Mandala Painting ~ Looking Deeply ~ 2 Places Left

‘Mandala’ is a Sanskrit word meaning circle or wholeness. A mandala is a circular design that expresses wholeness through harmoniously bringing together colours, patterns and forms. Mandalas are found in many cultures, throughout history, in both religious and secular settings.

The mandala painting can be a focus for meditation, both during its creation and subsequently, as an object of contemplation. It can be perfectly simple, or elaborately complex in colour and construction, incorporating symbols and sacred geometry.

I have been making mandalas for most of my adult life, in one form or another; but my fascination with creating them geometrically sprang from studying Geometry in Nature while home educating my children.

My eyes were opened to the incredible precision of mandala-like patterns in natural forms; the ‘fiveness’ of a flower echoed within the geometry of its fruit; the golden spiral of a snail being identical in geometry to a spiral galaxy or an unfurling fern. Within nature we see reflected divine beauty; an inherent order to things which may seem lacking in the turbulence of daily life.

In this mandala painting workshop we look at geometry in nature and the symbolic language of geometric shapes, to find inspiration for creating mandalas. We practice drawing geometry with compass and ruler and painting with watercolour, while taking time to relax and go deeper within, with guided meditation.

Whether your design is simple or complex, the process provides a satisfying way to work artistically that can bring a feeling of alignment and connection within yourself and with the world around you. Creating a personal pattern requires mindfulness, patience and quiet time.

Our focus embraces the season, the flowers, the weather and energy of the moment, so we may create a design to hold a positive affirmation for ourselves/family/community at this time.

‘Come Forth into the light of things, let nature be your guide’  – Wordsworth

Beginners welcome, all materials provided – though I encourage you to bring your own tools (compass, ruler, brushes) if you have them.