This is the first of six paintings in this Series. When I began painting it I was just beginning to experiment with the idea of using a Process of some kind to form the images of Chaos. I was not satisfied at all about where it was going so I set it aside and started on Mandala #2. I came back to Mandala #1 after finishing Mandala #5. You can see that the bas-relief elements were much simpler in this one and became progressively more complex as the Series developed.
This was really a break through painting in developing the approach for the Process, as I call it; what forms the images of the Chaos. You can see the results not only in the yellow space-shape but also in the white over blue at the top of the painting. I also tried a different space-division configuration in the underlying base. This is the only one of the Series that has a different space-division configuration than the others. I decided to return to the same one as in Mandala #1 and use it for the remaining four paintings in the Series. You can compare the Chaos in this one with the next three in the Series where I used the same Process (yellow over red) but got different results.
You can see the increase in complexity in the Structure. I also experimented with using some solid, uniform colors in some of the space divisions. I often use Light Blue Violet symbolically to represent the "human spirit."
With the Structure again increasing in complexity, I decided that I would try using the same Chaos Process of yellow over red throughout the whole painting yet reveal the individual space-shapes in the structural configuration.
In this painting, besides the increase in complexity of the Structure, I also increased the complexity of the Chaos. In many of the space-shapes I made some different adjustments to Process exploring different visual effects. This is probably the most complex combination in the Series to this point.
As far as "illusions" go, this one is filled with them. This one of the Series was painted after I went back and completely repainted Mandala #1 as well as after I painted "Einstein's Prism." This is the only one in the Series that uses Chaos in the "field" with the white over black.
This is the structure/platform for Mandala #6 with a coating of Gesso>