Mandala – Mandala-ish

On By ResaIn Guests91 Comments

Check out this Spectacular Mandala by Graham Stephen of Mandala Vihara!

Mandala – a geometric figure representing the universe in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism.

Vihara – a Buddhist monastery and place of religious education.

For many years I have been a fan of Graham’s mandala art. Every so often on my art hunts, I’ll find something that is not a full mandala, but mandala-ish, and I think of Graham.

It was upon finding this mandala-ish paste-up with eyes in the centre, that I considered a mandala theme post, and dedicating it to Graham.

Better, why not involve him?

I asked, he agreed and said “Looking forward to seeing your collection of street mandalishes + 1 gowndala.”

Wait until you see this “Gowndala”! 

Mandala-ishes Collection

We chat with Graham as the collection is shown.

Resa – What drew you into making your gorgeous mandalas?

Graham – The intricately beautiful sand mandalas created by Tibetan Buddhist monks have long fascinated me.  After spending days laboriously creating those wonderful designs, with great non-attachment the monks sweep away the sand in an act symbolic of Impermanence.  

Resa – That is of keen interest to me, as the ephemerality of street art is what drives me to it.

Graham – So, about seven years ago when I happened to come across some mandalas online created from digital photographs, the thought arose that that could be a fun thing to try.  The best part turned out to be being able to lose yourself in the creative process. 

Graham – That applying orders of rotational symmetry to various real-life scenes of nature, architecture, and so on, should give rise to such an endless variety of outcomes is also rather satisfying.  And then there is the aspect of pareidolia — it can be fun looking for unexpected forms such as faces created by the new alignments of the rearranged slices of reality.

Graham – Digital mandalas may seem to be more durable than their Tibetan sand counterparts, but at some stage they too will, inevitably, be long forgotten.  At another level, and as with any image on the web, their existence is only fleeting — being reborn each time the page is viewed and then dissolving back into emptiness when the viewer clicks away…

Resa – You pair quotes with your mandalas. Are the quotes you pair with your mandalas inspired by the mandala?  ie: you have the mandala then search for a quote that works, OR do you have a quote and then are inspired to make the mandala to go with it?

Graham – Actually, neither!  This part of the process is surrendered to chance.  When it comes to drafting a post, the mandala just gets paired up with the next unused item from my collection of quotes.  Sometimes they complement each other, sometimes they contrast, and at other times there may seem to be no apparent connection — the unpredictability of the random juxtaposition is a bit of fun, with echoes of the “cut-up” technique of Dadaism.

Resa – Oooo, I love that!

Resa – Do you purposely take a photo of something because it will make a fab mandala?

Graham – Rarely.  In practice I tend to review all the shots afterwards when editing a series of photographs and select one or two of any that might be suitable.

I began looking for mandala-ishes everywhere, indoors and outdoors.

I have unfortunately been visiting a friend at the Toronto General Hospital over the last couple of weeks. In the hallway is a Mosaic Mural made from 10,000 tabs, lids, pins, levers, screws and connectors collected over 28 years by nurse Tilda Shalof.

Within the mosaic are several mandala-ishes . Those, and information on the mosaic can be seen in the slide show above. Below is the entire piece.

Très ish mandala-ish

Colour Swirl – Acrylic on Canvas – 1968

The above work of art by Gordon Rayner was hanging in a random hallway, in a converted warehouse/factory filled with artsy retailers.

The Most Beautiful Mandala … Ever!

Lilac Fan Dance is Thunder’s (aka Dale) dedicated Art Gown.

Thinking the texture and colours would make a cool Mandala, I sent 3 pics of her to Graham.

He chose the first one saying,

Graham – “as that one had a nice bit of plain background to the left to create a bit of negative space around the result.”

OMG! LOVE THIS!

Thank You Graham!

Visit Graham from MANDALA VIHARA! It’s a beautiful place.

Street art and indoor art pics taken by Resa – 2025-2026

Toronto, Canada

Cats – The Big Ones

On By ResaIn Cats, Murals143 Comments

For Cat Lovers (& all animal lovers).

I was in a area by the tracks, and not expecting to find anything.

There was an alley across from the front of the building with the word GEARY.

One garage was painted, with big cats.

  • Too cute for just 1 pic!

Talk about a thrilling find!

Yet another mural I was loathe to leave.

It looked new. A passerby told me it was a year old.

  • Hard to pick just 1 shot!

This lion breaks my heart.

What a sweet old soul the artist captured. Humans are not nice enough to animals.

Hmm, I think these may all be endangered cats?

I searched endangered cats and cats on the edge of extinction.

Seems almost every cat, except house cats, are on the list.

Pics taken by Resa – November 18, 2025

Toronto, Canada

The Artist:

A Work of Art & Thank You!

