Tuesday 24 April 2007

CHALLENGE 1 Create a Mandala

After reading the information in The Artist's Muse and the file that Sue had put on the website, I decided I needed to keep things simple, and that I would make my Mandala to represent what I hope to achieve from joining the Group and to take with me on my journey.
Following a link Sue had shared in an email, I arrived at "the meaning of colour". This was it. I chose four colours that I thought would be most helpful to me and limited myself to one meaning for each colour (keep things simple!) Now I had the colours, I needed a design or symbol. I eventually decided on the circle, using circles within circles.
I chose GREEN for freedom to pursue new ideas
YELLOW for clarity in decision making
PURPLE to help me use my imagination to its fullest and ORANGE for relief from things becoming too serious.
The colours are in various proportions, and the circles represent 'neverending'.
I call my Mandala "Epicyclic Contemplation". It is 19" square and is made from hand dyed cotton fabric. It is free machine quilted with spirals blending the greens and yellow using green thread - and radiating curved zigzag lines blending the yellow, purple and orange, using a purple thread, which all have a purpose when using 'the meaning of colour'. (The quilting is not exactly as planned, as I couldn't get the machine needle through all the layers of fabric, and had to go for the controlled zigzag stitch, which is the only stitch my machine would accept. Is my Mandala telling me something already?!)
I am pleased with the finished quilt and I have it pinned up in my Studio, ready for the next step of this 'journey'.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome to blogland Val! I think your mandala is wonderful and I look forward to working through the book wiht you.

Doreen G said...

Welcome to blogland from me as well Val.
I think we will have a very interesting Journey.

Purple Missus said...

Blog is looking good Val. Bit nerve racking at first isn't it? The mandela is amazing. I'm going for colours too rather than symbols.

Terri Stegmiller said...

Congrats on the blog! Your mandala is beautiful. I enjoyed the quilt shown in your first blog post also.

sunflowerkat said...

Great start on your blog, Val....

And your mandala is just fabulous. I love the colors you have chosen, they're so rich. I feel pulled into the piece.

Judy Rys said...

Great job on both the mandala and the blog. Wonderful choice of colors. Did you dye the fabric?

Alis Clair said...

Lovely mandala Val. I love the way you have let colour do the talking. I fell colour is so important in our lives.

Great blog too. It becomes addictive you know ;0)

Hugs, Alis

Carol said...

Congratulations on your new header - success at last! Welcome to blogging and boy have you got off to a great start! Love carol T