I must admit I paid little attention to it until I actually moved in and looked up. How perfect is that, especially for my studio?

Turning the Tables, with Wes Way

2011-09-30T14:19:00.040-05:00

I recently conducted my first ATCTE interview with one of our very first artists, Wes Way. You'll notice at the end that I had him turn the interview around on me and he was able to ask me a question. This concept was not without its hitches. There was a misunderstanding about this between us which I will include below. The interview starts now!

1. Wes, what is your background in artmaking and in what manner do you normally work?

I've always made art. I've always been interested in art. I taught myself to draw when I was little, copying the comics from the daily paper. My family was poor and art supplies were out of reach, so I drew on brown paper grocery bags. We had a Norman Rockwell coffee-table book which I studied, marveling at Rockwell's realism. I did well in art classes through high school and was accepted into the art program at Virginia Commonwealth University. During my first semester at VCU, I began to question whether a formal art education was what I wanted. I decided that I would rather be self-taught and withdrew from classes. I think this might have slowed my development as an artist somewhat, but I've never doubted that it was the right decision for me. I spent a decade or so having chemical adventures and that probably didn't help, but since I got straight, it's been all progress.

I've worked sporadically over the years, sometimes banging out lots of art, sometimes doing very little. I'm also a musician and sometimes I focus more on the music than the visual art. In recent years, I've become much more confident in my art.

Most of what I've done over the years has been collage. In the past year, I've opened out and now use any media that comes to hand or seems most appropriate to whatever I'm working on.

2. If you can, take us back to the time when we started, what interested you about joining this collaboration?

At that point, I hadn't been working on art much. I was really focused on the music and on my daughter. I wanted to get back into the art and saw this collaboration as a challenge. I try to occasionally take on something that will force me out of my comfort zone.

3. How was the experience for you, working with another visual artist, versus working with other musicians?

I wasn't really ready to do this project. I thought I'd be able to jump right into it, but it didn't work out that way. It was really hard to work on the mandala. I see now that I thought it would be easy, that I'd be able to just jump right into a collaborative project. I'd been doing music almost exclusively for a few years and had reached a point where I could just plug and improvise with other musicians easily, whether I'd ever played with them or not. So, I expected it would be like that. The reality was that I wasn't really able to get my brain around it. Months would go by and then I'd suddenly have an idea and then I'd have to carve a few hours out of my schedule to execute it. Since we finished the mandala, I've been doing more and more visual art and have put the music on hold. It would be very different if we did a mandala now.

The difference between working with an artist and improvising with another musician is that art happens in space and music happens in time. With art, you're there alone, thinking, daydreaming, making marks, erasing, painting over, musing, dozing off, drinking coffee...it's a slow, contemplative process. Music is instant. You can't go back and paint over a sloppy chord change. It's done and all you can do is go on.

I switch back and forth from art to music, but they're really totally different worlds. I don't want to give the false impression that I switch back and forth easily. There's usually some awkwardness. The mandala was part of that awkwardness. I'm glad I did it because it helped me get from where I was to where I am, but I think I'd do better if we did another.

4. I know that you recently expanded on the concept of these collaborations to include working on a new mandala with your young daughter, can you tell us about that artmaking experience, and what it meant to you, both as an artist and a father?

My kid is awesome. I'm so glad I get to do stuff with her.

I proposed the idea of me doing a mandala with her as an offhand comment. Then it started to seem like a great idea. I didn't explain the project to her - she's two-and-a-half - I just asked her if she wanted to make a picture with paint. She did, so I put some paper on the easel and gave her a brush. I drew a circle on the paper and coached her a little, but I don't think that compromises her input. Guidance and instruction are appropriate at this point. She covered much more of the surface with this piece than she usually does. I think the fact that I was making suggestions made her get more into it. She really likes interacting and doing things with another person right now. Maybe I should give her more guidance and instruction....I'm figuring parenting out as I go. Of course, I think my kid is an amazing artist right now and of course, I have some hope that she'll be interested in the things I'm interested in. I really love her paintings and when she smacks the strings of a guitar to hear the sound, I think "She'll be a musician like her old man", but I'm really conscious of all that and try to encourage her to follow any and all interests. She's also really into baseball right now. I've never been into sports, but I think it could be really fun to coach a girls' baseball team in a couple years if that's what she's into.

I haven't sat down with her painting to do my part yet.

5. What does the mandala mean to you?

I think I know what my part will be. Actually, I know exactly what my part will be, I just have to do it. I'm going to go over her big colorful blobs and smears with a really fine, black line, traditional Hindu mandala design, a Kali mandala. I'm really interested in the images of female deities right now. I'm doing yonis, crones, goddesses. Kali is usually misunderstood in the West, as a destructive force. She can be that, but she's also a maternal figure. She's a strict mother who doesn't put up with any crap. If you're doing something that prevents you from growing or developing, something that hinders you, she will take it away from you. That can seem awful and painful and in that scenario, Kali will seem like a big, ugly, black daemon with a lot of arms destroying you, but it's for your own good. As a student of mythology, I appreciate that and as an old punk, I really dig the Kali imagery, with the necklace of skulls, skirt of severed arms, dripping blood, all that fun, gory stuff. It's raw and ugly and visceral and that's necessary - if your religion is going to be at all helpful, it's going to have to have those elements, to enable you to make it through the really nasty things that can and will happen to you as you struggle through your life.

So, I'm going to put that element on top of the bright, colorful, spontaneous smears my daughter did. My girl is a bouncy, squealing little blue-eyed blonde. She charges right into situations, wide-open, knowing everything is going to be okay. She'll climb up on something and jump off, assuming I'll be there to catch her. So far, I have been. I love juxtaposing opposites, especially when they only seem to be opposites. The scary, old, wicked witch and the sweet, innocent, young girl are two aspects of the goddess, just as winter and spring are aspects of the year - and that is exactly what they represent. So they go together. My role in this is that of some creepy old trickster - Coyote or Raven or Loki - jamming these things together in a way that hopefully looks skewed or somehow off, but has internal logic and makes sense below the surface.

***Now we'll turn the table, wherein you may also ask me a question. I'll post my answer on the blog with your interview...it can be whatever you want!

I have no idea. I don't question art. Or artists. Show me a piece of art and I accept it exactly as it is. If it's got a paint-splattered goat or a dead shark in it, I might love it (R.R.) or hate it (D.H.), but I don't need to analyze it. I don't mean that art doesn't cause me to think about things - it does, but that happens in a slow, gradual, free-association sorta way. I might be staring at a piece that's been on my wall for years and notice something or have a thought that I never had before. I was at my mom's house the other day, looking at a Rockwell print and saw something that struck me. Some tiny detail. I love that art can do that, that a piece of art can grow and change with you. I also think art is totally subjective. It doesn't matter at all to me what Pollack thought of "Lavender Mist" or what Warhol was feeling when he did the Campbell's soup cans. It's the same with my own art - I don't consider myself the authority on what any of my pieces mean, if they mean anything at all. It just is.

