7-Monique Mandali
USA
"Barbara's Mandala"
I drew Barbara's Mandala on a day when I felt particularly helpless in how to comfort my friend as she was in the final stages of living with AIDS. She was a 32-year old young woman, a nurse, AIDS educator and recipient of many local (Salt Lake City, UT), regional and national awards for her positive spirit, educational efforts, fundraising and courage when living with fullblown AIDS for over 10 years. That she became infected by her incestuous stepfather who molested and sexually assaulted her during her teenage years makes her story even more poignant and sad.
Barbara's mandala flowed through me and reflects her great spirit and reach beyond earthly challenges. Knowing that she'd like it I transfered the design onto a large poster, framed and mailed it to her. She loved it a lot. It was my last hello and farewell to her, our personal connection through mandalas whose language we both love and understand.
Soon thereafter I started to work on Barbara's mandala in needlepoint and finally finished it a year after her untimely death. Now it hangs with all of Barbara's glory above the fireplace in my livingroom. It is the channel through which we continue to say hello to each other... My heart warms every time I see Barbara's mandala."
"My Mandala"
I started drawing this design while living in France in 1982 with my 10-year old daughter Ingrid. The design seemed to come out of nowhere and grew quite spontaneously, step by step, during the following months. As I watched it unfold and become visible to me I was very curious, aware that it would eventually become my shield, the symbol of my life, my voice, what is dear to me.
I added color to it a couple of years later and kept it in my closet, hidden from view. It felt too vulnerable to share with others for a long time. Then in 1991, after Ingrid had graduated from highschool and I could spread my wings again, synchronicity worked its magic through several incredible events. One of them reconnected me with mandalas as I decided to publish again Vol. 1 of my mandala coloring books, a project that had stayed dormant for many years. It is also the year that I converted my shield into a permanent 22"x22" piece of needlepoint art. My shield came out of the closet, so to speak, and so did I. We've been out ever since."
Monique's website