Mandalas

Hello!

This is what I’ve been up to in recent weeks.  Drawing mandalas with colored pencils.  Each one is 12″ in diameter and took a few days to complete. The first seven drawings reflect the seven colors of the chakra system (red through violet).  I also attach the most recent piece inspired by the colors of the rainbow.

The fun thing for me when drawing these circular images is that I never know how they will look until they are finished.  I start each with a pencil line drawing on mat board and then let the piece evolve with color. Except for the orange piece, I worked from the center of the circle out to the perimeter.  With the orange piece, I did the opposite – working from the perimeter into the center.

The seven chakra-inspired drawings represent themes for seven essays I’m writing that I hope will provide encouragement for young people who may be struggling in these turbulent times.

Speaking of “The Book”:  The actual writing is slow!  Partly because I’m having so much fun with piano and art.  But I am also spending a lot of time THINKING about how to best communicate my ideas in a way that will resonate with young people.  It’s more challenging than I initially expected.  I will need to “test drive” my first draft with some trusted young people to determine if anything I have to say is even relevant to them, or if they think I’m just an old fogey with quaint ideas that have no bearing on their life experience.  Particularly in light of the recent mass shooting in Florida, I am loathe to sound trite and out of touch.

Regardless, I’ve decided no matter how slow the process or how long it takes, I will write this book, because the concept seems to have merit, and if nothing else, I will document my own philosophy and understanding of life, gained from six-plus decades of hard-fought struggles and hard-won victories!  I want to share with young people concepts I wish I had not had to learn the hard way.

The mandalas are posted on the gallery page, too, if you want to see them on a larger scale.

Happy March (and soon-to-be spring)!