| The Mandala came into being inspired by my marriage to my best friend David on August 19th, 1998. |
| I offered to hang the finished piece at "Earthdance", a rave being held on October 10th to build awareness of the plight of Tibet and the Dalai Lama. |
| I had never attempted such a large painting in the tight, linear style I felt it required. For years I had painted with expressionistic, muscular vigor. |
| I began with a central point. All other points in the mandala would refer to that point. A geometry of 4 and 8 surrounded the center. |
| Each shape and line was built upon the preceeding shapes and lines. With warm reds and oranges predominating the color scheme, the mandala took on a balanced glow. |
| The beauty of the image overwhelmed me at times. Days would go by when I was afraid of continuing, afraid of upsetting the symmetry with the wrong colour or shape. David sat in front of it alone one night, and wept. |
| All the while, I was aware of the metaphor that was unfolding. I painted the word "LOVE" at the center, in tiny block letters. |
| The composition was complete with the addition of two large "eyes", marking the opposing north and south poles of the mandala. It now had an eerie tantric gaze. All that remained was to finish the colors. |
| I found I could only work on the piece by remaining emotionally distant and detached. A friend gave me a brief critique that triggered strong new color ideas. |
| It was the longest I had ever spent on one painting. It still was barely completed in time for "Earthdance". David and I loaded it into the truck still wet. |
| The altar was added to protect the mandala while it was on display at the rave. On it I placed objects that had special referrence to my relationship with David. |
| I spent much of the night watching people viewing the piece. A good number of Tibetan immigrants were in attendance, Buddhist monks among them. My mandala pleased them. |