MANDALA MEDITATION

2004
57.5" x 36"

Mandala Meditation

fiber reactive dyes and textile paints cotton, tulle quilting, metallic and rayon threads antique mother-of-pearl buttons various hand applications of dyes and paints collage construction machine stitching and quilting

For the last few years I have paid lots of attention to circles and squares, and in particular, circles inside of squares. I saw a stage backdrop that featured a pattern of circles in squares and was so enamored of the beautiful colors and patterns of the set. And, just imagine, for changes in mood during the play, different theater gels were illuminated on to the set. It was so inspiring!

MANDALA MEDITATION is one interpretation of this pattern of shapes. At first, I thought I would place a circle in each and every square, but as the composition developed, it seemed to work better to leave some of the squares empty. And then, too, some of them received what I call my shadow shapes, which are circles (in this case) cut out of tulle and are not immediately obvious to the viewer. The closer you get to the work, the more you will see.

As the actual quilting process developed, I thought about the mother-of-pearl buttons. The white dots they created added another layer of circular patterning to the work. I tied each one to the quilt with long pieces of different colors of quilting threads so that there are loose and wavy lines of color all over the surface. This softens the grid structure to some extent and creates movement in the piece.

I call it a meditation because I can see sitting in front of it and enjoying the shapes and changes and movement in it for hours. Each circle is a mandala.

EXHIBITIONS: FIBER ARTS EXHIBITION, Smithtown Township Arts Council, St. James, NY; CUTTING EDGE, Heartwood College of Art, Kennebunk, ME