I am enthralled with the mandala form. When creating this piece, I remember wondering if the mandala would be more uniform if I used a square space, rather than the rectangle of my paper, similar to when you fold a square for origami. I was experimented with different shades of color in my watercolor kit. In many of my pieces, I depict my soul, as a purple color. Any soul, mine included is complex: purple can be a complex color to mix to the exact shade that is swirling in my mind.
In this piece, my soul was muddied, not the brilliant purple I want to be. There is a remnant of fun and free-flowingness in the purple swirls, yet it became rhythmic and repetitive. Maybe for some souls this would be a safe place to reside, but my heart yearns for more. The black line between the purple and the mandala felt like an uncrossable line. The mandala side is bursting with colors, bright and clear, with nuances of highlights. This is how I want to live. Yet too often, I am unable to cross that line. I get stuck in the expectations and the should have could haves. Yet, as I worked on this piece, I was encouraged. Even though I felt stuck, I had a vision of what I could be, of the soul work that was happening.