25″ diameter – mixed media assemblage of salvaged metal pieces woven with copper wire onto bicycle wheel, finished with polyurethane varnish
New Week::New Theme: Metal
We open up this week’s theme with this rather unique upcycled metal mandala created by collagist and metal artist Deborah O’Keeffe, of Amelia Mandala. She uses a rusted old bike wheel as her ‘canvas’, with salvaged circular metal parts and copper wire as her ‘paint.’
I love how she incorporates both symmetry and asymmetry within her design. My Virgo rising mind is just aching to count just how many mandala shapes exist in this piece. Thankfully my Scorpio sun sign takes charge and says to just appreciate that this piece is more than just about knowing how many mandalas there are, it’s knowing that there are so many that counting them loses the essence of the sculpture and that all of them are needed to make this whole piece complete.
About this fantastic sculpture, she states:
It is a tapestry of materials found on streets, parking lots, and sidewalks I and my friends have walked, from Louisiana, to Virginia, to Michigan, and places in-between, and also farther away, everything from rusty washers to broken jewelry to springs, and wings, hearts, and crosses. I also used about 250 feet of new 24 gauge copper wire to weave the whole thing together. The thing I love about old run-over, stepped on, rained on, broken, rusting metal, is that it is a manmade material in the process of being reclaimed by nature. I appreciate evidence of experience in people and in things. “The Cycle of Life” dignifies and coalesces the beauty of what was once thrown away.
Be sure to check out more of her amazing mandala art via her online gallery.
Inspiration For Today
Deborah’s Cycle of Life demonstrates for us how what we may see as trash, others, like Deborah, see as something with which to paint. For me, she inspires me to explore what treasures-in-the-making await me in my overstuffed garage.
Happy Coloring!
If you would want your mandala or your idea for a mandala to be considered for the “Mandala of the Day”, read about how on the Participate page. It’s easy! Or recommend one you’ve seen via my Contact page.
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