Visit me in Hillsborough, NC at C3 Coworking space upstairs. I spend my days (many nights too!) creating and making whatever art I feel bubbling up from my soul. I start with wood as my canvas and bring it all to life with backlit mosaics. It is from a deep place of inner necessity I am bringing you the Icons of Transformation series, currently in progress.
Icons of Transformation Series
Currently on display, two of the Transformation Series, as part of the Uproar 2025 public art festival, now until August 22nd. Join in on this artsy scavenger hunt and visit any or all of the 60 art pieces displayed throughout Orange County. My pieces are located at 128 N. Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC in the rear parking lot. Look for a remodeled shipping container and you’ll know you’ve arrived!
Ephemeral Sands (Icon # 7)
Above photo taken by local photographer Kent Corley
Ephemeral Sands is a TEMPORARY piece made of sand, not fixed in any way. As with the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, this mandala was made with the intention of letting it go as a way of understanding impermanence – the notion that nothing is lasting, the cycle of birth and death – I am learning to let go through the making and soon destruction of this piece.
Watch the making of here!!!
Documentary link: https://youtu.be/9zX4N3CPtsI
The intention behind this piece is for the healing of all things. It will be destroyed August 22nd at 7:00pm. Geshe-La Yeshe from Kopan Monastery will lead the destruction ceremony. Someone bring tissues, I will probably cry.
This piece was months in the making, from preparing the sand, washing, drying, sifting and dying it, then 12 days making this sand mandala. It’s a labor of love, that’s for sure.
Note: I received the blessing of Khen Rinpoche of Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal in 2024 to make this special sand mandala. I trained for 3 weeks with their lead mandala monk to prepare. It was a once in a lifetime, Olympic gold medal moment for a long time mandala artist like myself.
Note: A 1 of 1, single framed photo is available through the Uproar public art event. Should this single preservation of the mandala sell, 20% will go back to Kopan monastery to support the monks and nuns – many part of the Tibetan refugee population based in Nepal. In addition, 20% goes to the Uproar Orange County Arts Commission per the competition agreement. Happy to support both entities.
And you may be wondering… How does one keep a sand mandala safe from the weather for an outdoor public art event? That leads me to the next piece…
Uncontained (Icon #6) – $16,000 + delivery + setup (Currently Available)
I made a mandala house y’all! Completely remodeled with electrical, AC window unit, spray foam insulation and finished walls inside. It’s the cutest thing and will make a great backyard office, studio or workshop for somebody.
Take a virtual tour HERE! And if you take possession before 9/15 you’ll get $500 off!
I took this idea from my overseas travels. There were a few times I was walking down a street or in a park in Europe and came across a random inconspicuous cube out in public. “What’s this”, I thought, stepping inside, only to find an art exhibition. Genius!
It took a lot of work and an army of people, both paid and volunteer, to help me get this across the finish line. Community really showed up for me and this project. Truly grateful to have landed here in Hillsborough, NC with such a supportive arts community.
The World Is In Your Hands (Icon #5) $2,500 SOLD
This piece is currently being displayed at Earth Yoga in Hillsborough, NC. Contact me for details.
Choose to Rise (Icon #1) – SOLD $6,000
Woodworking, epoxy, backlit glass mosaic, shou sugi bahn with painted stain finish and light box (4’T x 3’W).
Return to Self (Icon #2) – SOLD $11,000
This special piece, near and dear to my heart, was recently displayed in the Uproar Art Festival which ran mid July through August 12th, 2023. Check out this article from News of Orange County!
I had a team of people, both paid and volunteer to help me assemble and install Return to Self! And special thanks to Katie Murray for all she did in propelling this event from concept to completion. Thank you!!!
I’m honored to have been a part of the first annual Uproar Art Festival, and even more-so to have been voted in for the 10k People’s Choice Award! Yowza people, this is exciting! What an incredible experience to live here amongst a community that supports artists!
The Meaning
This 5′ mandala signifies Jung’s individuation process, or the return to Self; a process by which the conscious and unconscious aspects of a person become fused together. This is depicted in the maze, where three dis-integrated parts enter the growth path in the phase of disintegration (approximately 5’o’clock position) and exits the maze as one integrated whole in the identity phase (2’ o’clock). Phases of the mandala are related to ©MARI, (mandala assessment research instrument).
The journey to Self often begins with severe emotional dysregulation or psychological crisis which stems from the loss of, or separation from, one’s true self. If all goes well, one continues to follow their own inner light on the path of healing and expansion.
It is a choice that requires continual awareness, courage, dedication, and new action. Inner change is a revolution that ultimately results in a healthier, embodied, authentic relationship with Self and others.
Silence Speaks (Icon #3) – $5,000 Sold
Woodworking, epoxy, backlit glass mosaic, shou sugi bahn wood finish with light box – completion June 2023 (4’T x 3’W).
Meditation has been a huge part of my healing and helped me arrive to a mentally healthy place in life. It was a hard won battle fought mostly with myself, but that’s a longer story you can read about in my book Facing Freedom.
I love using the shou sugi bahn method to burn my work. I think it appeals to me as the idea of burning away any parts of ourselves that no longer serve us. When we sacrifice those parts it makes space for new awareness and growth.
Spirit Warrior (Icon #4) – $9,000 Available
The once, ‘wounded woman’ rises up from her own less-than programming and into a new form of herself, the Spirit Warrior.
“Now you are free.”
See the transformation of this piece on Instagram!!!
Stay tuned!
Did you know each of my art pieces has a secret message built in? Yes! Only the buyer gets to know this special message. It is my hope that, through synchronicity, the right buyer will be drawn to my work and whatever message is in the piece that they choose.
Completing this 12-piece transformation series will likely take me through 2025. Stop by the studio to see what I’m up to! Have an idea for a transformational icon or interested in a commissioned piece? Check in on my contact page.
Big love from Hillsborough y’all!
Eryn Donnalley 