NATURE SPINS MANDALAS

So what's been up this week? NATURE! And scoping out the Central Florida State Parks and Trails. I simply had to stop several times yesterday to take photos and make a mandala. This spiderweb was high up and the late afternoon sun caught it just right. Look how perfect and intricate it is. Now that is EnviroArt!

SPIDER WEB MANDALA :)

Remember Thursday After-work Enviro Art Trail Walks begin this week at 5:30. Meet at the parking area of Bourlay Historic Nature Park and bring a camera. We'll have fun and learn a few thongs too.

This post is short and sweet. I am sliding off the laptop now as it is way too beautiful a day to be indoors. Lunch is digested and "I'm outta here".

COME PAINT STREET ART

We are all geared up for BoHo Fest this coming Saturday the 22nd. And... it has been decided that we will be painting in tempera a huge street mandala at one of the cordoned off intersections. HOW FUN! It will be a community mandala. I am looking for volunteers to help me get all the chalk lines snapped and the inner core painted before 10 AM. Do you want to help? It takes a village to paint a community mandala. :)

I have decided to make a circle surrounded by a 6 pointed star and layers radiating outward. People can come by and add their personal touches. Tempera paint washes off but it would be advisable to not wear your best Sunday outfit.  We will have aprons available so you can play with us without getting too messy. FUN!

Speaking of fun, we had a great trail walk last Thursday in honor of National Wilderness Month.. Two more walks focusing on Environmental Art are scheduled for this month. After those we have to cease for awhile until after the holidays. The parks close at sunset. Here's a photo of our motley crew at Sabal Bluff Preserve.

And here is a blast from the past. Facebook reminds me of what I was doing from years past. Yesterday was the 4 year anniversary of when I created the Ames Mansion Mandala for the Blanche Ames National Juried Art Show. Crawling around on your knees helps you stay young. We began that way and for me it hasn't changed. I will need to bring my cushy little kneeling rugs for Saturday's pavement gig.

Well that's it for this week. There is much to do. Acoustic Art Lounge is happening Wednesday night at the Leesburg Center for the Arts, the trail walk is Thursday (meet at Flat Island Preserve at 5:30 in the parking area), Friday is Open Studio at 10 am, Coffee & Convos at noon and then the last big push getting the BoHo Fest all set up. Do stop by.There's gobs of unconventional fun to be had right in Downtown Leesburg. ART HAPPENS HERE!

BOHO EARTH FASHION - ORGANICALLY CHIC

Today rushed by and I almost forgot to post for Mandala Monday. Today's post is another Earth Art Dress. YEY!  BoHo Fest is almost here (Saturday September 22nd - Downtown Leesburg) and Sweet Magnolia is bringing her best friend Rosemary.

Rosemary is wearing a fuzzy sweater vest with shawl collar, a belt of sweet gum, bodice of rain tree pods and skirt of Spanish moss woven with dried rosemary - of course. BOHO EARTH CHIC!

I rushed to take some photos and videos before another storm hits. These dresses are not made to live out their lives outdoors but by the big mandala garden  behind my home studio they sure look fine. To think last year I had everything tied down and packed into closets as Hurricane Irma spun closer and closer. I am very thankful for today's calm in contrast. I am preparing to make some modifications to the garden this month. The MUMS are in stock but pavers are a bit harder to find. Stay tuned!

Make sure to stop by on the 22nd and check out the festivities. Here is a link to the BoHo Fest page. https://www.leesburgarts.com/bohofest2018/

MAGNOLIA YOU SWEET THING

It's Labor Day here in the USA and also MANDALA MONDAY! I just got in from cycling. I am making it my routine to pedal in the morning. On my route I ride over a bridge above an inlet. I usually stop and re-hydrate there and check out a huge magnolia tree. Last year I saw so many of its pods on the ground but wasn't quite ready to collect them. Well I am ready now!

A little voice said back track a bit and note the house number. I had never seen anyone outside. Sure enough the grandson was there. I gave him my card. "When those pods drop please call me. I will come and get them out of your way."

What do I do with them? LOTS OF STUFF. Here is an example. I call her "Sweet Magnolia".

"Magnolia you sweet thing. You're driving me mad."

There are a few more finishing touches to be applied then I need to set my studio lights up for a proper photo shoot. I have another piece that I am working on too. I used an oil stain on Spanish moss in the design. It needs to dry more before I continue. Maybe by next Monday...

