The Ace of Wands Mandala

The Ace of Wands Mandala

This Mandala painting was done as part of a project on the Tarot that I have been involved in. I knew I wanted to create a piece of work purely for myself but had no deliberate subject in mind, only a feeling. I find that doing a Mandala is the best way to pull messages from the unconscious forward. It's a painting exercise I do from time to time, particularly when I feel stuck in my personal life. Working as a professional painter I often forget to use art for myself. Creativity is the fastest track for me to be the best I possibly can and this has a reflection not only on my work life as a painter and teacher but also as a person in my own right.

This Mandala celebrates the creative power within me. I have painted the Wand as being part of a full tree, showing its roots stretching and curling to the dark earth, as well as its branches reaching high into the bright and rainbowed sky. The central image is that of a butterfly unfurling its wings. The Red colour of the butterfly represents the fiery nature of the Wands energy. It also has connotations of "Moth to a burning flame" and having gone into that flame, arising out of it, transcended perhaps, into new life.