The Tree of My Life, Currently

Palm Tree Construction, found objects, 9x6x5 in., Otto 

Yes, silly me as a tree from the Archetypal Stages of the Great Round of Mandala workshop I'm facilitating.  We're on Stage 7 Squaring the Circle or Owning the Light and one of the focus points was a tree as self image.

It seemed to tie together all the projects I'm involved with:  the mandala group, the symbol a day, and all the fabric and sewing of clothes.  Of course, I didn't realize that at the time of creating it - I was just going with my inklings.

The Book of Symbols, Day 7: Crescent Moon

Day 7: Crescent Moon, collage, mixed media, 6x6 in., Otto

The crescent reminds us of the mortality of everything that begins life, the transience of everything that comes into consciousness.

 - ARAS

The Book of Symbols, Day 6: Moon

Day 6: Moon, prismacolor pencil, 6x6 in., Otto

And still, in the night sky, her "same clear glory extends for ten thousands miles."   - Tu Fu, Full Moon

Looks Like Flower Power

Dodecahedron Net, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

...but it's really a dodecahedron net!


And by the way, there are 43,380 distinct nets for this polyhedron.

Dodecahedron Here +

Dodecahedron Form, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

Hey, what can I say? It is what it is. And it's very meditative to do, after I figure out how to draw the shape, that is.



+Actually...I've spent a lot of time putting together another blog for the people taking my upcoming workshop, Cultivating a Daily Creative Practice.  I'm starting a practice Practice group on Monday to get a feel for it.  Anyway, that way the participants can use the blog to post their daily practice if they want.

Octahedra Are Cool

Octahedron Frame, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

No doubt about it.








hmmm...wonder where this is all going to lead...like the song says, "I'm on the road to somewhere..."

Proteus: a 19th Century Vision

O!M!G! I saw this film last night...I am speechless.

Nets for Octahedrons

Octahedron Net, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

There are 11 possibilities, but isn't this one just the coolest?

yea...

But Why an Octahedron?

Octahedron Form, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

Well, an octahedron seems to merely be 2 tetrahedra smacked together for all I can tell...

What's the point of calling it one of the five platonic solids then?  

Guess I'll just have to educate myself, if I really want to know...


Pretty cool shape anyway...

sort of  "as above, so below," don't ya think?

Another Square, Man

Cube Frame, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

You know the drill...

3 versions of each platonic solid...

so, here's the last of the cubes - showing off its framework.

Cube Net, As Is - NOT

Cube Net (before), graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

Apparently there are only 3 possible nets for a cube.  

Who knew?  

This is the second type I've drawn...

...and I've done so in a less neat-and-tidy way.

Does it make a difference? ...in any aesthetic sort of way?

I think it might have felt more interesting or freeing to draw...
we'll see....

Cube Net (after), graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

And here we do see...I was just being lazy before.


This looks so much better, and felt so much more satisfying doing it.  

After taking a break and doing some reading, I went back in the studio and went over it all for another hour until it felt right and finished.

ahh

A Cube, a Box, a Hexahedron

Cube Form, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

...a regular hexahedron, that is. 



- I am just learning so much about math and science these days -






And there's more to come...

Polyhedra A-Plenty

Tetrahedron Form, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

Tetrahedron Net, graphite pencils,6x9 in., Otto

Here's a 3-dimensional rendering of one of the five platonic solids - a tetrahedron.

Tetrahedron Frame, graphite pencils, 6x9 in., Otto

And a drawing of one of two possible "nets" or diagrams for folding a 3-dimensional tetrahedron shape (with the addition of my light scales, of course!)













And finally, a drawing of the frame of a tetrahedron so you can see through it.




I could go on and on...




you know I can...

Next Up: Platonic Solids

Icosahedron, graphite pencils, 9x6 in., Otto

Yes, I've been playing around with the following 5 polyhedra, but as unfolded flat images, rather than solid geometrical shapes...

Why you might ask?  Well, that's just what interests me...the diagram aspect of it.  The step-by-step procedure for creating them...and of course, figuring out how to apply my light scale sequence to it.  

Which is something I've been experimenting with in each polyhedron...

Dodecahedron, graphite pencils, 9x6 in., Otto

Octahedron, graphite pencils,9x6 in.,Otto

Cube, graphite pencils, 9x6 in., Otto

Tetrahedron, graphite pencils, 9x6 in., Otto

So Many Inklings, So Little Time

3 Intersecting Planes by M.C. Escher

...coming fast and furious, but really, I have all the time that I need for my creative process don't ya know.

Anyway, Escher coming through, and platonic solids, and paper folding, crease patterns, and graduating light scales, and Notan or principles of shadow and light - both Jungian and design-wise, cultivating a daily creative practice workshop, and Sufism, and of course the labyrinth designs, mandalas in general, sequences, stages, phases, diagrams, geometric/ archetypal forms, systems.  

It's all in there, stirring around, re-combining, shifting, sifting.  I'm just percolating...and drawing, and being fascinated... 

A Roman Labyrinth Complete

Roman Labyrinth, graphite pencils, 7x7 in., Otto

eh,

not so interesting to me...

since the Roman labyrinth doesn't crisscross into the different quadrants until each section has completed its spiral, my overlay system hasn't much room to play out.

...turns out, when each quadrant is basically the same, the light scales lay out basically the same, and the end result is...

not so interesting to me.

Drawing A Medieval Labyrinth

Chartres, graphite pencils,7x7 in.,Otto

...using light scales with graphite pencils,

its the second of a series,

apparently.  

Walking the Labyrinth at Dusk

digital photo by Otto; labyrinth made by Dan Raven

...in community with the Mandala group

...for the last meeting of the Winter Session.


silence 

          currents of energy

                   metaphors of life 

                                      alright-ness

Inspiration from Demeter & Persephone

Relief of Demeter and Persephone

...via a colleague writing up a workshop.

You know how it is with insights, all of a sudden things come together and you realize something you never saw before, and you're slightly dazzled by it...

and then you kinda feel, well, duh.
I'm somewhere in-between.

But the thing is - I see now how her approach works and how different it is from mine, and how that way of seeing/working/responding would be beneficial to me personally. How cool is that?

My approach to classes/workshops has a particular sensibility and goal in mind, and is guided by my own creative process. But I hadn't perceived the so-called recipe of their essence as I did today in looking at my friend's description - and I need...

Labyrinth as Light Scale - Redux

Classical 7-circuit Labyrinth, graphite pencils,6x6 in., Otto

Completed...okay, I refined it and then continued until the cycle was finished, going from dark to light and back again.

...using a combo of Creta-color graphite pencils and then some Tombow Mono Professional pencils for the H's.

hmph, interesting because using the light scales morphs the labyrinth into a different form...really sort of disguising it more than emphasizing it...almost 3-D-ing it.

hmph.