On By ResaIn Reblogs, Thank You's250 Comments

For Yvette

It was a lovely honour to be the focus of a Mini-Interview on Yvette’s Priorhouse blog.

I sent this to Yvette, so she could see the image I was using to say Thank You to her.

Resa @ Graffiti Lux & Murals PRIORHOUSE INTERVIEW 26 January2026

Resa – That image is like me & many …blogging, trying to keep up.

Yvette – That really could apply to blogging, and keeping up during a busy season.

Yvette – I also think it could apply to life – and just enduring a challenging season. There is a certain contentment I feel in that art – with a certain suffering or enduring and I think in another way there might be a hint of performance burnout – ?

Resa – I also think it can apply to life.

Yvette – Especially when you see the full photo – or is that part of the contentment feel- the balancing on one arm and the placement of that other arm is a bit athletic, sure, strong, poised, and in motion – and that adds to it. 

Yvette – Oh and the other elements/principles in that photo street art – we have the soft blue going across the body into the green – giving us this horizontal split that syncs with the body – other line designs stand out – like the hair being in sync with the background and other line design.

Yvette – And you know, the legs stood out on the third look – that is a strong pose – to be sideways – are those “eagle” legs? either way – that is why this feels strong and poised and enduring – 

Resa – Thank you, Yvette! What a wonderful interpretation of this piece of art.

Pics taken by Resa – June 27, 2025

Toronto, Canada

The Artist:

Karen Roberts

The Art of Jesse Mockrin – pt.1

On By ResaIn Jesse Mockrin106 Comments

ECHO

“Reworking familiar imagery is just my way of giving history a second look.” – Jesse Mockrin

Only Sound Remains – oil on linen

Based in Philadelphia, this artist examines Renaissance and Baroque artists’ art, with an eye on the survival of traditional narratives and beliefs in contemporary society. She then intervenes with her own modern canon.

Jesse Mockrin’s paintings “respond to histories of sexual violence and cruel treatment of women over millennia of myth and story, offering interventions and moments of resistance.”

Collectively, the paintings in ECHO highlight “an ongoing battle for bodily autonomy”.

The above painting is based on the Greek and Roman myth of Echo and Hera.

By Her Hand – oil on linen

The biblical widow and heroine, Judith, beheads Assyrian General Holofernes and saves her people. This was a popular subject for artists in the 15 & 1600’s due to the “stark contrast between Judith’s femininity and the aggression of her violence.”

Behold/Beholden – oil on linen

Mockrin builds up thin glazes of oil paint, a European Renaissance developed technique. “she crops her composition sharply, hiding critical elements of a story and leaving conflict unresolved.”

Unvarnished, her paintings have an eerie flatness.

In mid-stream – oil on canvas

“Grasping, pulling, lifting …. I am drawn to the ways that Baroque painters build drama and tension into their compositions.” Jesse Mockrin

Based on Ruben’s The Massacre of the Innocents, the woman in the right panel is based on one of the mothers protecting her children.

Painted circa 1610, The Massacre of the Innocents resides in the AGO’s collection. The photo on the left is an allowable share from the AGO. Click on the image to visit the page, and a larger version of the masterpiece..

In the Book of Genesis – Rachel and Leah were both married to Jacob.

Leah had many children. After many years of yearning to be a mother, Rachel had 2 sons. She died giving birth to the second child.

Longing – oil on linen
Lovesick – oil on linen
A cry is heard – oil on linen

“It’s very emotional and very real, her longing for a child and then her tragic death as a result of it.”

“We think we’re not that similar to these characters, but they were just people, same as us.” – Jesse Mockrin

Exhibition – oil on cotton

Pics taken by Resa – December 9, 2025

Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

“Quotes in bold are by Jesse Mockrin”

“Quotes in italics are from the AGO”

All source is from the AGO

Along the Riverbanks

On By ResaIn Murals, Nick Sweetman60 Comments

A Mural for Nature Lovers

Okay, I thought this was a wolf, but turns out it’s a coyote.

This spectacular mural is on a retaining wall by the Don River. I’m guessing 100 ft. long anyway.

Viewing from left to right: The bits of green behind the Blue Fronted Dancer Damsel Fly are stinging nettle.

Toad

Mink

Water Strider

Bullhead Catfish, White Sucker and Raccoon

The terrifying and wildly wild Golden Doodle

Cottontail Rabbit

Fox

Coyote

Red-winged Blackbird and Great Egret

White-tailed Deer

Beaver with Water Lily behind it.