Yes - Earth Art Dresses!  It has been too long since I made them for historical sites and state parks. It took a bit of time and trail walking/cycling to learn my area's botany. I AM SO EXCITED! These new ones are not 100% bio-degradable. I have made them to last with wire, paints and glue but most of the ingredients are organic. I need a new tagline for this enviro art work. I no longer can say...

"I don't make rotten art. I make art that rots." These are designed to last.

Oh and don't forget. September is National Wilderness Month. To help people get outside I have agreed to run four trail walks after work on Thursdays in Leesburg so that people can explore 3 different area preserves. We will meander the parks as I point out cool artistic things you can do with foraged organics. But please note - no picking. We cannot take anything from the park except inspiration. :) Check the Leesburg Center for the Arts website for details.

leesburgarts.com

ENVIRO ART TRAIL WALKS

Similar to many attempts at getting a new routine started, I began biking in the mornings before the sun got too high in the sky and heated up the pavement. This is Central Florida and it is August.That routine lasted 4 days but it did spark my "earth love" memories of being outside in nature. Consequently, after two busy mornings off I took to the woods on foot. YEYYYYYYY!

Nature feeds the soul. I am not full yet but man did I have some great appetizers over the weekend. Yesterday I was walking Sabal Bluff preserve. While by the lake I heard a rustle from above. There on a tree branch not more than 20 feet away was an adult bald eagle. It spread its wings, circled around me and flew off. What a beautiful thing.

So why not share? In person. YA - Why Not? It is time to get my walks started in Central Florida.

Introducing - for September (National Wilderness Month) Thursday after work EnviroArt Trail Walks sponsored by the Leesburg Center for the Arts. Parks close at sunset and September's setting times are past 7:00 PM. We will have time to discover. Find the addresses on your GPS and meet me there at 5:30. We will take a 45 minute walk around. Get to know your preserves. All three on the schedule are very close to downtown Leesburg.

No more feeling fearful of walking into the woods alone. You will have company.

Bring repellent, water and you may want to wear lightweight trousers and shoes (not flip flops) as Flat Island Preserve has some taller grasses on some of the trails. Will we make art? We'll talk about eco and environmental art and learn to see the woods in a new way, a place full of color and texture. If we have time perhaps we can make some simple mandalas along our way.

Check out the schedule and print the flyer for your friends. Let's GET INTO THE WOODS!

Sept 6th

Bourlay Historic Nature Park

851 N Canal St.

Sept 13th

Sabal Bluff Preserve

1201-1257 Leesburg Mobile Rd.

Sept 20th

Flat Island Preserve

2388 Owens Rd.

Sept 27th

Bourlay Historic Nature Park

851 N Canal St.

Download the park's trail maps here:

https://www.lcwa.org/open-preserves/

And now for me it is 8:30 AM and I am saddling up my bike and heading to the island.

Try to get outside today!

 - Chau 4 now.

GO GROW SOME ART

If you are new to this blog you may not know that a little under a year ago I found my little Florida nest. I had wanted a resting place - wait - not a FINAL resting place, just a little artist cottage to call my own. I will still travel but most likely not as a full time nomad. My first year in Central Florida came with a high heat drought, then a major hurricane, followed but a extremely cold winter with several nights below freezing. We all survived. Unfortunately the few plants that I had gotten started had some fatalities. Live and learn. The first year or two is a learning curve.

As a mandala artist I of course wanted a living mandala. And it is coming along just fine this spring.

And Buddha's corner is really shaping up too.

And just to give a little perspective, what I started with was dismal. I gave myself a $200 cash budget and "permission" to work as hard and long as I loved. And I do love it. I am so happy that it is spring. This will only get better.

The front of the MoHo? Of course I painted a card table top and put it up in the first few weeks of purchasing the cottage. Last week I found a free bowling ball and "HIPPAFIED" that. It is in the style of Hungarian-French Op Artist Victor Vasarely.  I think it goes quite nicely on the upside-down vase that I also found in the free pile at the thrift store.

So there ya go - A spring filled post. Now go grow some art!

Chau 4 now.

MANDALAS IN THE WOODS - JOYFULLY INTENSE

What a whirlwind of activity. I apologize for not posting my usual Mandala Monday cheer for a few weeks. Many of you know I took on the position of Program Coordinator at the Leesburg Center For the Arts last January. Last weekend was our annual Art Fest with artists showing from all around the country, two stages of music, an indie film festival and so much more. The preparation and days of the event were insanely busy. On top of that, I was referred to do an emergency wordpress web build for a startup company. Breathe Patt Breathe.