I guess I assume, possibly incorrectly, that other artists work the way I do - that they have some kind of idea and start following through on it and later on figure out what it's about. Maybe a formal education causes people to know what they're doing. I don't know.

Anyway, I don't know what to ask. I definitely love the mandala project.

This is the email string:

On Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 9:52 AM, Shana Goetsch <shanagoetsch@yahoo.com> wrote:

hey, everything looks REALLY good with the interview....but i think you misunderstood my reasoning for having you ask a question of me at the end....1. i was trying to put a spin on the typical artist interview, and i tentatively pre-named the interviewing posts "Turning the Tables", as in you turn the interview on me at the end (it's all circular) 2. it's a community-building exercise, wherein people learn a little bit about our relationship from the question/interview.

so, i can definitely post it as is, but maybe you want to ask me something that is non-art/mandala related? it was just meant to be a fun thing because there are artist interviews up the whazoo on the net, so I was trying to differentiate a bit. just think about it and get back to me.

coolcoolcool,

-shana

From: Wes Way
To: Shana Goetsch

well, okay then, but since it's a conversation, you should include my misunderstanding, your clarification and my question which is....

Does the gender/race/identity of the artist matter?
Should it?

(Shana's answer)
Ah, in a perfect world, no it should not. Unfortunately or fortunately--I'm sort of on the fence about that--right now, artists, humans, I don't think we have reached the point where labels do not matter or happen. I know that you and I have spoken about this several times before, in reference to typically "feminine" subject matter being rendered by male artists. In relation to this, I can see it both ways. A part of me, as a female, with the body parts in question, wants a man to tread lightly, or at least be knowledgeable enough to explain his intent when depicting female imagery (I'm really talking about bodies, or body parts). I also know that I find women to be much more aesthetically pleasing, so I can't say that I blame anyone for recognizing that.

No it shouldn't matter, but it still does....and I really think that that comes down to the fact that there are still insensitive douchebags all over the place, who like to exploit other groups of people. Knowingly or unknowingly, it happens all the time, still. One, single d-bag has the capacity to ruin everything for everyone.

So my sticking point then has to be: What is the intent of the artist, and how transparent is that intent to their audience? I can rarely fault someone for anything when I can see that their intent is honest and transparent, and open, regardless of their message. When dealing with issues of gender, race or class, having knowledge, experience and transparency really are the best options. And as an artist who is continually struggling with the creation of strong, social justice/issue-based art, I am really just trying not to be one of the aforementioned douchebags.

Of course I am taking the context of your question in entirely one way, is that what you meant, by "matter"? My answer was really contingent upon me thinking of this in relation to an emotionally charged piece of issue-based, or political art. I guess if the art has nothing to say about anything...then, no it doesn't matter who or what the artist is; "silent" art is boring art. There's no controversy over who made it, at the very least. Art that says something, that's another story, depending on who it's talking about, and who's receiving the message. In those cases, it might matter very much who the artist is, identity-wise, and it might be a very warranted response.

*Please leave a comment - feel free to jump right into this discussion...

Born

2011-09-24T14:46:00.000-05:00

I don't think I posted the beginning to end of this cycle! I believe I promised it in the summer, and never followed through. I apologize for the huge oversight. But at least we can get to know Wes' work again before I post a new feature on the blog for this project, it's a little something I'm going to call "Turning the Tables" which will be featured artist interviews. In the future the format of these interviews may morph a bit, but Wes and Elbee's interviews will be in written form, just to kick things off. Look for that coming to this blog very very soon!

In the meantime, I have the whole of Cycle 1 for you here, so you can see how it changed throughout the year. This is actually my personal favorite piece so far, and it was the first. I like the energy of this mandala and I think the two of us worked really well together. It was the basis for expanding the project, and I'm really happy that the collaboration happened at all. Wes and I actually met on myspace, and we kept up a correspondence through email after I later abandoned it for facebook. I have since met Wes in person several times, co-exhibited with him in Virginia, and he actually helped me move into my Baltimore apartment. He carried all the heavy stuff, but beyond that, he really is one of the coolest people I have ever met. I am honored to have shared the creation of this first piece with him...

Shana R. Goetsch to Wes Way
Milwaukee, WI to Harrisonburg, VA

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch

Harrisonburg, VA to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch to Wes Way
Milwaukee, WI to Harrisonburg, VA

Wes Way and Shana R. Goetsch

Mandala completed in Harrisonburg, Virginia

Remember to stay tuned for the new, "Turning the Tables" interview feature!

Seeking Collaborative Artists

2011-09-17T11:05:00.000-05:00

If you an artist (or a non-artist) interested in working on this project with me (or with someone else-why not?), please let me know. You'll have at least one guaranteed exhibit at MICA in Baltimore, being that this will be my thesis project for this year.

If you want in on this, please let me know: shanagoetsch@yahoo.com (or my profile on blogger will just link you directly to my email too) I'm very excited for a new year!

The Sixth Cycle

2011-09-15T10:57:00.009-05:00

Well, I feel as if we're chugging right along. I have the update here between Brian and me and I was very excited to get this package, as I am with all packages. I'm always at school when I get the mail, so I'm opening them in front of others to triumphant and impressive effect. I should mention before I start the unveiling, that Brian and Momo Luna always send nice little notes and cards and brochures (!) These two are the fanciest, I always feel as if I'm completely lame and disheveled in comparison. Especially after I know I just sent something with no extra bling, and it's way too late to remedy my lack of it. So I'll have to say now, I really appreciate and am thoroughly impressed by the bling. I'll just have to strive to be more motivated...and get more print material. Speaking of, I'll have to make new postcards for the ATCTE project too.

Now on to the show. If you'll remember, I presented Brian with a bunch of recyclables, all stuck together. And he presented me with a very nice primed canvas with a geometric pattern. Well, here's what happened next! Brian painted over the corrugated material very neatly and applied a similar element, tiny outlined circles, which corresponds to our other piece...continuity! With the piece I worked on this round, I also used acrylics, and created more of a loose wash rather than a thick coat. Some of the colors I used blended with what he used originally, creating new colors and shades. Right now, these two are the antithesis of each other, while still retaining a semblance of unity; mine being a chaotic well of a whirlpool, his being very orderly, crisp and business-like.

This round was fun, wanna see the photos?...

Cycle 6, Round 2:

Brian Sylvester to Shana R. Goetsch

Somerville, MA to Baltimore, MD

Shana R. Goetsch to Brian Sylvester

Baltimore, MD to Somerville, MA

ETA: I also just noticed that we chose the same color palette this round. It is really, very strange that this keeps happening unknowingly between many of us, especially since it's not always the same color palette. Very interesting.

So This Is My Plan...

2011-08-30T21:43:00.002-05:00

....make more mandalas.

No but seriously, I have decided to devote my energy this year, for the second year of my visual thesis to the ATCTE project. Not only have I felt that I have neglected it, and everyone for a year, but I really need a break from the domestic violence heaviness that I was so focused on last year. So here's what's going to happen....A COMMUNITY BONANZA!

