Found Object "Mandalas" Hello, My Most Amazing Artists! I am super excited about this week's art at home project. For thousands of years, artists have been using what they can find around them to make their art. People can use materials from their natural environment and their home to express themselves - Artists do not have to own lots of fancy materials from art stores to make artwork successfully, or to become famous. The word “mandala” has a complex religious meaning in a number of faiths, but for Hindus, it means “circle” and represents the Universe. It’s also a spiritual and ritual symbol which stands for protection, good luck, and the notion that life is never ending. On the Pacific island of Bali, people create mandalas out of natural items, specifically flowers, with each color representing a specific aspects of their culture. This is a daily practice and offering for the people of Bali. Here are a few examples of some amazing mandalas: Contemporary artists Hillerbrand+Magsamen create lots of different kinds of art with their entire family across their entire home. They borrowed the idea of creating a "mandala" to help them cope with the loss of a family member, with objects around their home. Can you identify a theme in each one? What unifies each "mandala"? Challenge: How can you use the materials already around you to create amazing artwork? How can you create your own "mandala" to help you relax, focus and breathe? Let's brainstorm some of the things that you might have in and around your home, and make a "mandala" artwork with it. Make sure to first ask your grownup for permission to use these things. Natural objects, such as feathers, stones, leaves, sticks, shells, pinecones, seed pods. Plastic bottles and caps Paper junk mail Bubble wrap Cardboard, from food boxes or mailed packages Used makeup brushes Used kitchen sponges Old fabric, from outgrown or tattered clothes, cleaning rags Found objects, such as greeting cards, used wrapping paper remnants, postcards, playing cards, odd puzzle pieces, outdated maps Kitchen utensils Toys, such as little cars Here is my first go at a "mandala" from items I found around my studio this morning. I placed them on my yoga mat because I liked the purple background. I cannot wait to see what you and your families create. Please email me a photo of your creation and I will share them in this week's friday gallery. Later this week, I will be sharing some printable mandala coloring pages you can choose to print, and a few other artists who use the mandala as inspiration.
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Emily MitchellBlog Archive
August 2020
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