Hand-painted Mandalas by Barry Stevens
When you click on each mandala in the table below it opens another page with a larger image and more details.
Background information and context is below the table.
Sri Yantra Spectral Variation. This painting is a variation of The Sri Yantra. I have painted several variations of this classic Indian Yantra. In this case I have explored moving through the spectrum and radiating light to create an image which conveys the power of the yantra subtly infused with the energy of the full spectrum.
Premananda Peach Variation. This painting is another of my viewed from above lotus series. In terms of colour it explores the orange part f the spectrum with tones moving towards red and yellow. It conveys a warmth which supports emotional well being and balance.
Ocean of Love. This mandala was painted about 1998 and is a close relative of my Pure Light and Shunyata series being relatively simple geometrically speaking with an emphasis on creating a gentle loving vibration. The transition from subtle blues to delicate pinks gently caresses the Heart Chakra.
Pegasus. This mandala was also created about 1998. It is another Eight Petalled Lotus with some subtle patterning in the petals and a strong radiant movement through the spectrum.
Lotus Cross. I have resonated with the cross as a symbol of Unity since the very beginning of my adventure with mandalas. Of course we all know the cross is associated with Christianity. However variations of the cross predate the birth of Jesus and have appeared in multiple cultures all over the world since the beginning of time. The cross symbolizes amongst other things the vertical axis representing contact with the Divine meeting the horizontal axis representing the relative world. In this design the cross meets the unfolding beauty of the lotus and combines the yin and yang of lines and curves.
Atlantis 2. This mandala was painted in about 1983 in collaboration with The Atlantean Society and Ann and Tony Neate. It turned out that this image was deemed unsuitable so together we created another which is called Atlantis which has stronger less delicate colours. They have that original so it’s not for sale. This first version has in the centre the ancient symbol of The Ankh and also includes the symbol of the Sun associated with the Egyptian God Ra. Other motifs in the design include a spectral circle and an emanation from the centre made by the use of radiating lines.
Topaz. Topaz was painted about 1980 when I was living in a caravan near the town of Whitland in Carmarthenshire. At that point in time I was sometimes using watercolours as distinct from acrylics and this is an example of one of my watercolour mandalas. The medium facilitates certain colour transitions which are difficult or impossible to achieve with other media. The version currently for sale is painted using acrylics but is almost identical.
Radiant Cross goes back to the early 1970’s when I was working with line drawn mandalas. So, the first versions of this design did not involve colour. Some years later I introduced colour to create the mandala illustrated here. Although the cross is a well known Christian symbol it is found all over the world in one form or another.
Oneness came together over a number of years. It was part of a process which included exploring the theme digitally. It started with a multi coloured spiral painting about 1990. That was subsequently modified using photoshop and was published as a card and print. Later I went back to the easel and endeavoured to create a similar effect with the paintbrush resulting in this image.
Spectral Harmony is very similar to Oneness but has not been overlaid with white lines. This means the colours are brighter.
Luminescence is a five petalled lotus inspired by the almond blossom. The subtle radiance gently elevates consciousness.