A group of people from throughout Spokane gather together to color. Not a typical Saturday afternoon activity, but a workshop as part of Create Spokane month. Local artist Connie Janney led the workshop. She creates work in a variety of mediums, from paintings to paper mache. Her work utilizes vibrant bright colors in red, blue, and yellow hues. Nature is the main subject of her pieces, from dragons to space.
The event itself was a talk and demonstration of mandala creation. Janney showcased some pieces she created, as well as work made by individuals at a nursing home she volunteers at. She spent around fifteen minutes explaining the history of mandala, and its connection in some form to nearly all religions. She focused on how accessible it is to anyone regardless of their art experience, and how she uses it as art therapy in nursing homes. The rest of the workshop was left to creating pieces. Most participants colored in a template, but a few attempted to start theirs from scratch. The audience was small, but diverse. Some were established artists in the community wanting to create and network, and others were retired individuals looking for something to do on a Saturday afternoon or college students needing a break from midterm studying. The event went in waves where people chatted with each other and then grew silent as they concentrated hard on their creation.
The event was held at the Liberty Building right above Auntie’s Bookstore, a location used by the River Ridge Association of Fine Arts to host workshops. The group’s mission is to connect artists together and create camaraderie among artists and community members. Hosting this event allowed established artists to make art next to those, like myself, who create as a hobby.
Janney’s mandala work centered on themes from nature. Many of her mandala’s involved fish and all the pieces used circles, which is a foundational element of nature. The pieces always involve symmetry and asymmetry. The core of the mandala is a perfect circle, and often the “petals” are perfectly shaped as well. But in each piece you could see where it departs from the perfection, either intentionally or unintentionally. The pieces were drawn with pencil, traced with sharpies, scanned (so she could add to the coloring books she sells), then printed out. She used sharpies to color in the works. She stressed the importance of drawing what you like and not worrying about how it looks to others. She talked about how in her work she uses themes from nature and feels free to make “mistakes”, which can often turn out beautifully.
My favorite piece of hers involved three fish in the border of the mandala. The first was the most visible. The fish slowly faded until it barely resembled a fish and looked more like a traditional mandala pattern. The pattern slightly spiraled toward the center, with some lines coming out toward the edge of the piece. The mandala used a lot of flowing circles and jagged lines to make a great contrast.
The event created community among artists and community members, who were able to come together to make art. They colored mandalas in their own preference and style and ability, and praised each others work. The artist gave as much praise to the mandala made by a community member as did the community member to the professional’s work. People were able to make small talk without feeling awkward, since they could politely avoid eye contact while coloring the mandala. While each piece made was made individually, the experience was communal.
Janney’s mandala designs reminded me of Melissa Cole’s work. Both highly involved fish and other nature elements to create visually pleasing pieces. Both implemented a variety of patterns into their designs, which were made of vibrant bright colors. Their medium differed, paper vs sculpture, but some of the patterns shared similarities.
I felt connected to the event. I created three mandalas, which was an incredibly relaxing experience. I hadn’t colored since coloring book prime time sophomore year. I enjoyed meeting people, and artists, from the community and seeing the variety of art made. Some people picked the same mandala design, which made it more interesting to see the different colors used and approaches to the same template. The workshop was comfortable and inviting, and only involved about a dozen people.
One thought that stood out at the event was how the mandalas were used in a variety of religions, which got me thinking about engaging in a practice of a religion without practicing that religion. Do you think it can be beneficial to engage in traditions celebrated and deeply valued by other religions that you don’t practice? If you disagree with the religion, is there a way to partake in their activity while respecting their beliefs and staying true to your own? Is it possible to do this in a disrespectful way (and how do we avoid that)?
Hosting Organization Link: http://www.spokanerrafa.com/shows.html