Painted Turtle

Broadleaf Plantain in centre

Leopard Frog

Bumblebee with White Astor

As I mentioned at the beginning, I thought this was a wolf. I had done a song with Tim about my Wolf Tree and the Wolf moon. I thought – YAY, I can use it here. Coyote not a wolf, I’m using it anyway. I can’t sing, but I’m singing anyway.

Pics taken by Resa – September 18, 2025

Toronto, Canada

The Artist:

NICK SWEETMAN

About the Real Stages of Grief

On By ResaIn Creative Writing, Interviews198 Comments

by: D.G. Kaye

How does one review a heart, soul and mind book like this? Does one say it’s well written? It answers very human questions in an ordinary way that all can understand? Many of us will go through this, so it’s a helpful read?

A Journey Through Loss

Written by D.G.Kaye, after the death of her husband, the love of her life; this helpful book speaks from the pain of experience. She is not a therapist, nor a psychiatrist, nor a professional healer of any sort. And she is right up front about that fact.

In her own words “I devoured books on everything from grief to the afterlife, always striving to make sense of the roller coaster ride I was on,”

I think the best way to impart something more of this book is to speak directly to D. G.

Resa – The cover of your book has the words: Shock, Fog, Anger, Triggers, Guilt, Anxiety and Denial swirling in a circle. At first I thought the words were repeating in order, but upon a closer look, I realize that they are not in any order, but do repeat. How did you come up with it? Why the words are not in any order?

D.G. –  For this cover, the concept came to me immediately.

Grief is like an ongoing spiral with ups and downs. The words inside are just some of the phases grievers experience. The fact that the words are in no particular order and some not repeated is precisely how grief works.

We may visit phases over and over again through time, and some may dissipate with time. Thus, the grief spiral  is far from linear but, more chaotic.

It was above 0c and cloudy out, not a peep of sun in the sky. A perfect day to shoot a shadow free piece of wall art, that seemed perfect for this post. It was only a 20 minute walk to get there.

 Suddenly, as I arrived, it became a sunny day with nary a cloud in the sky. There was a barren tree’s shadow over the painting. I shot it anyway. To me, there is something poetic in this image, that relates to grief – something about the shadow.


Resa – Debby, can you see why I think that? Can you put it into words? 

D.G. – Oh wow Resa. I love the shot with the tree’s shadow. If I were to relate it to grief I would say that when you love deep, it’s like carrying sunshine in your heart. And when you lose that love of your life, despite all the horribleness, there will be days when the obstinate clouds clear and the sun shines through, although the shadow of grief is never too far away.

Resa – Perfectly, poetically and profound said.

After the pics were taken, there was still not a cloud in the sky. So, I hopped on a streetcar, heading home. About 3 stops later, Suddenly, it clouded over. There was nary a crack of sun to find. 

Resa – This seemed mystical to me, Debby. Does this touch you, or am I just a sentimental fool? 

D.G. – Oh no Resa, you may be sentimental – like me, but no fool. I love that you were working on this post and came across these poignant images in your travels.

Remembering that grief is love with nowhere to go, the image reminds that even without sunshine, the shadow of love always sticks with us. Not to mention, it reminds me of the Tree of Life – rain or shine, we are branches off the Tree of Life where memories live deep within, sometimes shadowed, but always there.

In the book D.G. writes:

“In the aftermath comes the loss of us. Our grief replaces replaces the lives we once knew.”

Resa – Has writing this book been cathartic? Has it helped you to replace that life lost, with a new life?

D.G. – In some ways this book was cathartic to write, but in many other ways, it was difficult to write; because to write, dredging the info up meant remembering moments that could take my breath away and have me leaving the computer for an emotional break.

In no way did writing this book help to replace that ‘life lost’, as nothing ever could. That life is no longer tangible, but seared in my heart.

But, the book offers a lot of understanding of the trials and tribulations of the process of grieving through time, understanding that it’s difficult to let go of a life you’re familiar with when it’s snatched from you, with the importance of eventually finding our way back into a new way of living.

Thank you to D.G. Kaye (Debby to her pals) for her time answering my questions! Debby, I appreciate this more than I can say!

Meet D.G. Kaye

Congratulations to Debby for being officially in the top 5% of Goodreads Reviewers!

About D.G. Kaye

About the Real Stages of Grief is available world wide at Amazon.

Click on book cover to go to the purchase page on Amazon.com

“Personally, I don’t believe there is any cure for grief. It’s not a disease that we will get over and feel better about tomorrow. Rather, it’s a new addition to our lives, one we must become acquainted with.” – D. G. Kaye

Pics taken by Resa – 2023 – 2025

Toronto, Canada

The artists in vertical order:

The Dreamers, Julia Praza, One Day Creates, Unknown, Blackburn, Unknown, Chris Perez, Vizla Bacon, Blazeworks, Adrain Corne