Mandala Monday Could By Yours

Bullet Mandala
SAQA Auction Square
12 x 12

SAQA, Studio Art Quilt Associates is a great organization devoted to promoting the fiber and quilted mediums in the Art world and the general public around the globe. Each fall they have an auction event and hundreds of 12 inch by 12 inch quilts made by SAQA members are auctioned. This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for SAQA.
Check it out.

010
6 x 6
Mixed media on paper

Things are starting to bloom at the studio. I started hanging some of the art I have either collected or created. Most of the contractors work is finished; hanging the track lights, electrical and plumbing for the washer and dryer (dying fabric here I come!), installing a hanging rail around the space... even the addition of a refrigerator for my lunch, keeping dye concentrates fresh and chilling the wine for the opening...
I hope your summer is off to a great beginning as well.

Too Much!

010
6 x 6
Mixed media on paper

Sometime you get overwhelmed, behind, exhausted. The past week was one of those times. Moving the studio from the house to the new space, preparing for renovation crews at the house. Workmen, deliveries, decisions, inspections, permits -- just all too much! And then today, spent waiting all day long with anticipation of one more thing to get put in place so everyone else can continue...
I will be glad when all the dust settles and we settle into the new normal.
Whatever that might be!

009
6 x 6
Mixed media on paper

Sometimes the dark creeps in around the edges and all we have is holding onto what we know is the light at the end of the tunnel. This week has been full of deadlines, start dates as well as festivities. Everything has gotten accomplished properly and effort was absolutely applied. So here is to another week!

Mandala Monday Moving along...

008
6 x 6
Mixed media on paper

Some weeks are super productive.
Some weeks less so.
Some weeks are lessons in patience. This is where I have been stuck. Waiting for this. Stalled without that... and yet things seem to move forward.
The wall was erected at the studio. Picture rail was installed.
Next up the painter does his thing and I can finally unpack and get to work!

Dear Tony

Dear Tony Perkins,

         Now that DOMA has been struck down we need to get a few things corrected, or straight if you will. No one is of the mind that a child having a Mom and Dad is a bad thing, thought this seems to be your focus. Too bad for you and your cause that you are not focusing on fostering a culture where divorce is less frequent (and rates being down because of the economy is not progress.) and people really do care for their children (with, oh little things like Health Care - are we up to 36 attempts to repeal AHCA?). The truth is that A caring and involved parent (one) is necessary to the well being of a child. Two is a blessing. Who those two people are seems to be of little consequence if they are loving and supportive.
         Not to mention that DOMA in not about children. It is about the civil rights of adults. The rights of everyone to have the same protections under the law. (In case you have missed it - fairness IS an American Value! Equal protection under the law...)

        So I say that if you are going to muddy the waters of Same Sex Marriage with child rearing you should put your money where your mouth is. Encourage couples to be "really prepared" before getting married so they can stay together (how about a little responsibility before having sex so we are not getting married out of obligation!) Taking care of children once they are born would also be appropriate and in line with biblical teachings -- from health care to quality education there are many ways we are letting down the children we already have. There are many more issues and many of them are ones more imminent for the child at adulthood. Those we can save for another time. Let's focus on children.
        It might also be important to state that many credible studies show that same sex households raising children don't cause issues for the children raised therein. And lets also make sure we are talking about the same issue - homosexual is not  the same as pedophile. Attraction to the same sex is not exerting power over others like children.
       Perhaps you could spend time focusing on what is really important and not getting into other people's civil rights. But that is what bullies do. You do seem to like exerting power over others... is there something you would like to disclose?

Here is the quote from Tony found on CNN a few minutes ago.

 Family Research Council president Tony Perkins released a statement saying his group was "disappointed" in the DOMA ruling and "disturbed" by the detail of the Proposition 8 decision but that it also took some heart from the Supreme Court's actions.

“Their refusal to redefine marriage for all states is a major setback for those seeking to redefine natural marriage," he said. "Time is not on the side of those seeking to create same-sex ‘marriage.’ As the American people are given time to experience the actual consequences of redefining marriage, the public debate and opposition to the redefinition of natural marriage will undoubtedly intensify."

He concluded: “What is inevitable is that the male and female relationship will continue to be uniquely important to the future of society. The reality is that society needs children, and children need a mom and a dad. We will continue to work to restore and promote a healthy marriage culture, which will maximize the chances of a child being raised by a married mother and father.”

     

Mandala Monday, Twins!

006
6 x 6
Mixed media on paper

007
6 x 6
Mixed media on paper

One of the great things about working in a series is the idea of duplicates or flushing out an idea. Here are two mandalas that are the same outline treated individually. I wanted to know how distinct I could make them look. In addition to their own colour schemes they follow distinct programs of value and contrast.
In '006' the highest contrast is in the ring toward the center. In '007' it occurs further out and the tips are darker in value. Also there is more contrast in the patterns in '007'.
In working on these I tried to push the differences yet they have the same feel. Perhaps because I did them both. My use of graduated colour, dots and hatching gives them a similarity.
What similarities and differences do you identify? Have you tried something like this, trying to make multiples look different? What was the result? I would love to know.