“Mandala Universes,” a collection of new ink drawings by Scott MacNeill, opens at Bridge Street Coffee Shop, 25 Bridge St., Lambertville, N.J., Friday, May 3, with a reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
After last year’s (almost) sold-out Mandala Show at Bucks on Bridge, MacNeill has returned with a new collection of unique drawings based on the mandala form. The show will be on view every day during May.
The word mandala comes from the ancient Sanskrit language meaning “circle” or “cosmogram.” A mandala is a piece of art, which is usually presented as a series of patterns within a symmetrically circular geometric shape.
The mandala form can be found in the visual histories of all peoples, in all religions, in all cultures, all around the world. The mandala historically was used as a sacred image, one that can serve as a home for deities, visualize universal spiritual forces and as a meditative road map to other worlds and higher consciousness.
MacNeill has been exploring the mandala form on paper over the past year. The drawing process begins with the center of the paper and MacNeill adds each outward circle of elements as he progresses. Each one of the unique drawing takes from four to more than nine hours to complete, using Stabler and Macron colored pens.
A longtime Lambertville resident, MacNeill, is a professional illustrator by trade and a fine artist by necessity. His illustrations have been published and seen around the world. He is also known as The Chair(s) Guy for his “Adventures in Drawing - The Chair Series” and for his chalk drawing on the sidewalks throughout Lambertville. His work can be seen on social media.
