Artist at Work

Heather is an incredibly gifted  artist.  Her class did a mandala project.  Most of us have seen mandalas without realizing what they are.  Typically, they have a basic shape in the center and then flow out in designs that are meant to convey balance and symmetry.  I always think of the view from a kaleidoscope since mandalas are usually created using bright colors.  Mandalas are common in Hindu and Buddhist religious worship.  As worshippers meditate on the mandala they find their balance with the infinite.
Heather's art class was more focused on the technical aspects of creating a mandala than on the worship part.  Here is Heather's mandala in progress:

She drew the design in pencil and then outlined it in black ink.

She colored the design...

and then got it wet to blend the colors.  Here, she used shades of yellows and oranges and then blended them.

Then she colored in the designs. 

The squiggle flowed symetrically through the entire mandala (orange and red). The background is in shades of purple, but the purple didn't come through in the picture very well.