I've been thinking of some new ideas for the project, in terms of promotion and exhibition and highlighting some of the existing artists (you guys!) as well as adding some new artists to the fold. My drive is to work with community, and it occurred to me that this is a community. You're all a part of my online community, as well as being a community of artists, and friends. I was thinking of highlighting some of you in artist interviews, but I would like your input! This is a chance for me to, in essence, work for you this year. How do you want to be seen? Where? What types of venues? What state (or country)? How can I help you, as an artist in this project? I am willing to travel, and curate this thing all over the place. Let me know! I would at least like all of the existing pieces to be included in my final thesis show, which will be in May. I will be sending you all information about that soon enough, but I am very excited for the near (and far) future!

And without further adieu, I finished my last round with the piece that Elbee started... I actually incorporated the paper that D. Garzelloni used to wrap my last package from her. So thanks D., it's now in the background of this one!

Conception to birth, plus the finished piece, Cycle 4, Round 4

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee

Milwaukee, WI to Tallahassee, FL

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Baltimore, MD

Shana R. Goetsch and Elbee

Mandala completed in Baltimore MD

woohoo!

Constructing the Universe

2011-08-26T14:23:00.005-05:00

Finally, FINALLY I have finished the piece I worked on with Wes Way (incidentally, one of the first two mandalas in this project) Y'all. That was a tough one for me, personally. All of this outside construction that I've had to do on these things....sheesh. I wouldn't say that building is my strong suit, it takes me a lot longer than normal.

Okay, conception to birth, right here, plus the end shots are Cycle 1 Round 4:

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch

Harrisonburg, VA to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch to Wes Way
Milwaukee, WI to Harrisonburg, VA

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch

Harrisonburg, VA to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch and Wes Way
Mandala completed in Baltimore, MD

Some Community Mandalas

2011-08-17T11:39:00.001-05:00

As you may or may not know, this past year I worked as an arts facilitator, with women and children at a local domestic violence shelter. Some of the most awesome things they created were mandalas with yarn. It was such a simple thing, but creating the circles with yarn really challenged the young kids with their dexterity, and the adults seemed to enjoy making them too. In these finished pieces, I paired an adult mandala with a youth mandala. I think they turned out brilliantly....it was a joy to work with them on such a therapeutic process. *proud* These community made mandalas will hopefully be hung at the shelter some time soon.

So see? I hadn't abandoned the mandalas at all!

ACK

2011-08-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have woefully left this project behind during my last year in grad school, I'll admit it. But I received a degree in that one year so I'll have to say that it was worth it.

However, we will be starting back up with a gusto very soon! I have a few mandalas to complete on my end, which have been sitting around just waiting for me for months now. AND I have a few ideas up my sleeve about what this next year of grad school will entail, art-wise. I am leaning towards a kinder, gentler "Part II" of my visual thesis....something much rounder.

See you soon with more art completed, for reals.

Alternate Cycles

2011-04-27T13:24:00.004-05:00

Something tragic has happened....one of the mandalas from Cycle 3 did not make it, due to unforeseen issues. RIP buddy. Okay, well anyway, the fix to this little snafu arrived in the mail to me this week! So Danielle and I are in the process of a do-over for one of our two mandalas. She started a new one that has some collage elements and some gesso on an old board game. I'm told it's called "Ludo"...well, here it is and we're starting again!

Cycle 3.5, Round 1:

D. Garzelloni to Shana R. Goetsch
Chicago, IL to Baltimore, MD

I'm actually pretty excited about this new one, because it's quite a bit smaller than the other we are creating together.

Mentioned!

2011-03-24T21:16:00.002-05:00

Artist Heather Gordy gave the Art That Circles The Earth project a mention in this interview about her by Rosanne Peña. COOL. Hopefully I can get all of these finished pieces into a show sometime soon and return the favor. Thanks Heather, and CONGRATS on a great interview!

Gettin There!

2011-03-17T14:07:00.004-05:00

I got mail from Holland! The exchange has finally been made and received!

Momo Luna has used objects as well as papers to create this round. The "world heads" are very cool, and she cut the entire piece out from its background, which will make for some interesting reconstructions by me again. In the piece that was sent to Momo Luna, I used fabric and string to make the snakes and alternately, the hints of their movement...enjoy!

Cycle 5, Round 3

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Baltimore, MD, USA

Shana R. Goetsch to Moma Luna
Baltimore, MD, USA to Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland

And now it's final round time! I love me a good final round.

It's Finished!

2011-02-12T07:55:00.002-06:00

This one from Wes...

I am going to force myself to finish my end of the fourth round next week...and then I will give you the conception to death of this first cycle of mandalas. Stay tuned...

Collaborative Mandala-making at House Of Ruth Maryland

2011-01-22T08:51:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to touch base and share these photos with all of you. The House Of Ruth Maryland, a domestic violence shelter where I am the Artist-in-Residence and Arts Facilitator, recently started some mandalas. The Teen Group, their facilitators and I broke into groups to create two separate collective mandalas. The directive here was to "create a sacred space together". I think it started really well! I'll update you when we are finished...

There should be a mandala coming to me soon from Momo Luna. I sent my next round off to her just yesterday! I have also heard rumors that others were being sent sometime soon too. YAY!

Chuckles and Fairy Rings

2011-01-01T11:07:00.003-06:00

Here is a brief video from someone who found a brand new fairy ring in his back yard...

The comments under this particular video on youtube are priceless. A funny one from autumnenergy:
"DUDE !!! I cannot believe you picked that mushroom and then just threw away ! You are so lucky the Fae didn't kick your butt for that !!!!
DO NOT walk inside a fairy ring
DO NOT pick mushrooms from a fairy ring
DO NOT use iron around a fairy ring
I am glad you are safe. Just remember to pay them respect. They left something very beautiful in your yard. Next time that happens, leave a bit of tobacco next to the ring (NOT inside) and little pieces of cloth. Blessings to you LUCKY GUY !"

(I like the not using iron part)

Sand Mandalas - Life

2011-01-01T10:58:00.005-06:00

Another time lapse video, this one has narration though...

So Far...

2010-11-25T10:19:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone! The mandala collection has been updated and added onto my flickr page. To see them all so far, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artinshanaty/sets/72157623028372536/

OMG

2010-11-10T21:47:00.005-06:00

This is so cool! (except for the very end, which is super cheesy...yeah) but still, 5 minutes of goodness...

Art Clokey's Mandala

In the Middle

2010-10-23T18:20:00.006-05:00

Hey there, first mandala round completed by Brian Sylvester and me! I received this in the mail from Brian this past week. We both decided on a 12" x 12" format. Brian has started with a gessoed canvas, and used acrylic paints in bright colors. Much like D. Garzelloni, he has used a light grid/mathematical pattern to start his piece...