So - ya - busy. And it continues with friends coming, garden and home renovations, blah blah blah. No excuses this week - as promised here are some images of the Create Your Own Personal Mandala event in the woods. It wasn't short of joyfully intense, internally and externally expressive and profound.

Many thanks to Maria Stefanovic and the LCFA for trusting to take on this event and to Christina Carroll of "Off the Beaten Path" Blog for documenting in images both still and moving. Yes Central Florida YOU ARE READY for these types of programs!

If you want to know more about what happens in this event look to this previous post for a full rundown of the schedule.
http://mandalaearthart.blogspot.com/2018/02/its-happening-experience-it.html

I can gear these workshops to older teens, college students and adults.  Limits of participants is best kept to 20 people or less and prep time is essential for scouting out an appropriate park/property that suits our needs. Meaning BOOK EARLY IN THE SEASON. ;)

EARTH MANDALAS INDOORS

"Went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends

A chance to share old memories and play our songs again

When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name..."

And they all did know my name as I was the speaker. Someone made a truly lovely "springy" poster at the entrance of the ballroom. How lovely! Thank you! The Garden Club made me feel so welcome.

Last week was so FULL with a mandala presentation at the Del Webb Garden Club and the "Create Your Own Personal Mandala" event in the woods that I have decided to write two posts. One for this Monday and one saved for the next. I am insanely busy and that feels so good.

I had the great privilege of giving my Mandala In The Wild Media Presentation to the Spruce Creek Country Club Garden Club in Summerfield last Wednesday. I was given one really huge (6' foot) round table to prepare so that the members could come up and play. And they sure did. The were right on it! We all had such a good time.

Check it out.

Earth Mandalas Indoors. Gotta Love It!

Saturday was (for me) a phenomenal success. Art, the woods, souls touched, subconscious free to express, energy in motion (emotions). More about it with next Monday's post >>>> Stay tuned.

IT'S HAPPENING - EXPERIENCE IT

Good Mandala Monday to you. IT'S HAPPENING THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 @ 10AM.

Have you registered yet? The link is at the bottom of this post. Check out what we will be doing...

The the day goes like this... We meet at the location at 10:00. There is a short orientation then we go on a very slow paced trail walk to gather "nature paint". Nature paints are items found on the ground along our path. They may be fronds, pods, sticks, leaves, moss, feathers, etc. It all depends on what Mother Nature has provided. I will be point out some "good stuff" for making mandalas as we go along. We end the trail walk at a meeting space where we each pick out a spot of our own to CREATE A PERSONAL EARTH MANDALA from our foraged treasures.

At this time you will be required to shut those cell phones off and leave them in a pile on the picnic table. You'll get to use them later to document your art but they should not be in your pocket while we go on to the next part of the experience. I will be doing a very special energy demonstration. It may surprise you. You will see why you need to separate yourself from your electronics at this time.

Next I will guide everyone through some focus and centering exercises including a mediation/guided imagery session. Yes we are getting into the ZEN CREATION ZONE. Now we will be in silence as each person lets nature create through them. Leave behind any plan. Just let it happen. Listen to your intuitive whispers. This is not simply a mental experience. Your movements make you part of the art. Your peaceful spirit infuses it.

When our creations are complete we will have a short TALKING STICK CEREMONY to verbally share our experience(s). Then you can have your cell phones back. You need photos! You need to document your art!

Earth Mandalas are temporary. Made in this way, with silence, in peacefulness and with reverence for the earth, they become prayers of gratitude and appreciation for our precious natural environment. The wind and rain will take away the designs but the energy will move out into the planet with each breeze and drop of rain..

Here is the EVENTBRITE registration page - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mandalas-in-the-wild-tickets-41434891877

And the facebook event link. Listen - I can only take a limited amount of people so if you say you are going honor your RSVP - prepayment is required. Be responsible.  

   https://www.facebook.com/events/1059633510840074/

I am looking forward to seeing you and exposing you to a new experience. 

**********

And next week I will be speaking at the Leesburg Public Library, at 2pm on Tuesday February 27th. I am facilitating an interactive acupressure workshop to help people stay off more medications and exercise their own personal power. The 1.5 hours workshops is... 

Drug-Free Relief at Your Finger Tips for Seniors

Module 1 - Memory, Mental Clarity and Countering Negative Emotions.

Free and Open to the Public. You do not have to be a senior to benefit from this workshop. Everyone needs help focusing these days.

