Next up: Mixed Media Mandala Workshop

I originally confessed my obsession about these items of meditation last month when I was talking about Zen'd out by the Zendala

I haven't gotten over them, in fact, I'm more jazzed about them than ever. People have been asking for more information, so I'll share... mostly by citing Wikipedia :) Yes, I'm like that...

Inspiration ~ Mandala: Sanskrit for Circle

In the Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions, their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point. Each gate is in the shape of a T.

These mandalas, concentric diagrams, have spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism. The term is of Hindu origin and appears in the Rig Veda as the name of the sections of the work, but is also used in other Indian religions, particularly Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, mandalas have been developed into sandpainting. They are also a key part of anuttarayoga tantra meditation practices.

In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. 

Using these designs as our inspiration we'll build our own Mandalas

Method ~ Mixed media:

 in visual art, refers to an artwork in the making of which more than one medium has been employed.

There is an important distinction between "mixed-media" artworks and "multimedia art". Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a "mixed media" work - but not a work of "multimedia art." The term multimedia art implies a broader scope than mixed media, combining visual art with non-visual elements (such as recorded sound, for example) or with elements of the other arts (such as literature, drama, dance, motion graphics, music, or interactivity).

I will supply all of the materials I've been using wood, paper, ink, paint, pencil, glue and buttons. Plus little tricks to help you get your design down easily.

You should bring anything you love to work with...

Scissors, water colors, Twinkling H20s, glitter, glue, special inks, colored pencils, symbols or talismans that strike you.

Workshop ~ Lesson:

a short period of time during which learners are taught about a particular subject or taught how to perform a particular activity. Lessons are generally taught in a classroom but may instead take place in a situated learning environment.

Hip Chick Designs 

946 Tyler Street

Benicia, CA

http://youtu.be/y9jFZnCEMk4

May 21st 

11a - 3pm

Let's get our CrAfT ON!!!
xoxo
jul

CALL Carrie to make your reservation:707-747-5543

Tutorial Tuesday: Zen'd out Zendala

I am currently a bit mandala obsessed.... what, you ask, is a mandala? Well, a mandala is a design inside a circle so lots of things, it turns out, are mandalas... now that I'm obsessed by them I am seeing them EVERY where! My child is even pointing them out in rugs, greeting cards, patterns on fabric and definitely in nature.

Here is a scan of one of my recent creations while it was still flat:

I happen to be enamored with this lotus blossoming type of mandala, but they can be as symmetrical as you like or as funky as you can imagine

This piece was my first attempt at making a mixed media collage type mandala

I enjoyed it immensely.

The process is entirely intuitive and meditative and just relaxing.

Have a go at your own mandala, if you'd like

If you want to play along make one or two and share what you've done

If you're local and you want to play along come make one in class. I've decided to offer a lesson making mixed media mandalas - Julee Style... of course that means there will be something sparkly and a lot of fun.

Hip Chick Designs

Benicia, CA

May 21st 11am - 3pm

$45.00

Contact Carrie "Hip Chick" Clayden

707.747.5543

Walk on the Wild Side Wednesday

Last week was all about my inner word geek... that one got some people talking. It was interesting to me to use my brain in that way. This week, after finalizing my videos for my online course and getting them all transferred over to my lovely hostess with the mostess, Gail Schmidt all I want to do is play! I wanna look at bright colors and twirl around like a goof ball and laugh loud and hard and long!

This week's prescription was filled by a fellow Creative Workshops member who happens to be local! We hooked up on Gail's site and decided that we MUST get together! I brought along my side kick and fellow adventurer, Steph Jordan and headed for California's original capitol... Benicia!

Check out the fun we had!

Port of Benicia 

No sooner had we arrived when Carrie shop owner of Hip Chick Deisgns was pulling down a tutu for Steph to slip into...

Inside Hip Chick herself is using her special tutu retrieving tool!

You can see why we call this Lady "Diva" she's so shy!

That's me hiding behind the flash!

Give Steph a tutu and some sunshine and she'll sing for you and skip, too!

Carrie knows how and where to rock a tutu!

Besides being a shop owner, Carrie is an artist, too! Photography and Acrylic Paintings often have a  tutu!

Pet Portraits by Carrie!

How about this one Carrie? Its got it all tutu and beloved pet!

This is Delilah Ann Josephine!

Its a pleasure to have an adventure, its double fun when you bring a friend along... TRIPLE fun when you make a new friend along the way!

More on that tomorrow!

GO Get YouR cRaFt ON!!!

xoxo

jul