Cycle 6, Round 1:

Brian Sylvester to Shana R. Goetsch

Somerville, MA to Baltimore, MD

And in usual form, I have dug through my garbage and found stuff laying around on my floor. I used the corrugated cardboard packaging from a set of bowls, and a piece of tissue paper that I had left laying about for quite awhile because I thought it was interesting. The square of paper just happened to be 12" x 12". This was just another case of helper elves 'placing' things on my floor for me to find. Thanks lil guys...

Shana R. Goetsch to Brian Sylvester

Baltimore, MD to Somerville, MA

YAY! *dives in*

New Artist in the Fold

2010-09-06T14:22:00.000-05:00

We have a new artist who will be participating in the ATCTE project! Brian Sylvester, sometimes known as Inkpunk Artworks will be joining in the mandala making. Brain says he mainly works on canvas now, so we'll see what we get out of this collaboration! He is from the state of Massachusetts, it'll be a shorter jog for the mandalas to go between there and Maryland. Here are some examples of Brian's work (which I feel has quite the ethereal quality to it, despite the fact that there is such a controlled style in the rendering. Someone on his blog remarked that it was "Sacred Geometry". I tend to agree)...

And for some reason, I tried to comment on the last piece on his blog several times, but blogger seems to have not accepted any of them. I have no idea what happened there. So I'll say it here...the last piece is brilliant/gorgeous Brian!

Circling Broken-ly

2010-09-01T14:59:00.003-05:00

The USPS has managed to do it again! I picked up my package from Elbee and it was all smashed and rattley."Do not bend" was clearly written on the front of the package. My conclusion is that the USPS are jerks.

Now that that diatribe is over... Elbee and I have exchanged slightly broken mandalas! I have made an approximation of what I think this was supposed to arrive looking like, but did not (see above USPS ineptitude). It was completely in pieces (including the piece that I put on the last round) so I tried to follow all of the glue marks, give or take.

Cycle 4, Round 3

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Baltimore, MD

I was concentrating on getting this piece the right size, and Elbee goes and cuts parts away from the other. omg *head thunk*

Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee
Baltimore, MD to Tallahassee, FL

So This is Complicated

2010-08-31T21:01:00.000-05:00

I found this, and I think it's pretty interesting. I enjoyed watching another type of process in mandala-making unfold...

It Has Begun (Again)

2010-08-03T16:48:00.005-05:00

The ATCTE project is back on! We were on a break, in a way. It was just a major adjustment for me to move across the country and start grad school within 3 months. That being said, mandalas have been exchanged!
Momo Luna and I had each received our respective packages last week, and so here we go with the show and tell! I am happy to have this starting again...both of us began with paper and paint and pens. I also attached a bit of purple colored plastic mesh to the center of the one I sent. The many uses for those mesh veggie bags can get kind of exciting for me, no lie.

Cycle 5, Round 2:

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Baltimore, MD, USA

Shana R. Goetsch to Moma Luna

Baltimore, MD, USA to Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland

YAY for mandalas!

Sent and Sent!

2010-07-14T07:25:00.003-05:00

Momo Luna and I have (finally-my fault) exchanged mandalas. They are in the mail and traveling across the ocean right the heck now! It will most likely take a week or so to get to their respective locations, so please check back soon!!!

The Mail Hath Foresaken Me

2010-06-09T06:45:00.004-05:00

Okay guys, I am in Baltimore....but my new mailman refused to deliver my mail for about a week...I'm still not sure about its effectiveness. Perhaps I should think about a Post Office box. Anyway, Wes Way has told me that he had an idea to finish, but he will be sending me a test letter first, to see if the mailman is actually delivering my mail. I have already called to complain once, and I'll do it again, and again, and again, if I have to (don't push me, mailman, I'm making mail ART, which is important). So, needless to say, this little bunch of crap is courtesy of the US Post Office.

But I have just brought out my paints (um...found them) yesterday. And now I'm ready to get this ball rolling! I have two that I need to work on. Finishing Wes' and starting on Momo Luna's. Here we go!

UPDATE

2010-05-20T07:38:00.003-05:00

I am still in the process of moving, and some of my fellow artists are not 'feeling' the mandalas presently. HOWEVER, Wes Way has told me that he will be bringing the finished mandala with him when I move to Baltimore (he has generously agreed to help me move). So, by the first of the June, we should have an update, and more will soon follow because I will be settled in one location!!!

To Be Continued

2010-04-30T20:40:00.005-05:00

So, where are the mandalas, you ask? I am currently in the process of moving across-country to Baltimore, and so things are all over the place, and being packed away for the trip. An update is coming, from someone, somewhere....soon. I promise. Momo Luna has finally (!) received her package from me, after three or so weeks of red tape, and is probably waiting for me to complete the next round (I'm getting there, don't worry). I figure I will need to work on some art really soon. In about a month, I will be in one place/state, and it will be great.

Until then, I pose a question...do you think a record player could achieve spin art?

Buddha's Realm

2010-04-13T19:49:00.007-05:00

I just found this article about Tibetan Buddhist Monks and their sand mandala-making practices. This explains what it means, how, and why it is done. At the bottom of this article is a time-lapse video shot from above the mandala. Please check out the process, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution's, The Torch...http://www.e-torch.org/from-the-secretary/april-2010/

Beauty and Chaos

2010-04-07T15:34:00.006-05:00

So I have a blogger friend, someone whom I follow...Laura, on Beauty and Chaos. She's been taking these photos every day, usually of nature, but sometimes she has people. In general she's pretty outdoorsy, and I strongly suspect she's in college studying something science-y and biological. The other day, she took a photo of her slime mold, inside its circular, perti dish home, and I found it to be really cool. (It reminded me of some of my own 365.series watercolors.) And in addition to that, we get a good science-y lesson from her

She named her slime mold Leonard. Click the link, he's so worth it.

p.s. I also updated the blog, with better photos of Moma Luna's first round (the previous post). See the post, and better photos here.

Three Thoughts

2010-04-06T00:29:00.009-05:00

Okay, I have the piece and it is photographed and edited! Moma Luna is from Holland, and has started this first mandala round with me. The piece she worked with features an image from one of her previous pieces, Thoughts which is duplicated three times. Three is a magic number, as she has pointed out, and it is a number that is used in Christianity, as well. This is also a variation on one of the classic mandalas, the Triad form, which was mentioned before in this blog. I got a few close-ups of each piece so that you could see the detail a bit more. Moma Luna has duplicated the figure, but has changed them each in minor ways, such as the patterns, and colors. She has also mentioned (in a nice hand-written letter to me) that she used three kinds of paper on this.

Cycle 5, Round 1:

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Milwaukee, WI, USA

On my mandala piece, I went a more simple route (as usual). I was originally wanting to use colored feathers for this, but decided upon magazine papers instead. This is mainly because I had so many laying around in disuse, and I'm a recycler. This shape is the same one used in a mandala that I worked on with Heather Gordy. So basically, I cut out many tiny shapes and then layered and pasted them. The vague patterns/lines on the side were made with rust, they are 'rust prints', technically. And interestingly, Moma Luna and I unknowingly chose the same colored palette to start...

Shana R. Goetsch to Moma Luna

Milwaukee, WI, USA to Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland

Update!

