Passion with Purpose Combining
A
rtist Jill Bergman’s ever-evolving art is as remarkable as her passion for Steamboat Springs. Her willingness to give of her time and talent has brought her to the forefront of the Northwest Colorado art community again and again. Among her most recent endeavors – yes, she has multiple community projects on her drawing board – is her participation in Mandala on the Yampa, the return of exiled Tibetan monks to Steamboat for the third time in the past 12 years. The monks are scheduled to visit Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 9-14, and the surrounding events include ceremonies, sacred dance, conversation, and at the center of their visit, the creation of a mandala sand painting in Library Hall at Bud Werner Memorial Library, 1289 Lincoln Ave. The public is invited to watch the monks at work throughout the week. Alongside the monks’ mandala is a community sand painting. Locals and visitors are welcome to try their hand at filling in sand atop the design Bergman created. “It’s kind of a weird challenge,” Bergman says about this unusual assignment: creating a table-sized geometric figure that is colorful, intricate and symbolic. “I tried to include things that make me think of our community – landmarks, activities that are special to Steamboat, wild animals – they are part of what makes our community special.” The ski area, Howelsen, the Sleeping Giant and Fish Creek Falls are included in the design. “I just kept going,” Bergman says. “I wanted the mandala to combine local icons, with the Yampa River spiralling up out of it.” Creating the pattern took Bergman a couple of months. “I am an illustrator at heart. I hear an idea and I get a mental image of it. It’s so exciting to get started from that point.” The community mandala is four feet across. Bergman began by drawing it full-size with pencil, and then traced it with sharpie. After that was photographed, she had it printed on fine art paper 18 inches in diameter and painted the mandala design with watercolor. 14 • Volume 16, Edition 1, 2022
