Mandalas have been on my mind recently. In Sanskrit mandala means circle. From that perspective, I’m interested in the design and aesthetics of what happens with patterns within the shape of a circle.

Many mandalas have radial symmetry and pattern repetition. These elements appeal to me visually. The process of creating one has a different kind of pull. The putting down of a simple shape and repeating that around in a ring quickly becomes meditative. It’s easy to get caught up in the process of adding a detail and repeating, adding another detail and repeating, and so on. Time has passed without being aware of it.

I thought I never really had made a mandala before but that’s so not true. Perhaps I haven’t drawn something like the one above before, but there are so many places in everyday life that have mandala characteristics – kaleidoscopes, a crimped pie crust edge, decorating a cake, pizzas, tree rings, many flowers, snowflakes, quilt designs like Hawaiian quilts and mariner compass patterns, knitted hat patterns, compass roses on maps, patterns on plates and glasses, circle dances and, and, and … Where do you see mandalas in your life?

What do mandalas mean to you?