2010-04-03T12:09:00.004-05:00

I have received a package from Moma Luna!
The only problem is that I have to pick it up from the post office....on Monday. What a downer, but at least it arrived. I am still worried that she has not received the package from me, on account of the Post Office worker not knowing what to do..."Holland? Is that the Netherlands?" *rolls eyes* "Yes Post Office lady, but despite that fact, her address is still 'Holland', so that's what I will write down." ugh. I spent at least a half an hour in that place, filling out form(s), so I really hope it gets there, or has already gotten there by now.

I also hope that what I have glued down (twice) has stayed glued down on the piece I sent to her. The rolling gave me problems, so I had to reglue. She may also have to reglue, but I truly hope it's not that bad. If it is, I will reglue it again when I get it back, with some kind of clear spackle. I joke, but it will eventually stick, because I'll make it stick.

So, provided that the light is decent, you will get the first round with Moma Luna and me on Monday afternoon...look for it!

Circles in the Swirled

2010-03-31T11:49:00.002-05:00

Another documentary about crop circles:

The Geometry of Circles

2010-03-31T11:39:00.003-05:00

I remember this one from Sesame Street, when I was little...(music composed by Philip Glass)

Simplicity

2010-03-17T22:29:00.010-05:00

I searched for "circle" on youtube. This came up on the first page, so I'm posting it. Who doesn't love The Lion King, huh?

I cheesily, just cried. More collaborative mandala pieces are coming soon, but until then, check out this link. An artists who uses nature as a medium. (sometimes in the shape of a circle)

Mandala Completed!

2010-03-04T20:02:00.006-06:00

I have just received images of the second mandala to be completed in this project! If you'll remember, this mandala made an extra trip to and fro...and so when I got it back, I added the hanging device real quick. Artist Heather Gordy has sent along an explanation of what she did for this final round:

"It's painted with acrylics and water soluble crayons. Most of it is painted directly on the linen except for the added beetles. I first sketched the beetle using pencil. Then I scanned the picture and made the beetle into two different sizes and printed it out. I used the water soluble crayons, matte medium and iridescent paint to paint the four beetles. They were then applied on top of the purplely color circles. The entire painted area is finished with a semi gloss acrylic varnish."

Now let's take a look back at this mandala's humble beginnings...

Cycle 2, Round 1:

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy
Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX

Cycle 2, Round 2:

Heather Gordy to Shana R. Goetsch
Houston, TX to Milwaukee, WI

Cycle 2, Round 3:

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy
Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX

Cycle 2, Round 4:

Heather Gordy and Shana R. Goetsch
Mandala completed in Houston, TX

Completed in Texas...yeehaw!

And the Circle is Complete

2010-02-24T08:42:00.008-06:00

The first mandala is finished! This particular mandala, is the one that Heather originally started (part of the intrigue of the deal). What I did to finish, was handled mostly in watercolors. I also managed to find an image of a bird with its mouth open for the center circle (that's a photocopy and acrylic), Really though, it was mostly watercolor work. I really felt that this piece, need not be so afraid of color, so I went with it and drove it hard. Now, let's take a look at the mandala from its inception, shall we?

Cycle 2, Round 1:

Heather Gordy to Shana R. Goetsch
Houston, TX to Milwaukee, WI

Cycle 2, Round 2:

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy
Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX

Cycle 2, Round 3:

Heather Gordy to Shana R. Goetsch
Houston TX to Milwaukee, WI

Cycle 2, Round 4:

Shana R. Goetsch and Heather Gordy
Mandala completed in Milwaukee, WI

In your face, Universe!
*triumphant squawk*

Cycle Five Jive

2010-02-23T13:32:00.012-06:00

We have a new artist in the fold, and this time, the art really will circle the earth! Momo Luna is from the Netherlands and I know her through the blog world. She has her own blog called Momo Luna Signals where she has quite a few fans (and quite a few post responses that I cannot read, being that they are written in Dutch) and an amazing amount of art, personal thoughts and music.

Momo Luna has sent a few images along, so that we can see some examples of her style. She has noted to me, these are the pieces that are closest to her heart. When asked her primary medium, she wrote, "My primary medium is pencil, ink, watercolours, acrylics, dreams and music."

I think we will get along in this partnership, just fine.

The Beginning

Momo Luna
Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands

Little Girl So Old
Momo Luna
Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands

p.s. You can also bid on an original Momo Luna piece on ebay, right-the-heck now!

Stuck Together For a Moment

2010-02-21T16:47:00.004-06:00

Cycle 1, Round 3 (continued):

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch

Harrisonburg, Va to Milwaukee, WI

This is Wes' piece, all stuck together, however briefly (it came to me cut-up, and stacked in a package).
Okay, now I am taking this apart again.

Big Wheel Keep on Turnin

2010-02-19T17:10:00.012-06:00

Next on the agenda...the Seven Chakras. the word "chakra" come from the Saskrit, meaning "wheel". Elbee has nicely tied in some references, with some coincidence. I always like that combination, for inspirational purposes. Elbee happened to be thinking of ideas for this mandala, saw something that mentioned Chakras, and noticed she was holding seven of these wheel shapes in her hands. How about that!

Said 'wheels' are somewhat heavy, and look like stone or clay, but I think they are a form of plastic...when I tapped them, the sound was more plasticy than elemental. So Elbee glued on seven of these wheels, and armed me with the knowledge of her thought pattern on the Seven Chakras. Again, I will be making this piece slightly larger and square, so that it matches the others' size. Here is her mandala:

Cycle 4, Round 2:

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Milwaukee, WI

For the piece that I worked on this round, I also attached things. This includes a piece of metal that has been sitting on a table in my living room for, I kid you not, the last 6 years. It's just been waiting for this project, I assume. So I attached it, then I painted a little bit with watercolor, and then I also attached a googly eye. Googly eyes are round and not eye-shaped...seems weird somehow. This particular googly eye happened to be the exact shape/size of the center circle that I covered it with. Another 'meant to be' moment for this round.

Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee
Milwaukee, WI to Tallahassee, FL

All this talk about wheels has made me think of Proud Mary by the fabulous Tina Turner...

Deconstructing the Circle

2010-02-18T14:38:00.008-06:00

Wes Way has obliterated the circle. And I am so happy and excited about it. He cut the mandala up into sections, and also added onto each of the pieces with different approaches and medias. I see collage, pen, garbage twist ties and construction paper. I also see WORDS on this mandala...

"We find out who we are by digging through the wreckage of what we thought we would be"

That is so perfect, and it looks like I will, in fact, be "Constructing the Universe". So I'm glad D. just sent me that guide on the topic a few days ago. (whew!) I look forward to assembling this, and will take another photo, and make another post about it when I do. Until then, here is what I received. Wes has a bag full of tricky little tricks...

