"Star of David Mandala with Celtic Elements" (version II)
This “Star of David Mandala with Celtic Elements”, as a theme, went through a few transformations; the version above is my “final version” (and the second completed drawing). I wasn’t completely satisfied (not that I ever am!) with the first drawing (as shown below in the Gallery of 4; after the first version drawing). There were some inking mistakes (at least I think so) in the first drawing (after taking the photograph that appears first; on the left, in the Gallery below.
I decided to start again; changing some details. In the first version, there were spirals drawn which I felt wasn’t really what I wanted… In the above (final version) I like the idea of the “Ring of Fire” around the Celtic Trefoils that came to mind. The thousands of dots (or is it just hundreds?) also give a certain contrast to the image. Inking this Mandala was a slow and labor-intensive process. Drawing the trefoils in such a confined little triangular space is a delicate task! Of course, I started the layout drawing very lightly in pencil, as everything is hand-drawn (this is especially important for the outer Celtic Chain and Trefoils which require adjustments before finally inking). I decided to repeat the outer Celtic Chain’s pattern (as in the first version below) of alternating brake lines; creating 16 visible groups; infinitely connected.
Historically the symbol; the Star of David, originated in antiquity and was not limited to use by Jews. Like the five-pointed star, it served as a magical sign or as a decoration. Likewise, Celtic symbols; such as the Trefoils (a symbol of protection) are ancient symbols, and the idea came to mind to combine these ideas into one image. One of the main features in Celtic design is the under-over weaving, which is also here present in the image of the Star of David.
in this Gallery of four; from left to right is, first, my original drawing (version I) followed by the more complete version with black fill-in, and then two color versions.