...That Carries Countless Tensions

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)

The Story of Creation

The Body as Symbol

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!