Cycle 1, Round 3:

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch

Harrisonburg, VA to Milwaukee, WI

For my mandala, I sent Wes a variation on the symbol he used the last round. I just duplicated it...many times, and painted a different pattern in the center. After that, I tried to uncrinkle the piece by ironing it, and then I juiced up the color a tinge. The ironing aspect, was so that the crinkly paint pattern would only remain on one side of the mandala, since I left the other side blank, for Wes. I also thought seriously about how it could be hung up, eventually. I'm thinking a tree branch and loops, so that it hangs like a tapestry. Here's what I did...

Cycle 1, Round 3

Shana R. Goetsch to Wes Way
Milwaukee, WI to Harrisonburg, VA

STAY TUNED FOR THE (RE)CONSTRUCTION OF THE UNIVERSE!

Falling Down and Getting Back Up

2010-02-17T18:47:00.019-06:00

While the mandala was on its way to me, from Danielle, I received an email from her. I share this with her permission, but I think it illustrates one of the challenges that lie in store for each of the artists working on this series: when to stop....since it's a shared project.

"...you are gonna have to change stuff. i have a hard time with this...i usually work with an idea of a finished piece in my head and this is really painful. not know where it's going or when to stop working....working on the thing, was like i kept falling down but couldn't figure out why.

sorry i fell down on yer project."

(ETA: Let me clarify, that I found this letter to be so cute and humorous, because she had nothing to worry about. Yet it brought up a relevant struggle for artists, 'the letting go'. I think every one of us has had the same thought in our minds, at some point during this process. I know I felt as if I 'fell down' on it during round two with Heather.)

I also received several photocopied packets from D. along in the package. One is called "Animal Speak" and has a lot of information about spiders in it. The other is a packet entitled, "A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe" which contains information regarding the Breath of the Compassionate (the universe being formed around it) and eight-fold geometry.

...Grandmother Spider has eight legs, doesn't she? D. is one smart chic.

D. has hand-painted (not airbrushed!) a pattern, of which I assume to be eight-fold geometry, onto the piece she sent me this round. She used gold, which is one of the colors she told me she has been using a lot lately. I went a different route, and used a reductive method on the piece I worked on. I scraped the paint from the wrapping paper in selected areas (no easy task), and added an Egyptian-looking eyeball (it's actually Alicia Key's eyeball) because I felt that the pattern was reminiscent of the lotus flower and other Egyptian symbols. Here we go...

Cycle 3, Round 2:

D. Garzelloni to Shana R. Goetsch
Chicago, IL to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch to D. Garzelloni
Milwaukee, WI to Chicago IL

Circling More Than It Should

2010-02-13T20:26:00.008-06:00

So, because of a major mailing snafu, Heather has not received her mandala from me yet. I checked the tracking, and it is getting sent back to me again! (*shakes fist*) This ruins the whole system, U.S. Post Office! Anyway, I still received her piece today, so I will be posting them both now.

Heather has continued the tree motif and filled up the circle. She then added on the few extra inches needed to make the pieces equally sized. The pieces of paper she applied on the edges are torn, rather than cut, and look like they have water based media on them. I am excited to finish this one up. She has still left me with a lot of free reign.

The one that I sent to Heather (which will be re-sent, when I get it back....and they had better not lose it in the meantime.), I think is the best one that I have contributed thus far to this project. I decided on a scarab beetle image (see previous post) because of many references to it being the "creator" in so many cultures and religions. Also, I felt that I needed something with wings, that maybe wasn't a bird also. This is a jeweled scarab, in fact, complete with a ring of dung balls, for her jeweled scarab embryos. In-person, and up-close you can see that I incorporated a metallic, acrylic paint into the beetle shell. I have always loved beetles, and I have one tattooed on my back. This was me infusing a little meaning into the mandala. I hope that whenever Heather actually receives this(!), that she is pleased to finish it up.

Cycle 2, Round 3:

Heather Gordy to Shana R. Goetsch
Houston, TX to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy
Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX

Dung Balls (really)

2010-02-07T12:44:00.008-06:00

"The scarab rolls his pellet, and life is born in it as an effect of nondispersed work of spiritual concentration. Now, even in manure an embryo can develop and cast his "terrestrial" skins, why would the dwelling of our celestial heart not be able to generate a body too, if we concentrate our spirit on it?"

-Taoist belief found at insects.org.

dung beetle from Wikipedia Creative Commons

Scarabs/beetles were used as religious symbols in prehistoric Shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism and Judeo-Christianity. They were also found in imagery throughout ancient Egypt, Greece, India, and Iran. One of the basic reasons why I think beetles/scarabs were used so universally, is because of their dung balls. Yes, my whole premise is based on poo....but they roll these balls made out of feces, larger than themselves, and then they implant their little scarab embryos inside for the gestation period. New life out of a ball of refuse, no wonder they are credited with being the creators in most of the above mentioned cultures.

(They don't know it yet, but one of the three mandalas I send this Tuesday will have a scarab/dung ball connection, and the above quote inside the package. Head's up for one of you.)

Please check back late next week for more updates on the progress of these mandalas!

Every One of Them, Unique

2010-02-04T14:29:00.009-06:00

Guess what! I received a package today...Elbee and I have exchanged our first mandalas. You will note that sizes and formats are different, for now. I plan to actually keep the square format of the one that Elbee started, and then build upon whatever I get back (it is pictured here as an 8" x 10"). A square format, how did I not think of that before!? Brilliant.

Elbee has started with a thicker stock of paper, and then gently glued a circular "snowflake" pattern on top of it. It's made of tissue paper, which I thought was really delicate and cool. She also placed another circular shape on top of that one. The mandala reminds me of doilies and my grandma Goetsch's house (comforting and warm in the winter).

What I started with, was the back of a mailing package. Really, I was that literal this time 'round. Anyway, I liked that I could not rip off the bubble wrap, it was well-secured. So I flipped it and noticed a blank "canvas" for me to use. I figured that If I made the paper very wet and used watercolors, that the bubble wrap texture would automatically show up, to a degree. Being that they are little circles, I thought it was fun for a background, so I let the color take its time seeping and saturating, Then I placed a heavy jar on top of the wet piece, centrally, so that it would create the indent, or impression of a circle. Now, let the show begin...

Cycle 4, Round 1:

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Milwaukee, WI

Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee
Milwaukee, WI to Tallahassee, FL

Flocking Together

2010-01-22T15:29:00.005-06:00

For lack of a better term, I think Wes and I are the two biggest tree-huggers of the bunch. Natural, why yes we are! Wes has ascribed a particular symbol to this first piece. It's Big Drum in the Sky Religiony. What I like about this most, is the texture showing through with the brushstrokes. The piece that I worked on for Wes this round is slightly changed, color-wise, just a bit more muted than it was before. Then I added some strips of paper (4) that represent each of the elements, earth, air, water and fire.

