Transcension

As I began to study Salish design, I became enamoured with the geometric techniques used by my ancestors. This inspired me to widen my research, and I engaged in expansive study of geometry in other traditional cultures. In this exploration, I became particularly affectionate for two styles: the South Asian mandala and Islamic tessellations.

Mandalas are geometric images that represent the Cosmos and are used for meditative contemplation in some Buddhist and Hindu cultures. They traditionally consist of a circle that is enclosed in a larger square, all structured using 2-fold reflection symmetry with four t-shaped gates. Some of these designs show characteristics of fractal geometry – which is shapes that show similarity at every scale such – as a circle inside a square inside a circle inside a square etc. Modified versions of these techniques have become an integral part of my artistic style – a style that would eventually lead to the works in Sacred Geometry.