Artist Statement
If art is a visual entrance into the mystery of creation, then for me, the mandala form has become the ultimate portal. The word Mandala is derived from the root, “manda,” which means essence. Its' circular form symbolizes the cyclical nature of life and time. Due to its rhythmic nature, mandala creating, and contemplating can be a deeply grounding and meditative experience, the creator and the viewer can take the deep journey to the centre of both the mandala and of one’s inner self.
For me, a practical attraction to the small mandala circle form was prompted by a serious health crisis. I was challenged 12 years ago to find a radical alternative to my large multi-media pieces and installations. I found myself on an unexpected spiritual and artistic journey. Prior to this series of works, I had taken deep dive into Sacred Geometry, starting with the feminine circle and spiral we see everywhere in nature: in flowers and ferns, shells, and even galaxies. Eventually I discovered the Flower of Life … the ancient pattern of circles (the feminine) from which every geometric shape and platonic solid arises.
Leonardo da Vinci, along with many artists and philosophers once studied the Flower of Life, and from it they drew out the masculine mathematical properties such as the 5 main geometric shapes, the platonic solids, the torus, and the golden ratio of phi. It was with this rich tool chest of ancient knowledge and geometric symbols and shapes, along with my own intuition, that I created these free form mandalas where the masculine and feminine shapes enter a “dance of duality.” Watercolour with its ability to flow organically & merge complementary colours became the perfect medium.
I began with the works like “Heart of Gaia” and “Centred”, where lines swirl in spirals from a soft pulsing centre to the crystalline mountains and trees at the rim. Wanting to create more contrast, balance, and grounding, I began interweaving more masculine shapes, such as the inverted triangle or star as in the pieces “Bird Song” and “Spring Unravelling.”
When I look back, I recognize my artistic process was greatly nurtured and supported by my University Art Teacher and mentor, Bob Steele. He drew from Jung ’s understanding of the preconscious mind and encouraged in his student’s personal authentic imagery. D. Melchizedek and others took me on a journey into Sacred Geometry, the “Flower of Life “and its long 1000-year history as a creation pattern …shrouded in secrecy until recently. Then there was artist and author Judith Cornell with her book “Mandala: Luminous Symbols or Healing”, who inspired me to discover the connection between the spiritual art of the mandala, quantum physics, kundalini yoga and transpersonal psychology. I thank them for enriching my spiritual journey and my current work.
Like many of us, I long for harmony in a frenzied and divided world, where separation and the degradation of the earth and its inhabitants stare us in the face. Working on my Mandala forms where complementary colours dance and overlap, feminine and masculine forms interconnect, and archetypal forms emerge , a sense of joy, magic and inner peace flowered within me and inspired hope that we can find our way back home. I hope these works bring light and inspire hope and harmony in you as well.
For me, a practical attraction to the small mandala circle form was prompted by a serious health crisis. I was challenged 12 years ago to find a radical alternative to my large multi-media pieces and installations. I found myself on an unexpected spiritual and artistic journey. Prior to this series of works, I had taken deep dive into Sacred Geometry, starting with the feminine circle and spiral we see everywhere in nature: in flowers and ferns, shells, and even galaxies. Eventually I discovered the Flower of Life … the ancient pattern of circles (the feminine) from which every geometric shape and platonic solid arises.
Leonardo da Vinci, along with many artists and philosophers once studied the Flower of Life, and from it they drew out the masculine mathematical properties such as the 5 main geometric shapes, the platonic solids, the torus, and the golden ratio of phi. It was with this rich tool chest of ancient knowledge and geometric symbols and shapes, along with my own intuition, that I created these free form mandalas where the masculine and feminine shapes enter a “dance of duality.” Watercolour with its ability to flow organically & merge complementary colours became the perfect medium.
I began with the works like “Heart of Gaia” and “Centred”, where lines swirl in spirals from a soft pulsing centre to the crystalline mountains and trees at the rim. Wanting to create more contrast, balance, and grounding, I began interweaving more masculine shapes, such as the inverted triangle or star as in the pieces “Bird Song” and “Spring Unravelling.”
When I look back, I recognize my artistic process was greatly nurtured and supported by my University Art Teacher and mentor, Bob Steele. He drew from Jung ’s understanding of the preconscious mind and encouraged in his student’s personal authentic imagery. D. Melchizedek and others took me on a journey into Sacred Geometry, the “Flower of Life “and its long 1000-year history as a creation pattern …shrouded in secrecy until recently. Then there was artist and author Judith Cornell with her book “Mandala: Luminous Symbols or Healing”, who inspired me to discover the connection between the spiritual art of the mandala, quantum physics, kundalini yoga and transpersonal psychology. I thank them for enriching my spiritual journey and my current work.
