Cosmic swirl

Cosmic swirl
Originally uploaded by calypso Dragon 13.

Here's a quick little swirl I did 'on the fly' when I needed an icon for my ID on Yahoo Messenger.

glyph - unadorned

glyph adorned

Autumnal Virginia creeper

This is the view out our dining room, filtered through Photoshop's Ink Outlines filter.

Mandala 23 -- Multiple variation

Mandala 29 -- Variation VI

Mandala 29 -- Variation V

This includes using Photoshop's poster edge filter.

Mandala 29 -- Variation II

Applying some gradient colors and using some Photoshop filters.

Dramatic in black

This is mandala 23 - Variation IV.

Mandala 29 -- Variation I

Mandala 29

Here's another mandala I made a while back. I purposely set out to make a very "non-geometric" mandala -- organic, free-flowing, all that sort of thing, you know? It does have nine spokes or axes. I think it has a very Air/Fire quality to it. I like it!

Mandala 24 -- Variation II

It's Sunday morning, middle of a holiday weekend, and I felt inspired to "play" in Photoshop.

I'm pleased with the results.

Mandala 24 -- Sunburst without three

mandala 24
Originally uploaded by calypso Dragon 13.

This is a modified sunburst, with three of the "rays" or "spokes" of the mandala removed.

Buddhist Sand Paintings

As with Buddhist tradition as a whole, sand painting has its roots in the Tantric legacy of Buddhist India, extending back more than 20,000 years to the time preceding the migration of the native North Americans from Central Asia. Thus we see similarities between it and the sand painting traditions of the natives of the southwest such as the Hopi and Navajo.

There are hundreds of mandalas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. On the Mystical Arts of Tibet tours, the Lamas create many different types, including the mandalas of the Healing Buddha, Amitayus Buddha (the Buddha of Boundless Life), Yamantaka (the Opponent of Death), and Avalokiteshvara (the Buddha of Compassion). These are created when there is a need for the healing of living beings and the environment. The Lamas consider our present age to be one of great need in this respect and therefore construct these mandalas whenever requested during their world tours.

See this site for more information.

Colorblock mandala

Colorblock mandala
Originally uploaded by calypso Dragon 13.

this is a mandala I made a while back ... a dark and stormy night ... the wind whipping through the trees ... at the pied-a-terre. Sitting at Nana's old table with Lina's laptop fired up, I played and played with Photoshop.

mandala on frosted glass shadows

mandala on frosted glass shadows
Originally uploaded by calypso Dragon 13.

There appeared to be an arc on the glass ... so I superimposed a mandala that I'd previously made on the shadows on the glass.

leaf shadows on the wall -- modified

leaf shadows on the wall -- modified
Originally uploaded by calypso Dragon 13.

This was taking a not-very-good photo of leaves' shadows swaying on our living room walls ... and trying to do something interesting with it.

I applied a watercolor filter to the image, among others.

In my mind, those leaf shadows are still swaying with the breeze.

Five-axis mandala, variation II

Five-axis mandala, variation II
Originally uploaded by calypso Dragon 13.

Same thoughts as Variation I, although I do think this one is a bit more appealing.

I do like the colors (thanks to the Difference Clouds filter in Photoshop) and the filter applied to the "swiss cheese" arms of the mandala.

Five-axis mandala, variation I

Five-axis mandala, variation I
Originally uploaded by calypso Dragon 13.

This is probably one of my least favorite mandalas that I have created.

I like the five-arm configuration. I don't like the concentric circles that look like "tracks" and I don't like the "swiss cheese" look on the perimeter.

I wish I could have turned this sow's ear into a silk purse! (sigh)

What's Leo doing in the British Museum?

blogposting
Originally uploaded by calypso Dragon 13.

Isn't this a cool image?

It is a detail from a door at the British Museum. Lovely!

I copied it from a person named Claudecf at flickr.

I reduced its size and applied a film grain to the image.