MANDALA WORKSHOP:
Mandalas in Finland

2005 / Pori, Finland / Elena Griscenko

Elena Griscenko is an artist from Latvia who had an art residency at the Portait Gallery in Pori, Finland. She was attending art therapy classes with the purpose to be able to work with the art therapy patients.

FINNISH MANDALAS:
Wish-making Mandalas

From Elena:
It was very interesting for the children to learn about mandalas, as they had never heard of them. Their parents were quite interested and enjoyed painting together with their children.

In my opinion, it was a nice experience for both children and their parents. The children were of different ages, from 5 to 13 years old. So, for older chilgren I gave a bit more complicated tasks. For example, I instructed them to imagine a wish and to paint a mandala while thinking of that wish. Some children even wrote their wishes, so that they would not forget it.

The Objectives

  • To present the general concept of mandala

  • create a mandala based on traditional Finnish ornamental motives. (This part was the most difficult even with the examples of the ornaments)

  • To provide the possibility of self-reflection through the process of drawing mandala.