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.
All the mandalas are painted in acrylics on thick watercolour paper.
These are some of my earlier mandala paintings and were created in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I am often asked if I use a computer to make my mandalas but this was before digital art really took off. I create subtle transitions through tones and colours by many small brush strokes and by having several layers.
Rainbow Lotus was painted about 1981 and one of my first explorations of the full spectrum and was part of a series which explored the lotus theme as viewed side on as distinct from above.
Sacred Centres was painted a few years later and indicated my developing interest in Astrology, The Chakras and the Balance of Yin and Yang.
Radiance was inspired by my study and practice of Reiki in the mid ’80’s. The Triple Yin Yang is a Universal Symbol that features in many systems around the world including Celtic Art in the West.
Pure Light originally goes back to when I was living on Iona off The West Coast of Scotland and was tuning in strongly to Light as a focus for meditation. I have painted many variations of this theme over the years including my Shunyata Series. During my time on Iona I was friendly with members of The Findhorn Community who have a retreat house on the island. This led to me having a show at Findhorn. This would have been about 1977.
Unity was painted about 1978 and illustrated my involvement with The White Eagle Trust who use the Six Pointed Star as a focus for meditation. At that time I was in The Preselis, West Wales. In those days I was travelling around a lot and often worked on a very small scale as in about 6 inches x 6 inches. When I settled down and had more space I started to work on a larger scale.
Sunstar is a continuation of the Six Pointed Star theme and conveys a strong sense of radiation. It also moves through the full spectrum which symbolizes The Totality. Painted about 1978
Space Star was painted a few years later, about 1985. By then I was living near Glastonbury and collaborating with other artists and communal living.
Elektra was painted about 1988 by which time I was painting a series of mandalas involving the number seven. I named the mandalas after the Seven Sisters Star formation also known as The Pleiades. By then I was back in Wales.
Rainbow Spiral was also painted about 1985 by which time the spiral was becoming active in my consciousness, as part of my involvement with Reiki and also as a representation of organic expansion with a strong centre.
Maia came together about 1987 by which time The Harmonic Convergence had been and gone in Glastonbury and I had moved back to The Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. It continues the spiral theme but in this case is based on The Golden Mean which is a ratio which features widely in nature and also art and architecture.
Flying Lotus was one of the lotus series mentioned under Rainbow Lotus.
Premananda is an example of a lotus viewed from above and is a theme which has been with me since the very beginning of my work with mandalas, along with Light.