Daily Times

Russian artist Anastasia Safonov makes decorative tableware that’s hand-painted with mesmerising mandala art. Her ceramic plates, mugs, and magnets are painted, dot-by-dot, using acrylic paint in a wide range of vivid colours and finishes.

In Safonov’s work, the central point is most often a small blob of metallic acrylic paint, or a perfectly placed pearl bead. From there, the patient artist meticulously forms the rest of the radial design with various shapes, lines and swirls. Once complete, her pieces are painted with a protective clear lacquer

Traditionally, the mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol used in Hinduism and Buddhism, believed to be a meditative and therapeutic process for the creator. The radiating geometric pattern flows from a central starting point and is said to symbolically represent the universe. Additionally, according renowned psychoanalyst Carl Jung, mandala art is a means of expression for the “wholeness of the self.”

In Safonov’s work, the central point is most often a small blob of metallic acrylic paint, or a perfectly placed pearl bead. From there, the patient artist meticulously forms the rest of the radial design with various shapes, lines, and swirls. Once complete, her pieces are painted with a protective clear lacquer. When describing her long and repetitive technique on Instagram, Safonov explains that for her, the process is “magic,” and although it sometimes takes her a long time, it “always brings [her] pleasure and thrill.”

Find more of Safonov’s colourful work on Instagram and shop her designs online.