The making of the Mandala garden.

In returning to the earth, I’ve found my way back to the natural rhythms of creating. Inspired by the ancient philosophy of the mandala—a symbol of wholeness, cycles, and interconnection—I’ve shaped an allotment that nourishes both the land and the artist within.

At the centre of this living mandala, I planted rose bushes: a fragrant, unfolding reminder of love, silence, and transformation. From there, I designed six concentric rings reaching nearly 40 feet wide, each one a layer of life—carefully mapped using principles of permaculture to support biodiversity, resilience, and abundance.

It’s a garden for materials, rooted in botanical lore—growing natural dyes, pigments, oils, and medicinal flowers. Inspired by traditions of making that honour both the earth and the maker's hand, I envisioned a space where the garden itself becomes the palette, where every colour and texture holds a relationship to place.

The art studio I built at the edge of this space—crafted entirely from reclaimed materials—is both a workshop and a sanctuary for this unfolding practice.

The biggest lesson? If you look after the soil, the plants look after themselves. The garden, like the creative process, thrives on patience, balance, observation, and deep care.

This is an experiment in slow-making—in cultivating beauty from the ground up—and in remembering that art, much like the garden, grows in cycles.