Elizabeth Zaikowski
Artist’s Statement

I received my degree at San Diego State University in art. I have done various forms of art, including illustration, ceramics, textiles, furniture, murals, sculpture, acrylic, and oil painting. I have worked as an artist at Sea World doing brush paintings for the public and as an art teacher. I am influenced by the mandalas of many cultures. Mandala is the Sanskrit word for circle. In religious art, the mandala is used to symbolize wholeness-the circle of eternity. However, the pattern of a mandala-a circle with a center-reaches far beyond a two or three dimensional art form. The mandala is a spiritual art form found around the world, from India where the term mandala has its roots, the sand mandalas of Tibetan monks, the Aztec calendar, and in the religious art of many indigenous cultures. Mandalas are a symbolic representation of the macro and the micro, what lies within and without. Mandala art has been used throughout the world as a process of self-expression, in the service of personal growth and spiritual transformation. The basic pattern of the circle with a center is found in nature and is seen in both physics and astronomy. Each piece created is allowed to develop in an organic manner, starting from the center and working outward, using a combination of airbrush and acrylic paints. Through my art I strive to create more balance in our sometimes chaotic world. Devoting my life to art, I believe art enriches our lives and spirits. Expressing the need for balance in life, my paintings are a reflection of the symmetrical nature of the universe.

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