Mandalas in Glass – a Healing Journey

Karen Wilson, a kiln formed glass artist and teacher, who started her glass journey at the Art Glass Center at Glen Echo in 2009, shortly after she finished treatment for breast cancer. A week after finishing that treatment her husband died suddenly and unexpectedly. As part of her own healing journey she turned to meditation, qigong and glass art. She retired after a long career as an attorney in 2017, creating a large home studio that allows her to create and explore glass art as well as her love of meditation and qigong. She loves teaching, learning and creating glass art by connecting and integrating different techniques and approaches.

Karen’s presentation will describe how these experiences led her to develop a mosaic like approach to creating mandalas in glass. She got the idea in India at the Taj Mahal, seeing the eight pointed squares on the floors everywhere there, as well as the many brightly colored mandalas in all of the temples. These mandalas incorporate triangle pattern bars and murrini to create designs using sacred geometry and color. She will share the kiln fired glass techniques used to make the components and the final mandala, and also the purpose and history of the mandala, and how it can be used along with meditation and qigong to guide healing and personal growth.