Chau 4 Now

NATURE HUGS HONORING MOTHER EARTH

It is still a bit cold in Central Florida evidenced by the several layers I have on in the below photo. It was taken inside my house on Thursday. Ouch! I have been told many times that these cold temperatures are not usual, it is an odd year. Well I don't know about that but I do know that I am looking forward to spring! Anyway...a very special postal delivery warmed me up from the inside out. Insert Big SMILE HERE :)

Keith Beaney's Earth Mandala Calendar arrived last week and I thought that if a picture was worth a thousand words a video would be worth 12 times that amount.

Really, think about how a land artist would explain what they do."I make earth designs out of twigs and pods and leaves. They blow away and biodegrade. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."  Most of us photograph our work. I created the book that you see at the top of this page. Keith Beaney of the UK makes BRILLIANT calendars. Check out this video I made. LOVELY. A year full of nature hugs honoring Mother Earth from a very talented land artist.

The video says it all. Go to the FAcebook. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/Earth-Mandala-Calendar-2018-1492308927718255/   

That's it people. I am busy beyond words. I need to stop typing now and get on with it. This post is short but ever so sweet and beautiful :)

As a land artist, earth mandala creator and workshop facilitator please send me your inspirational images. Share your appreciation for Mother Earth through your ART.

Be INSPIRITED!

 Adelante >>>>

STABLE OF STALLIONS

OK, the title of this post is a bit tongue in cheek and has nothing to do with Mandala Monday except for the fact I have been incredibly busy. WHY?

A couple of weeks ago I accepted a part time position at the LCFA as the Program Coordinator. This is BRILLIANT for me especially living in a brand new part of the world. Connections in the art and business arenas abound. My mind is absorbing and clicking and clacking on programs and projects. This temporarily leaves me less time for my personal artwork. I am getting my brain wrapped around it all though. It is simply an adjustment having 10 scheduled hours and non-scheduled inspiration and follow-through time. One of these" brilliant "inspirations is the rise to the title of this post.

Fashion Week in Leesburg happens is in March. Eight professional designers will be showcasing complete with runway. When I heard this my brain's gears started churning with the question, "How do we get kids involved?" BAM, instantly my Little Read Dress Workshop came to mind. As a former designer and costumer myself I had to jump right on in and make a proposal.

Lake County Eco Fashion Design Competition 2018

It is a go! A call to the high school student artists/designers of Lake County, Florida is forthcoming. I will be traveling to area high schools to chat with the students, plus boys and girls clubs, YMCAs, etc. It is exciting getting our youth turned onto art and into environmental responsibility.

HELEN HELPING OUT

So my stable of stallions? In the back room of the Leesburg Center For the Arts I spied two male mannequin torsos. I had worked out different ways for the student designers to make their newspaper garments at the Center. Out of all the options I chose having uniform dress forms. I am now paper mache'ing 15 unisex light weight and portable mannequins. Yes I know - time consuming. Each form needs to be 5 to 6 layers of paper, glue and paint, and cardboard stands made. I will be bringing the original rubber forms from my Home Studio to Open Studio meetings (every Friday @ 10 AM) at the LCFA so that other artists can volunteer to help me get them done. Also if you are in the area instead of getting together for coffee and drinks at a cafe with me COME ON OVER TO MY STUDIO and get your hands sticky. Volunteer - that is what I am doing. It is good for the soul.

As for my CronePods...

I did get some sunshine time to add more wrinkles to a piece yesterday. She called to me, "Pay attention!" Of course my dear wise woman, of course..

More on my fine art pieces another time. I need to get sticky. :)

Make some mandalas and send me the pics.

Saluti!

A BEAMING GOOD VIBE WEEK

Last week was simply brilliant. The people I came in contact with both in person and online just seemed to be beaming. My media/lecture event at the LCFA was stupendous. Attendance was almost double what was expected. We had to bring out more chairs from the back. Some photos are at the end of the post.

I showed my environmental sculpture work, one of my mandala videos and my Buenos Aires book as well. I also joyed in showing the works of my favorite mandala-land artists. I covered mandala history as religious art, ceremonial art and street art. This segued into an Inspirational Earth Art Tour of the works of several artists including Ines Barro de Batista and Ana Castiho of Portugal, And Keith Beaney of the UK. The four of us have never met each other in person but are in an online group of Nature Mandala lovers. I posted my photos of the evening on the group page and tagged the three artists. I received messages from each of them. I think good work should be celebrated and shouted out.

Keith creates the most colorful mandala calendars each year. I love his work. It is so full and warm and abundant like a huge loving hug from Mother Earth. I will link the facebook page for his calendar here so that you can place your order. My calendar is on the way to Florida from the UK today. I am SO EXCITED!


