The Flow of Dotillism
October 12, 2018
Inspirational Art
Did you know there’s this thing called Dotillism? It is like pointillism but it’s more about pattern than imagery. I heard the term a few years back when I blogged about Elspeth McLean’s painted mandala rocks and I have since heard that she is the one that coined the phrase. It is used as a categorical label for pattern-based decorative paintings made up of dots. Unlike pointillism, dotillism does not create imagery, just pattern, and, for now, it usually refers to dimensional painted dots so it’s not just a visual pattern but a tactile texture.
The dotillism piece seen here involves the time-consuming, tedious, but Zen-like process of creating a specific pattern, one small element at a time. As dreadful as that might initially sound, such processes are actually both enjoyable and rather healthy for you. This type of work can readily put you into what is referred to as a “flow state.” It works somewhat like meditation in that a flow state creates a sense of serenity, increases mental clarity, and reduces stress but it also has the advantage of enhancing concentration and increasing one’s sense of joy and accomplishment.
This plate by Maryam Khuchbarova probably took hours to create but what enjoyable hours they must have been! We often find this type of work impressive because we know what an incredible amount of time and patience must have gone into it. I, personally, find this plate even more impressive than the more common mandala dotillism because the painting is so well-balanced and the patterns have been so consistently applied, even without the central set of radiating guidelines commonly used in mandala painting.
I guess the takeaway here is that if you are looking at doing work that seems to have a time-consuming or tedious repetitive process, don’t shy away from it or dread it. Not only is that kind of work impressive, the process of creating in that way can make you feel pretty darn good!
If you like this kind of work, take a look at Maryam’s Instagram page and check out Elspeth’s work and her new book here.
Dedicated to Zen and Stones
October 16, 2015
Uncategorized
This week, we’ve looked at work that showed a couple of artists pushing themselves in form and repetition. The use of repetition can have an exciting and energized look or it can be calm and grounding. But for the artist creating it, it is often a doorway to the sometimes elusive state of what is often referred to as flow. It’s that time when you are so enthralled and engrossed by what you are doing that you completely lose track of time, of where you are, and sometimes what exactly you are doing. It’s a fantastic state to reach because it means that the work you are doing is satisfying your many sides. This kind of work is challenging enough to keep your attention, interesting enough to basically mesmerize you, but is not frustrating or tedious so you can relax and enjoy the process.
This little bit of insanity you see here is just such a process for Elspeth McLean, an Australian living in Canada and a self-proclaimed “Dotillism” artist. According to an article published on the Mother Nature Network, creating art is her form of meditation and these mandala stones are at the heart of that process for her. The joy and dedication she gets from her work is so readily apparent that the poor girl is overrun with requests for these beautiful stones.
Images of these stones went viral recently, and now Elspeth has been forced to do something rather different from most Etsy sellers–she releases the sale of her stones only on certain days and during certain hours, just a couple of times a month, with many selling instantly and all selling out, it appears, within the day. What a problem to have! The colorful and zen-like beauty of the stones can also be found in her dotillism paintings. However, there is something to the centered patterns of the mandala stones that really draws your eye and pulls at something deeply rooted in all of us. And for those of you that cane, does this not spark some ideas?
To see the short article and all the wonderful photos of her stones, go to this page on MNN.com. You can admire her illustrations and photographs of her work artfully placed in nature on her website and, of course, in her Etsy shop.
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/dotted-mandala-stones-reveal-artist-vibrant-life
___________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
___________________________________________
Did you know there’s this thing called Dotillism? It is like pointillism but it’s more about pattern than imagery. I heard the term a few years back when I blogged about Elspeth McLean’s painted mandala rocks and I have since heard that she is the one that coined the phrase. It is used as a categorical label for pattern-based decorative paintings made up of dots. Unlike pointillism, dotillism does not create imagery, just pattern, and, for now, it usually refers to dimensional painted dots so it’s not just a visual pattern but a tactile texture.
The dotillism piece seen here involves the time-consuming, tedious, but Zen-like process of creating a specific pattern, one small element at a time. As dreadful as that might initially sound, such processes are actually both enjoyable and rather healthy for you. This type of work can readily put you into what is referred to as a “flow state.” It works somewhat like meditation in that a flow state creates a sense of serenity, increases mental clarity, and reduces stress but it also has the advantage of enhancing concentration and increasing one’s sense of joy and accomplishment.
This plate by Maryam Khuchbarova probably took hours to create but what enjoyable hours they must have been! We often find this type of work impressive because we know what an incredible amount of time and patience must have gone into it. I, personally, find this plate even more impressive than the more common mandala dotillism because the painting is so well-balanced and the patterns have been so consistently applied, even without the central set of radiating guidelines commonly used in mandala painting.
I guess the takeaway here is that if you are looking at doing work that seems to have a time-consuming or tedious repetitive process, don’t shy away from it or dread it. Not only is that kind of work impressive, the process of creating in that way can make you feel pretty darn good!
If you like this kind of work, take a look at Maryam’s Instagram page and check out Elspeth’s work and her new book here.
Read MoreThis week, we’ve looked at work that showed a couple of artists pushing themselves in form and repetition. The use of repetition can have an exciting and energized look or it can be calm and grounding. But for the artist creating it, it is often a doorway to the sometimes elusive state of what is often referred to as flow. It’s that time when you are so enthralled and engrossed by what you are doing that you completely lose track of time, of where you are, and sometimes what exactly you are doing. It’s a fantastic state to reach because it means that the work you are doing is satisfying your many sides. This kind of work is challenging enough to keep your attention, interesting enough to basically mesmerize you, but is not frustrating or tedious so you can relax and enjoy the process.
This little bit of insanity you see here is just such a process for Elspeth McLean, an Australian living in Canada and a self-proclaimed “Dotillism” artist. According to an article published on the Mother Nature Network, creating art is her form of meditation and these mandala stones are at the heart of that process for her. The joy and dedication she gets from her work is so readily apparent that the poor girl is overrun with requests for these beautiful stones.
Images of these stones went viral recently, and now Elspeth has been forced to do something rather different from most Etsy sellers–she releases the sale of her stones only on certain days and during certain hours, just a couple of times a month, with many selling instantly and all selling out, it appears, within the day. What a problem to have! The colorful and zen-like beauty of the stones can also be found in her dotillism paintings. However, there is something to the centered patterns of the mandala stones that really draws your eye and pulls at something deeply rooted in all of us. And for those of you that cane, does this not spark some ideas?
To see the short article and all the wonderful photos of her stones, go to this page on MNN.com. You can admire her illustrations and photographs of her work artfully placed in nature on her website and, of course, in her Etsy shop.
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/dotted-mandala-stones-reveal-artist-vibrant-life
___________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
___________________________________________
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