Two Amazing and Unique Mandala Artists, Two Very Different Mediums
We've gone mad for Mandalas this week, and in the process of writing our articles on the meaning, history and use of mandalas, we came across two extraordinary artists whose work we had to share. They have much in common - they are both very talented, unique mandala artists - and yet they're also so very different. Both use nature as their main media, but one's work is the size of football fields, and the other's is small and intricate. One works with mother nature in her darkest slumber of winter, the other in her full bloom of life. And that's just the beginning:
1) Artist Simon Beck creates sensational snow mandalas (mostly with his feet!) along the frozen lakes of Savoie, France. He spends days plodding through the snow in raquettes (snowshoes), working 5-9 hours per day, with his art pieces averaging the size of three soccer fields. The longevity of his work is completely dependent upon the weather, and he is sometimes unable to finish a piece. But he doesn't mind - in addition to being meditative, the main reason he creates his art is for exercise.
2) Next up, the mandala artist whose art is the opposite of the monotone, one-medium, giant-size and one-season work of Simon Beck is Kathy Klein. Kathy's work features the vibrant colors of meticulously placed natural elements -- flowers, plants, seeds, shells, stones and leaves. Based in Arizona, Kathy calls her pieces danmalas, based on the vedic sanskrit words dān (“the giver”) and mālā (“garland of flowers”), which translates to “the giving of flower circles”, although other objects such as pinecones and even vegetables are ceremoniously lined up into the familiar mandala shape.
The careful placement of each object is juxtaposed with the natural imperfection of leaves and flowers, so that there is simultaneously a sense of precision and organic growth; even the ground that the danmala lies on plays a part in adding texture to each piece.
From Kathy Klein’s website:
She creates the danmalas by first centering herself in a meditative devotional space. Her inspiration is given from the golden sound residing within perfect silence. They are reflections of the inexpressible, a gesture which points towards life’s abundance, an unspoken verse of Love. The danmalas remind us all to listen to the unheard voice of nature, creation, and the eternal mystery.
Are you a mandala artists, or do you know of a unique mandala artist? Please share below!
More Mandala Resources:
To see a view a beautiful collection of Mandalas – from tattoos to crop circles, fruit, quilts, flowers, stone and more– visit, and follow our Pinterest Page of Mandalas.
Want to learn more about children’s facination with circles and encourage them to create mandalas? Visit our childrens mandala page.
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