Strength

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

Circling Broken-ly

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

Big Wheel Keep on Turnin

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...

Every One of Them, Unique

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