Cycle 1, Round 2:

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch
(Harrisonburg, Va to Milwaukee, WI)

Shana R. Goetsch to Wes Way
(Milwaukee, WI to Harrisonburg, VA)

Birds of a Feather

2010-01-19T20:36:00.013-06:00

What I did here, was duplicate Heather's original art, and make the circle a bit smaller, so that everything was symmetrical. Then I added some color, envisioning the circle as the sun, or a fire ball (Ring of Fire). What Heather did was use her imagination. (I am sooo getting shown-up by her.) She made colored wings on paper, and then glued them on. Then she glued even more stuff on. It's sort of Harley Davidsonesque, but a very good solution, I'm happy with what I got here, and happy to expand upon it. And I'm not too worried about the (lack of) what I sent to Heather this round because, guess what? That's the mandala I get to ultimately "finish". The finishing seems like the best fun, and I am a perfectionist. That last round may take me forever.

Cycle 2 Round 2:

Heather Gordy to Shana R. Goetsch
(Houston, TX to Milwaukee, WI)

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy

(Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX)

...and, just for kicks, Social Distortion covers Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire

...and Crop Circles

2010-01-13T16:23:00.001-06:00

The Hidden Truth. Watch this video.

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/34994/Crop_Circles_The_Hidden_Truth/

Hexenringe (witches/sorcerers/fairy rings)

2010-01-06T12:27:00.007-06:00

Mortals who have danced with the fairies are rarely safe after being saved from their enthrallment. Often, they find that what seemed to be but a brief foray into fairyland was indeed much longer in the mortal realm, possibly weeks or years. The person rescued from the fairy ring may have no memory of their encounter with the sprites, as in a story from Anglesea recorded in 1891. In most tales, the saved interlopers face a grim fate...

The natural history, and the myth of the "fairy ring", from wikipedia is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_ring

Mysterious fairy-type rings are also found in Africa.

Writing, Divination and Magick

2009-12-28T09:55:00.007-06:00

Runes, and an "artist, non-artist". The next person sharing this project with me is Elbee. She is not a professional artist, but she does some heavy duty scrap-booking, and has definite artistic flair. Elbee is the only one in this group so far that I have met in person, as well. I have known her since we were 14, in fact. So, we have a self-proclaimed (because I don't think it matters that much) non-artist up next. Elbee and I have decided to use an 8" x 10" format, and go a more 'found objects' route with the mandala. I think this project is shaping up to be very diverse...

Scrap-booking example
Elbee, Tallahassee, Florida

Hand-gathered stone, hand-painted Runes
Elbee, Tallahassee, Florida

Hand-gathered stone, hand-painted Rune (detail)
Elbee, Tallahassee, Florida

Everything you ever wanted to know about Runes can be found here. And over at pbs.org you can write your own name in Runes. It's a fun activity for a grand new year!

Celtic Mandala/Triad

2009-12-21T11:30:00.015-06:00

"Celtic Mandalas, with their special content from the art of the ancient Celts, invariably have a dual-dimensional format, relating to the belief that it is possible to travel from the earthly realm into the Otherworld of Celtic legend."

This is an excerpt from medieval magic, which you should check out because it goes into details about each, basic, Celtic Mandala pattern.

Incidentally, one of the examples of a Celtic Mandala, the Triad, originally came from Asia. It was an ancient oriental symbol representing the 'world soul'. Later on, it was adopted by the West, and is still considered the mandala of Catholicism: 'father, son, and holy ghost'. (However, I prefer the older, Druid Threefold meaning of 'maiden, mother, crone'.) This symbol is also currently used by the US Department of Transportation. Really.

AND, I found free Celtic Mandala coloring pages from whats-your-sign.com. (all in pdf format, just scroll down near the bottom of the page, and download) ENJOY.

...That Carries Countless Tensions

2009-12-17T15:28:00.008-06:00

I love this part. Today in the mail, I received another artist's first mandala piece! Danielle Garzelloni has sent me something complex and wickedly precise. (I actually uttered "ooooo, complex!" when I opened it) I tend to think of stained glass when I look at it now. Both of these pieces will eventually make it to 18x24" size, as one of us has overshot the agreed upon size, and one of us has undershot it, purposely. This snafu will just add a new element/layer into that piece, I think. Danielle has started her mandala on what looks like patterned wrapping paper, with gesso or white paint thinly applied over the top. I think it was reflective paper originally. She then helpfully drew a complex web of circles as a guide for me to possibly follow, beyond the ones that she perfected in black.

And speaking of webs, the piece I started for D. had some key words included in the package. The words I gave her are: "Grandmother Spider", which is a reference to a Native American tale. Grandmother Spider made the stars in the sky. I thought this was such a sweet, and yet powerful concept. The story, and the character of her legend reminded me of my own strong grandmother. So I drew upon imagery from her (and my) ancestors for the concept of Grandmother Spider in this mandala. We'll see what D. chooses to do with the information, I'm not holding her down to that plan (but I hope she considers it). Here we go...

Cycle 3, Round 1:

D. Garzelloni to Shana R. Goetsch
(Chicago, IL to Milwaukee, WI)

Shana R. Goetsch to D. Garzelloni
(Milwaukee, WI to Chicago, IL)

A Single Tension

2009-12-14T17:10:00.008-06:00

If there were a winner, Heather would win. But there's not, so she'll just have to be happy with the fact that I'm super impressed and extremely nervous. These two mandala pieces are so vastly different right now. This will be challenging and fun for me, as she has forced me into drawing my ass off. Heather has started with an intricate graphite drawing on paper...and I have started with a glued piece of paper that has random watercolor drippings on it (*rolls eyes at self*). But hey, this is what I asked for, a project, and an experiment. On with the show!

Cycle 2, Round 1:

Heather Gordy to Shana R. Goetsch
(Houston, TX to Milwaukee, WI)

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy
(Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX)

A Modest Form

2009-12-13T17:28:00.005-06:00

Wassily Kandinsky and the Circle

2009-12-11T13:16:00.009-06:00

I was alerted to this by a Milwaukee area artist, Todd Fillingham via twitter @reply.

"I also learned of Kandinsky’s growing love affair with the circle. The circle, he wrote, is “the most modest form, but asserts itself unconditionally.” It is “simultaneously stable and unstable,” “loud and soft,” “a single tension that carries countless tensions within it.” Kandinsky loved the circle so much that it finally supplanted in his visual imagination the primacy long claimed by an emblem of his Russian boyhood, the horse."

-from The Circular Logic of the Universe, by Natalie Angier

I feel kinship.

Given and Received

2009-12-06T12:12:00.010-06:00

I must admit, I am extremely excited to start doing this. And I will be just as soon as I officially post this. Here are the products of the very first mandala swap! We both used the color orange, and I started with acrylics. The mandala I sent was on un-primed, brown, loosely woven linen, and Wes has started with watercolor on pre-primed, cloth-backed, canvas-grained paper.

Cycle 1, Round 1:

Shana R. Goetsch to Wes Way
(Milwaukee, WI to Harrisonburg, VA)

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch
(Harrisonburg, VA to Milwaukee, WI)

Agreeing to Surrender

2009-11-24T09:03:00.006-06:00

"To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance..."

