Friday, May 20, 2011

mandala madness








Please tell me I'm not the only one who wakes up full of energy, bursting with ideas of things to try, the day ripe with possibilities ...

... and then find myself leaning against the kitchen counter for a half hour, mindlessly shoveling animal crackers slathered in nutella into my mouth with nothing started.

At least they were organic animal crackers.

So it's been that kind of a day. In fairness to myself, the day began at 3:30 when a thunderstorm brought Cowgirl into our bed; an hour later I roused myself to carry her back to bed and at 7 am she shot herself out of bed Evel Knievel-like because today was Dads and Doughnuts at her school. (She enjoys my joke that the school had to use doughnuts to lure the dads inside.)

And that brief glimpse of sunshine? Gone with the dodo and it has been a soaker of a day.



this and the following page when done after watching Flowers are Fun and Decorative Leaf



But what I have been doing this past week - obsessively I might add - is playing with mandalas and doodles. I cannot get enough of them. I need practice to build my repertoire of forms and practice I am doing. I admit, I've browsed the zentangle and zendoodler sites and dabbled some but now I have a fever for the mandala and the only cure? More mandala!



















I'm liking the looser approach through watercolors, although the Pigma Micron pen drawings are very soothing and meditative to do. I love my pens so much, I even created a zipper case for them. How's that for love?









I did write my poem for the day - 12 days in a row! I promise to share some soon. In the meanwhile, I would love suggestions for poetry books for kids as I would love to instigate weekly poetry reading/writing sessions with Cowgirl this summer. Perhaps accompanied by some watercolor mandalas?

12 comments:

  1. well, i don't even wake up feeling that full of ideas or anything... i don't feel like i'm really able to be very productive until mid day. so, does that make you feel any better? ;)

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  2. i'm confused, there's something unproductive about animal crackers and nutella? (this made me snort out loud-laugh as i read that - apparently i can relate?)
    :o)
    so i assume you will be posting your summer lesson plans of poetry and mandalas? i'm SO signing up! i can't move to where you are, so online classes would be much appreciated. thankyouverymuch.
    LOVE them mandalas~ how meditative, yes?
    awesome!

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  3. Doodling with Pigma Microns is the best ... as you so clearly show!

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  4. lovely manadalas, especially the watercolour one! i was just uploading my few mandalas into my new gallery yesterday and was thinking how it's been ages since i did one.

    well, the sun is shining today and the husband is home to hang my shleves, so it's studio reopening time! woohoo!

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  5. omigod - you're a bigger nerd than me -- a special pencil case for your special pens!! LOL - oh - except i can't sew....{i do, however, have a couple of "special" cases....rofl!}

    LURVE your mandalas...WOW....and i totally get the delicious feeling of doodles...

    poetry for kids? two words - Shel Silverstein. i've looked at SO many and most of them are eejity and craptastical. there's an assumption that children can't appreciate poetry unless it's moronic. but Shel, he's fun and clever and has a twisty, quirky bent. OH - and a magnetic poetry set is a MUST. they have a kids version...

    i could go on...

    poetry and mandalas...what a rockingly zen summer you're going to have.

    OH - and yeah...i so AM the person shoveling in animal crackers and nutella......


    xoxoxoxoxo

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  6. i love the mandalas, and shel silverstein. :) it's been a while since i've shot out of bed like that...but i'm holding out.

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  7. Your animal crackers story made me laugh because that is EXACTLY what I'm doing right now!

    And Shel Silverstein popped into my mind immediately, too:)

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  8. Have you done anything with sand in your mandalas? I have a passion for the Tibetan practice. The first time I saw a sand mandala being made was so moving.... I'll never forget it.

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  9. Your mandalas are ROCKING my world!!!

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  10. So. Very. Beautiful. I've never really thought about creating mandalas before but now I've written them firmly on my list of art to explore ( the words written with my special pen, which I wish I had such a cool pencil case for!).

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  11. I've just watched the videos you linked to: am mesmerized! Thank you so much for linking to them xxx

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  12. Thanks so much for linking to my drawing videos! Your drawings are fabulous, I love the colours you chose. Happy doodling!

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