Linda Phillippi

Linda Phillippi & Buffalo statue Linda and the "In the Time of the White Buffalo" statue at the IMAX theatre in West Yellowstone. Linda Phillippi 40738 Stipe Lane Ronan, MT 59864 Phone: 406.644.2537 Contact: Send Email ARTIST STATEMENT If art is the visual entrance into the mystery of creation, then for me, the mandala is the ultimate portal. The word mandala is derived from the root, manda, which means essence. The suffix la has been added creating the word mandala, meaning esssence container. It's circular form symbolizes the cyclical nature of life and time, orbiting a center, as the earth orbits the sun, but with a new maturity and a different perspective with each evolution. Due to it's rhythmic nature, mandala gazing can be a deeply relaxing exercise, encouraging it's viewer to journey to the center of both the mandala and of one's self. When I discovered mandalas several years ago I knew instantly that I had to make them in whatever medium I could. My current favorite medium is acrylics on canvas, allowing me to fill my "essence container" with all the bright and luminous colors that I could never resist. My background in graphic design has been beneficial in helping me to lay out the often complex and repetitive aspects of the mandala. I particularly love the tradition of decorating mandalas with crystals, gold leaf, mirrors, and a new approach of adding dimensional paint, making them into higly ornate and textured works of art. The inspiration for my paintings is usually nature based, but I am also intrigued with fantasy, mythology, multiple cultures, and goddess figures throughout the world. My paintings honor beauty and express gratitude in all things. Mandalas are an ancient art form and cross into so many religions and cultures that a person could spend a lifetime studying them. I just want to make them, and learn what I can about them and from them. There is a line by Robert Frost that sums the mandala up for me: "We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows." I am currently holding mandala painting workshops in the Missoula and Mission Valley area. Contact me for my current schedule or to hold a workshop in your area.

Listed Artwork:   (Click on one to view more information about that artwork) Peles Pirouette Hula Glow One Spirit Fish are Jumpin and the Cattails are High Gemini Dragonfly Tending Pele Pele Rising Somersaulting into Fall White Buffalo Calf Woman Montana Face of Nature Eye Am Artemis Aloft Hina in the Moon Plumerian Metamorphosis Lily Vision One Spirit In the Time of the White Buffalo Calf Woman We Dance Birth Rights Mother Aspen Father Sky Brilliant Rebirth