The next part of the LCFA event was an invitation to join together and participate in making two joint mandalas. It was wonderful. So many people happily engaged. Many were seeing the materials I brought from private trails in the area with a whole new frame of reference.  In fact, I heard from the director of the Center For the Arts that a group that attended got together and made mandalas on the walking trails of their gated community. They wanted to surprise and delight trail walkers. Now that makes my heart sing!

The night was a huge success.  I just love my work/play.

Here are some more photos. Until next week....make it BRILLIANT!

MANDALAS IN THE WILD AT THE LCFA

I am so very excited and happy to be speaking at the Leesburg Center For the Arts in central Florida on Wednesday evening. The topic is environmental art and specifically earth mandalas. This three hour event includes a media presentation featuring the works of several land artists from around the world including yours truly. I will be featuring images and video from the USA, Europe, the UK, South America and if time New Zealand.

I wrote the presentation to educate and inspire people to play. There will be table top mandalas with a plethora of materials foraged from private walking trails in the area. Everyone that wants to may add their decorative artistic mark and create a cooperative mandala together. “Mandalas in the Wild” is free and open to the public.

For more details check out the youtube video - 

 Share this post with your friends and I hope to see you there!

  

WHEN ART CREATES ITSELF THROUGH YOU

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. I just wanted to jump on for a second to wish you a wonderful day. I am currently in Lake County, FL and not traveling for a change. I am at my own home (thank you Universe) and am helping out a neighbor who went up north to be with family for the week. I am taking care of his dog.

No, this is not a photo of Slippers from next door. This photo spread is from one of my books NATURE MANDALAS WITHIN AN URBAN LANDSCAPE - BUENOS AIRES. I came upon it while pulling some images for the lecture that I am giving on January 10th at the Leesburg Center For the Arts. The red of the ceibo flower (cockspur coral - the national flower of Argentina) is so vibrant it made me think of Christmas. The dog is a former neighbor from when I lived in Cabillito, a barrio of Buenos Aires. Oh those eyes... they sure know how to pull at your heart strings.

The two images, nature and cityscape, worked perfectly. The red of the flowers and of his collar, the shape and color of the corner leaves and his ears, the straight lines of the cut reeds and the lines of the paneling mirror one another. It wasn't planned. The entire book was not planned. The pairing up of the small nature mandalas made in the urban parks with photos of my adopted city just created itself. I will be talking about the aspect of art and intuition and flow on the 10th. Yes, in the right circumstances you are the instrument AND you are the music - you are the art.

Enjoy! I hope to see you very soon.

HOLIDAY DECOR IN THE FOREST

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
May it be a joyous season full of love for all of human and animal kind and for Mother Earth!

The weather has warmed up this week in Central Florida (thank goodness) and it was time to head out for another afternoon of trail walking and exploring Nature's Paintbox. I chose to go to the Flat Island Preserve in Leesburg. This particular park is my top pick for the upcoming Create Your Own Personal Mandala event on February 24, 2018.

Along my path I spied some fallen palm fronds and magnolia pods. I simply had to make a "bright" arrangement. I have been preparing for a kid's plaza chalk mandala event (details at a later date) and I had one of my homemade portable templates with me. What a great time to check out its five pointed star design. I found a relatively clear spot on the side of the trail. With just a few items from the ground nearby I created a very full earth mandala for random hikers to enjoy. Thanks to digital photography I can capture an image of this fleeting art piece and share it with you too.

I was in JOY JOY making this lovely example of ENVIRONMENTAL ART. All chaotic thought floated away. I was IN NATURE, IN the ZONE and OUT of MY HEAD. After all these years of creating in natural spaces I am never not amazed at the POWER of PEACE that occurs. I do not use my head. The inspiration simply flows through my hands. I believe using what is found on the forest floor is extra powerful. I am not translating an "idea" of nature onto a canvas. I become part of the forest's magical mix. And you can too. Come with me and play!

Please check out the video. I talk about the creation of the mandala and also about a presentation coming up in a few weeks where I will be showing many images of earth mandalas both mine and of other artists. It is a complication of creative work worldwide. I will be speaking of sacred geometry and mandala history plus will have some visual and tactile items for you to play with. The event is free and open to the public. Do come play!

MANDALAS IN THE WILD (LECTURE EVENT)

WEDNESDAY    JANUARY 10, 2018    6 - 9 PM

LEESBURG CENTER FOR THE ARTS

429 W. MAGNOLIA STREET

LEESBURG, FL

SEE YOU THERE!