Kristen Carmichael-Bowers

At the time of this mandala, January 2004, I was heading for the culmination of my master’s degree, and many things were
converging at one time in my life - psychically, emotionally, artistically, educationally, professionally. This mandala, as I looked at it for 8 months following its creation, spoke to me of the idea of conception, of the moment of worlds and energies colliding.
This second mandala (left) was done in late August 2004. When I look at it next to January’s mandala, I can see a progression. Mandalas done after Breathwork seem to give me an idea of what is in process and about to come to fruition for me in the near future. This mandala is the aftermath of the conception, the explosion of creativity. While the last mandala shows my energy moving in a determined fashion inward, mandala #2’s energy is moving outward, and it is not particularly tidy. There is a lot of red involved - a daring color. At this time of my life, being clear, being daring, and being powerful provoked anxiety, even as I recognize that I have desired these things for a long time. I did not intend for there to be “faces” peering at me out of this mandala, but I realize that these mask-like faces (some curious, some mocking, some surprised etc.) represent my own internalized repressive forces. It continues to speak volumes to me.