Karmic quandary resolved

Karmic Quandary
ⓒ Barbara Goodsitt

First Sketch

I am done with my Karmic Quandary!  Well, no one is completely done solving existential questions, but this mandala is pretty much finished...YAY!!!  I have started on another piece and feel focused.  There are several juried art shows I hope to enter the next few months. Sometimes my work is accepted, sometimes not, but each experience allows me to create a new piece and grow.

I posted my first sketch, which was half of the mandala. I usually plan out my composition on sketch paper. In this case, I drew half of the design and flipped it horizonatlly to repeat it on the other half. Once that is done, I put on music and apply color!  Thank you to the Pandora Mozart Station for providing background music this week.

Mandala in Progress

Karmic Quandary
ⓒ Barbara Goodsitt

I was all set to do my second piece in a series of sunglass reflections, and got distracted! I was helping with several community activities and teaching. However, all of it is good. I enjoy connecting with people and doing positive work.

This mandala is called Karmic Quandary. Again, making this piece is a healing and transformative activity.  Some fellow artists in my critique group had encouraged me to do more mandalas. I appreciate their friendship and support. Creating art is a solitary business, and meeting with other artists is great for one's soul!

Mandala

ⓒ Barbara Goodsitt

Peace & Happiness

One of the exercises I give my class is to design a personal mandala. I urge them to work spontaneously, letting their subconscious guide their design and color choices. 
Drawing and painting mandalas can help you to harmonize your harsh emotions, ease your pain, regain your trust in yourself and believe in your life again.  As one who absorbs thoughts and feelings from others, I find creating a mandala as a way of becoming empowered with my own values and common sense.


We also incorporate some color blending techniques into the piece. 
Here are some meanings of color choices:

Red – strength, enthusiasm, passion, willpower, authority, survival.

Yellow – intelligence, curiosity, vigilance, new goals, arrogance.


Orange – vitality, ambition, self-respect, optimism, joy.

Green – change, fertility, rejuvenation, healing, freedom, carefulness

Blue – harmony, contentment, calmness, trust, communication, loyalty

Pink – sensibility, vulnerability, protection, care, unconditional love, melancholy.


Brown – "roots”, stagnation, safety, self-doubt, solidity, suppressed energies.


White – relief, innocence, clarity, timeless. 

Purple – humane, idealistic, spirituality, meditation, passivity, estranged.


Black – loss, depression, fear, secrets, rebirth. 

Challenges to ponder

I was recently interviewed for a local business periodical. The writer asked me to think about what obstacles I have overcome. It seems that life is always giving us challenges to deal with. Some are big, and some only seem big. One must keep looking for the positive and put one foot in front of the other - keep going forward.