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Artist Lynsey Watts creates one-of-a-kind mesmerising mandalas

11 Jan 2023

It all started with a rock. When Lynsey Watts stumbled across a little kindness rock hidden in her community painted in mandala style she was instantly drawn to the design, the symmetry, the elegance and the detail. That little stone sparked a creative journey that has led her to pursue her own creative passions using Resene paints.

She began by painting her own painting kindness rocks with her children using unique Resene colours and leaving them around Hamilton for people to find.  Lynsey grew from rocks into larger canvases developing a unique talent for the pointillism style. She draws inspiration from nature and her experiences using dots and swooshes to create beautiful and intricate designs.

“I find my inspiration in nature. My family and I love being outside,” says Lynsey. “I love trying to capture the contrasting colours of beautiful flower petals, the colours and tones from a day at the beach, and the harmony and symmetry from leaves and trees in native bush.”

The name for Lynsey’s arty business, Purple Daisy Art, Lynsey’s business comes from her daughter, Daisy, and Daisy’s favourite colour purple. In 2021 her friend suggested she create an Instagram page and a small shop to sell her creations.

 

The captivating mandala ‘Carnival’ is painted in Resene Java, Resene Ballerina, Resene Smitten, Resene Hopskotch, Resene Pink Ribbon, Resene Unicorn, Resene Perfume, Resene Daisy Bush, Resene Black and Resene FX Metallic in Resene Aluminium.

Lynsey is now designing larger bespoke pieces for clients, sitting down for a chat with them first in order to understand their choice of colours and what they want the design to represent. One of Lynsey’s clients requested a mandala be created for their newly painted Resene wall.

“The art I create is based on subtle differences between shades and tones. It’s hard to recreate precise colour myself, so I use Resene paint to guarantee colour success every time. The bonus is, if I run out of colour, I know I can always get more of the exact colour as needed,” says Lynsey. 

“I use the colour swatches at my local Resene ColorShop to create colour palettes, the sample of which I pass onto clients, enabling them to visualise their new artwork.”

Lynsey’s mandala called ‘Autumn’ is painted with Resene Smooth Operator, Resene Fast Forward, Resene Tussock, Resene Persian Red, Resene Desperado, Resene Amulet and Resene Black.

“After confirming a colour palette with the client, we talk about the type of mandala they prefer, using my previous pieces for reference,” says Lynsey.

“The creation of a mandala is organic, its fluid and as such, no two pieces are the same, but I do like to create a small ‘sample’ pattern to ensure everyone is aligned in terms of colour and general ‘feel’.”

 

This heavenly piece is called ‘Highland’ and is painted in Resene Highland, Resene Black Rock, Resene White, Resene Palm Leaf, Resene Fringy Flower, Resene Mamba, Resene Cosmos, Resene Cornflower, Resene Cabaret, Resene Smitten and Resene Cleopatra. Wall painted in Resene Highland.  

Most of Lynsey’s pieces are created on wooden artist canvases and occasionally on bone or terracotta depending on her or her client’s preference. With a careful hand, she applies small strokes and dots of colour to her canvas to create colourful mandalas that give a satisfying symmetry and visual appeal.

Mandalas have been used since the 4th century and represent the cycle of occurrence, reoccurrence and existence. Mandala painting is symbolic of the universe, a circle that represents totality, infinity, wholeness, timelessness and unity.

The intricate details find you staring deeper and deeper into Lynsey’s ‘Monochrome’ piece painted in Resene Black and Resene White.

Lynsey would love for this to be her full-time job and is working towards this as a future goal.

“Making that transition is something I’m currently working towards, in the meantime, I’ll keep creating and hope people love my work,” says Lynsey.

Although she uses an array of Resene colours in her work, unsurprisingly there’s a purple in her top three. She says the colours she is most drawn to are Resene Java, Resene Pink Ribbon and Resene Daisy Bush.

“Individually these three colours are bold, vibrant, and strong, but together they create such a happy vibe, like a carnival in summertime,” she says.

Instagram: PurpleDaisyArt

 

‘Truffle’ is a beautiful piece with neutrals and metallics that give a chic and bohemian vibe. This piece is painted with Resene Quarter Truffle, all other colours are from the Resene FX Metallic range with Resene Aluminium, Resene Goldmine, Resene Gold, Resene Spark, Resene Extraterrestrial and Resene Pioneer.

Lynsey’s nature inspired ‘Forest’ mandala is painted in Resene Aluminium from the Resene FX Metallic range, Resene Ottoman, Resene Caper, Resene Amulet, Resene Fringy Flower, Resene Green Leaf, Resene Crusoe Green, Resene Palm Leaf, Resene Spanish Green and Resene Black Rock.

Published: 11 Jan 2023