A Single Tension

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)

Flow Through the Feathers

(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!