My Celtic period, Trefoils, and a little Numerology...
This Mandala, "33 Celtic Trefoils", is a Pen & Ink drawing (the Original Artwork is 30.43 CM x 40.64 CM on Stonehenge Aqua Hotpress Acid-Free 100% cotton paper - 300 GSM - 140 LB) that I completed on 23 November 2020. It remains one of my personal favorites out of the Mandala series I have created.
The Trefoil is a Celtic symbol for protection. Each Trefoil in this Mandala (as in all of my other Celtic-influenced Mandalas) was hand drawn and each Trefoil has a unique knot. Of course, each Trefoil is 3-sided; triangular in shape… Here there are a total of 33 Trefoils represented. Why the number 33…? 33 (in Numerology) is considered the Master Number (the most significant of the 9 doubled numbers), holding distinctive mystical properties and the most profound intrinsic vibration of all; often associated with blessings, inspiration, courage, honesty, and compassion.
Carried further, multiplying the 3 sides of each Trefoil by 33 (sides) gives us yet another Master Number: 99 (All of the double numbers are considered to be Master Numbers in Numerology). The number 99 (and 9 itself) relates to the idea of completing one's life lessons, goals, dreams, and actions come what may...
Learning to draw these Celtic Style Mandalas is an engrossing and challenging endeavor (as are the Celtic Chains surrounding them which, needless to say, took me some time to figure out how to draw. I am attracted by their infinite patterns of weaving (under/over) as contained in each Celtic Trefoil and Chain. (Variations of my Celtic Chains and Trefoils can also be seen in other drawings and Mandalas in my Gallery). I might also add that the smaller Trefoils in this piece were considerably more difficult to draw as the space they occupy is more condensed and therefore had to be more tightly drawn (and inked).
(In 2020, around the time of the lockdowns when all of my concerts and performances were canceled or suspended and life took a dramatic turn for everyone…) I became fascinated with these Celtic symbols and ideas and went about learning how to draw them. As with most things at the beginning, the process of drawing these Celtic Knots and Chains sometimes struck me as rather confusing, as I proceed to make multiple mistakes! But, like most things, the more you practice the easier and better it becomes (learning from our mistakes is extremely valuable!)…. During the final stage of inking these pieces (for obvious reasons!), one must be extremely heedful while filling the negative spaces with black ink as one little slip of the pen or brush can mean it’s back to the drawing board! So the work proceeds slowly…
You may see several other drawings I’ve accomplished representing various Celtic Knots and Chains in my Gallery.