Today, I am so pleased to bring you a lovely interview with Certified Zentangle Teacher Donna Wynn. Donna took the Mixed Media Mandala class earlier this year. I am so pleased to be sharing her work and mandala insights below.
What kind of mandalas have you explored before?
Zentangle(Zendalas), Chakra inspired, Mandala coloring books, Intuitive mainly for me, Pen and Ink, Watercolors, free-form, sparkling H20’s in the background and drawn on top of.
What is it you love most about mandalas?
I love how centered I become when I am in the creative moment of creating a mandala, allowing my brush or pen to go where it intuitively needs to go next. I allow the mandala to speak to me and showing me what it needs next. I love how it takes me somewhere else and I completely am in touch with the piece I am working on and nothing else matters. It is truly a magical process. I always want to block out time when I know I am going to create a Mandala, I want to allow time to be in the flow and not be interrupted … it is my Donna time! It is a gift I give myself.
What kind of mandalas do you love to create with the most?
Intuitive mainly … starting with a center and working outward, I love to use pen and ink over a watercolor background, mixed media background (learned from you 🙂 and then created on top of the background, I love incorporating papers in my petals, adding different colored inks and textures. Anything goes! The idea of adding paper elements and learning to use new art materials in my mandala work intrigued me, I was ready to learn something new!
What excited you most about taking part in the “Mixed Media Mandala” class?
First of all spending time learning from Louise a technique I wanted to learn for so very long! I had always done pen and ink with my Mandalas and even though I considered myself a collage/mixed media artist, I had never considered putting my two artistic loves together. I wanted to learn all that I could! It intrigued me that I could use other mediums to create a dimensional mandala!
Which was your favorite part and why? What did you enjoy most about the class?
The first few brainstorming techniques, and just letting go … drawing with my watercolor brush and creating colorful mini mandalas, then using pen and ink creating mandalas … I am still using the stash I created in the class. They pop up in my journals and so many of my artworks! Of course all of the detailed videos, where Louise leads you through her creative process, it is like being right there in Spain with her!! Creating the mixed media backgrounds, with so many mediums and creating your final piece on a good sized canvas!
What are the top 3 things you are taking away from this class?
First and foremost, I have developed a sincere passion for this art form … rarely does a day go by that I am not creating some type of Mandala in a journal or something. It has become a creative way of life for me, it is my soul signature I give to others. Confidence as an artist, and a sincere love for this art form. I have learned to listen to myself intuitively and enjoy the process of creating a Mandala. Thank you Louise for those gifts.
What would you say when recommending this class to a friend?
I truly have said these words … Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the mandala process, to step out of your creative safe zone and learn something new. I have learned so much from Louise and added to my already full mandala repertoire. She is an amazing guide on your personal mandala journey … A MUST TO EXPERIENCE!
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Donna Wynn (aka Yogiknitgirl) loves being creative. She is a CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) and loves sharing this meditative drawing process with others. She also enjoys photography, mixed media art, creating mandalas, knitting, writing poetry, blogging and practicing hot yoga and being a grandmother! She co-founded “An Artful Spirit” where she leads others in quarterly workshops a new art technique every time! She states: “I pride myself in living creatively each and everyday! I am gently leading others to find their truest Artful Spirit”
Connect here: Blog | Flickr | Facebook | Pinterest
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Join us in the next class!
Would you like to explore the sacred circle and mixed media mandalas further? I would love for you to join me to dive deeply in the 4 week “Mixed Media Mandalas” online class.
By the end of class, you will have a journal full of sacred circles and at least one finished mixed media piece of artwork to hang on your wall.
Hi, I'm Louise and thank you so much for visiting me here. I am a mixed media artist, who is passionate about combining the healing energy of nature and color with the meditative process of mandala making
