I am a meditative magpie. I have always been drawn to gem colours: sapphire blue, lapis lazuli, emerald green, amethyst purple, ruby red and silver.

I began drawing regularly as an adult while on stress leave from work. At the adult colouring books and zen tangles were popular and I took up these hobbies. I bought a mandala colouring book but soon became bored of colouring other people’s drawings. I started drawing my own images to colour with alcohol ink art markers.

As I was starting to create mandalas, I was also exploring mental health through meditation. Through a journey of meditation practice, classes and reading, I came to realize I was a Buddhist atheist but I have also embraced a medicine Buddha practice with a simplified mantra repeated with the help of a lapis lazuli coloured Mala.

My drawings always start the same. A square piece of paper, pencil, ruler and compass. 0nce the base drawing is complete, I use a pencil to create the composition of many repeating patterns. The main pattern is then outlined in fineliner markers which also blocks out the main colours. All the pencil lines are then erased as the alcohol ink is transparent. I block in the main colours. I then do the fine fill where work with metallic markers. I hope that the viewer sees the beauty in the piece as I do.