My work shows the elegance found in plants and animals. The natural world has always inspired me to create and learn from it. I have spent most of my life outdoors working as an ecologist. Through my work, I hope to instill an appreciation and reverence for the plants and animals around us, especially for imperiled species.

I use my original photos of plants and animals to create these mandalas. Mandalas have been used for centuries for meditation and healing by many people and cultures from the Tibetan monks to the Navajo to the gothic roses. A slice is taken from the original photo to create the mandala. Sometimes the original subject is recognizable and other times something completely different appears. I then place the mandala on a photo of charred wood, since many of the communities where these species are found are naturally subject to fire. They are printed by a professional lab on high quality photographic paper.

My current mandala collection consists entirely of imperiled species which are threatened mostly by human encroachment. Hopefully, others will learn to appreciate these species through my work and become advocates for their survival.

I have a twitter account - http://www.twitter.com/ecoridge . Follow my show tweets there.

I am currently writing the Guide to the Lake Wales Ridge Rare Species and the Guide to the Common Plants of the Lake Wales Ridge. Both books are technical in description, but with many detailed photos for the more visual person. I hope to have them completed within the next year. Please sign my guest book if you would like to be kept informed of my books and mandalas.

If you want more info on mandalas, visit http://www.abgoodwin.com/mandala/ .

Comments are most welcome. Hope you enjoy the mandalas.

Thanks,
Brett Miley, ecoRidge