Like many of us, I long for harmony in a frenzied and divided world, where separation and the degradation of the earth and its inhabitants stare us in the face. Working on my Mandala forms where complementary colours dance and overlap, feminine and masculine forms interconnect, and archetypal forms emerge , a sense of joy, magic and inner peace flowered within me and inspired hope that we can find our way back home. I hope these works bring light and inspire hope and harmony in you as well.
Bio
It is out of a family of several generations of women artists that I drew much of my inspiration. Like many women artists of previous generations, gender bias made my mothers and grandmothers artistic journey more difficult and their legacy more easily forgotten. However, it is within this family background and current cultural context that I built on their legacy and found a momentum to honour them while building my own Art Career.
It was in the Graphics Printmaking area in the Visual Art Education Department at UBC in the late 70’s where I found my roots as an artist/educator. My mentor/teachers, Bob Steele and Gordon Smith, inspired and supported my early printmaking work where I explored feminine/feminist themes. My early prints, now in the permanent print collection of the Burnaby Art Gallery were exhibited recently with works of younger artists in “Volumes” and I was excited to connect as in a river to a new generation of Artists pursing these themes.
As part of the revisionist Art History movement of the 1980’s, I embarked in both my teaching, research and art practice on a path to bring to light to the history and voice of women. In my MA thesis I developed a secondary art curriculum which included a selection of past and contemporary Women Artists along with new interdisciplinary cooperative modes of teaching and creating art.
After teaching Ceramics, Sculpture, Painting and Digital Photography at the Secondary school level, I was seconded to teach in the Fine Arts Department at Concordia University in Montreal in the late 1980’s. It was there that I had an opportunity to implement/teach the new curriculum I had developed in my MA thesis. While later, teaching in Art Education at SFU and Malaspina Universities I continued this work. As Fine Arts Co Ordinator for the Coquitlam School District #43 in the 1990’s I introduced innovative interdisciplinary Arts curriculum and programs for teachers and students. In the Canadian tradition of the Artist/ Educator, my own art practice informed my teaching, and my teaching informed my art. An invigorating time!
I have exhibited in several one person shows (The Or Gallery and Evergreen Gallery) and in numerous group exhibitions in BC and Canada over the last 35 years. The dance of gender feminine and masculine energies) has continued to fuel my art as well as my teaching. I embarked on several installation pieces which combined photography, sculpture, and light projection to involve the viewer in my explorations of a non-binary world view. This journey brought me to an interest in Metaphysics, Sacred Geometry and Eastern spiritual traditions. After a ski accident, which prevented me from creating large work, I moved to the current small and intimate watercolour mandala like- paintings shown here: “The Dance of Dualities “
It was in the Graphics Printmaking area in the Visual Art Education Department at UBC in the late 70’s where I found my roots as an artist/educator. My mentor/teachers, Bob Steele and Gordon Smith, inspired and supported my early printmaking work where I explored feminine/feminist themes. My early prints, now in the permanent print collection of the Burnaby Art Gallery were exhibited recently with works of younger artists in “Volumes” and I was excited to connect as in a river to a new generation of Artists pursing these themes.
As part of the revisionist Art History movement of the 1980’s, I embarked in both my teaching, research and art practice on a path to bring to light to the history and voice of women. In my MA thesis I developed a secondary art curriculum which included a selection of past and contemporary Women Artists along with new interdisciplinary cooperative modes of teaching and creating art.
After teaching Ceramics, Sculpture, Painting and Digital Photography at the Secondary school level, I was seconded to teach in the Fine Arts Department at Concordia University in Montreal in the late 1980’s. It was there that I had an opportunity to implement/teach the new curriculum I had developed in my MA thesis. While later, teaching in Art Education at SFU and Malaspina Universities I continued this work. As Fine Arts Co Ordinator for the Coquitlam School District #43 in the 1990’s I introduced innovative interdisciplinary Arts curriculum and programs for teachers and students. In the Canadian tradition of the Artist/ Educator, my own art practice informed my teaching, and my teaching informed my art. An invigorating time!
I have exhibited in several one person shows (The Or Gallery and Evergreen Gallery) and in numerous group exhibitions in BC and Canada over the last 35 years. The dance of gender feminine and masculine energies) has continued to fuel my art as well as my teaching. I embarked on several installation pieces which combined photography, sculpture, and light projection to involve the viewer in my explorations of a non-binary world view. This journey brought me to an interest in Metaphysics, Sacred Geometry and Eastern spiritual traditions. After a ski accident, which prevented me from creating large work, I moved to the current small and intimate watercolour mandala like- paintings shown here: “The Dance of Dualities “
