Branches have been calling me lately.  A couple of years ago, when I was first creating mandalas, I quickly learned that I really liked what happened when I used images that included intricate patterns of branches against various backgrounds and colors.  For the past several months I’ve been experimenting with different types of source images but the branches have been calling me back.

I’ve been traveling a bit for the past few weeks, spending some time with family in Switzerland.  (I didn’t change subjects, I promise it will connect.)  While in Switzerland, I often had camera in hand. And I listened to the branches calling me.  I took over 1000 pictures while I was there and probably more than 100 are of trees, vines, or branches.  So I thought I would spend a few weeks creating mandalas from some of those images and, at the same time, share a little bit about this special corner of the world that I’ve had the privilege to become acquainted with.

This source image of vines is a wall in the city of Zurich. The weather and seasons in Zurich are amazingly similar to those in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in central New York state, where I live.  This trip only confirmed that.  When I arrived in Zurich, spring was only thinking about showing herself and the leaves on this ivy vine had not yet burst. People were complaining how spring was coming so very slowly this year, exactly what I was hearing (and also complaining of) here at home.   One glorious warm, sunny day would be replaced by 3 foggy, damp or even snowy, and cool days.  Just before I left, though, only a couple weeks after I took this image, we passed this same wall and it was fully leafed out and you could barely see the branches. When I arrived home, it was also as if spring had literally exploded.  Trees were fully leafed out and the lilacs, redbuds, and cherry trees were in full regalia.

My intrigue with patterns had always included vines on a wall like this one.  I love to see the structure that is normally hidden beneath the foliage.  It’s interesting to think how these patterns are repeated elsewhere in nature.  These vines echo the patterns of rivers flowing out to the ocean or blood vessels in the body.  Yet, I had never used such a vine image to create mandalas.  The patterns become even more intriguing when uncovered by the mandala process.

Enjoy these patterns.  I will have more of branches and Switzerland next week.

 

PS  If  any image you see on this blog, really speaks to you, please remember that you can always get a print.  Simply email me with the name of the image and I will let you know the size options and prices.

PPS  There seems to be issues with the server lately.  That’s the reason this is a bit later on Monday than usual.  If you have trouble loading just be patient, give it some time, and try again.  🙂