The Story of Creation

2009-11-24T09:02:00.006-06:00

The Body as Symbol

Flow Through the Feathers

2009-11-21T18:58:00.011-06:00

(Text supplied Heather Gordy)

Shields, power symbols and medicine wheels were commonly created and used amongst most Native American tribes. These shields (later called mandalas) were thought to bring its owner good luck, prosperity, health and happiness. The most common mandala known is the Dream Catcher. Legend has it that if you hang this above your head while you sleep, the bad dreams would be caught in the web while the good dreams are allowed to flow through the feathers back to you. Feathers were extremely important to most Native American tribes and are used often in their mandalas. It represented ascension and spiritual strength. Chiefs would wear them in full head dress as it symbolized there communication with the Great Spirit and expressed their wisdom. Native American mandalas were created using buffalo hides, eagle feathers, furs, bones, sinew, and if painted, were done so with natural pigments.

Speaking of feathers...

The next artist in this collaboration is Heather Gordy. Heather is a graphic designer who lives and works in Houston Texas. However, her passion has always been for illustration and fine art. She takes a lot of chances with her art, and consistently experiments with a wide variety of media. Working with acrylics, and found objects, her newest works strongly reference birds, wings and feathers. She states, "I've realized that it doesn't really matter what has been created, but the journey of creating it, is most important." Heather is now finishing up a sketch book project that features some deliciously dark imagery, including gravestones, and cemetery statues. More of her work can be found at www.hgordy.com or heathergordy.blogspot.com.

Flight of the Ego
Heather Gordy
Houston, TX

Murder of Crows
Heather Gordy
Houston, TX

Silence of the Crows
Heather Gordy
Houston, TX

I thought Heather would be absolutely perfect for this mandala project. I also recently found out that Heather's maternal grandmother was full blooded Cherokee. There are interesting things to come of this, I'm sure of it!

It Reacts Upon Its Maker

2009-11-19T19:04:00.016-06:00

From ‘Alchemical Studies: Commentary on “The Secret of the Golden Flower” C.G. Jung 1957

“When my patients produce these mandala pictures, it is naturally not the result of suggestion…The pictures arise quite spontaneously, and from two sources. One source is the unconscious, which spontaneously produces fantasies of this kind; the other is life, which, if lived with utter devotion, brings an intuition of the self, of one’s own individual being. When the self finds expression in such drawings, the unconscious reacts by enforcing an attitude of devotion to life. For in complete agreement with the Eastern view, the mandala is not only a means of expression, but also produces an effect. It reacts upon its maker. Age-old magical effects lie hidden in this symbol, for it is derived from the “protective circle” or “charmed circle”, whose magic has been preserved in countless folk customs.”

The above information was supplied by Danielle Garzelloni (text emphasis hers). She also happens to be the second artist in this project. Danielle is an artist currently living in Chicago, Illinois. Although her media varies, she has always been thematically consistent. In her work, she serves up ancient symbolism, geometry, psychology, gods, goddesses, animal totems, and spiritualism. All of this, with a dollop of the alchemical on the side. She has fascinating work...

The Moon in the Hare
Danielle Garzelloni
Chicago, IL

Providence II
Danielle Garzelloni
Chicago, IL

Mermaid II
Danielle Garzelloni
Chicago, IL

You can find more of D. Garzelloni's work here.

Circle With a Center

2009-11-17T12:41:00.006-06:00

"mandala" from the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:

In Tantric Hinduism and Buddhism (see Vagrayana), a diagram representing the universe, used in sacred rites and as an instrument of meditation. The mandala serves as a collection point for universal forces. By mentally "entering" the mandala and moving toward its centre, one is guided through the cosmic processes of disintegration and reintegration. Mandalas may be painted on paper or cloth, drawn on the ground, or fashioned of bronze or stone. Two types of mandalas represent different aspects of the universe: the garbha-dhatu ("womb world"), in which the movement is from one to the many, and the vajra-dhatu ("diamond world"), from the many into one.

I must say, I am getting some very intriguing search results for "mandala". One phrase that was mentioned in several definitions was 'the circle with a center'. I find that it's a simple phrase that holds so much context. I love it when something so slight makes me dream BIG.

I have two more artists 'signed up' for this journey with me, Heather Gordy, of Houston, TX and Danielle Garzelloni, from Chicago, IL. I will introduce you to them/their current work very soon.

Introductions

2009-11-12T19:05:00.017-06:00

The circle. It's so simple, and yet so complex. It means everything, and yet seemingly nothing at the same time. This blog will celebrate all things 'circular', and what the shape ultimately means to society, science, religion, and more. Mandalas are particularly on my mind right now.

I recently proposed a collaborative project with several of my artist friends, all of whom live across the country from me. Each of these collaborations will no doubt develop their own separate set of rules in the coming months. The one rule that I requested? Let the image be a circle, a mandala. The pieces we create will inherently travel. It is vagabond art. Each artist in a pairing will start one piece, send them through the mail three times, so that they 'cross' each other. Then they finish the piece that the other artist originally started. We will trade, and we will expand, and we compound a relatively simple idea.

So far I have started my collaboration with an artist known for his intricate and expansive collages, Wes Way of Harrisonburg, Virginia. He puts a lot of time and effort into all of his pieces. Recently he has been seen collaging skateboard decks and other three dimensional objects, as well. Here is a sampling of his work...

Light/Dark (Yoni)
Wes Way
Harrisonburg, VA

Light/Dark (Yoni) detail
Wes Way
Harrisonburg, VA

Multicolored (Indian on a Horse)
Wes Way
Harrisonburg, VA

I am known for my watercolor paintings, mixed media and found objects pieces, figurative work, and a maddening amount of circles. For the sake of narrowing things down, here are some circles...

365.forty-four
Shana R. Goetsch
Milwaukee, WI

365.fifteen
Shana R. Goetsch
Milwaukee, WI

365.forty
Shana R. Goetsch
Milwaukee, WI

What kind of mandala are we going to get out of this collaboration? Stay tuned to find out.

ATCTE: The Mandala Project

2009-11-12T17:45:00.023-06:00

The vague rules:

-Each artist works with me to create two mandala pieces.

-Sizes may vary by pairing. (16x20, 18x24, 8x10, etc.) However, the two mandalas produced must ultimately be the same size, and acceptable to each member within a pairing.

-Any medium can be used, as long as it is able to be mailed easily (i.e. rolled or folded).

-Each artist in a pairing begins one mandala, with the intention of seeing/working on any particular piece, a total of twice. Once the marks have been made, both artists mail the pieces at the same time. This process will occur three times (three mailings total). In the end, each artist will have finished the mandala piece that the other has originally started.

This is a series that travels, not unlike postcards and mail art, but it will be more. This art will circle the earth. I have offered several artists a chance to work with me, on making mandalas. A mandala is both a mystical, and a natural shape, and an archaic, as well as a contemporary symbol. This project is also largely about separate collaborations and the mingling of artistic styles. I have asked for no abandonment of personal aesthetic, just a chance to work with something, and someone new. I have wanted to cross more invisible boundaries with my art for some time. This traveling, collaborative mandala series will be the first hurdle in a literal and metaphoric journey.

(may be altered/continued)