Transformation is Allison Petroski's record of a personal epiphany that occurred in a public place. The piece is a mandala, an art form in Hindu and Buddhist traditions containing sacred geometry and expressing the vitality of balance. Through the practice of Thetahealing, Petroski has spoken to hundreds of people, and the energy she's felt from them inspired her first mandalas, requiring 30 to 40 hours to draw. Petroski explains, "ThetaHealing works on uncovering deeply buried faulty belief systems and patterns that may be governing your life, providing miraculous transformations and healing once the nonserving beliefs are identified and released. It isn't voodoo—anyone can do it." Transformation is a representation of the artist's own energy. It required a total of 300 hours to draw.
Film by Stephen Blauweiss/ArtistFilmDocs
Near her home in downtown Saratoga, Petroski spent three months drawing outside on the biggest sheet of paper she could find. "It was a meticulous process that I hated as much as I loved it," says Petroski. Before drawing, she would state what she wants out of life out loud—Transformation displays the energies manifested from the experience. The result is an intricate, kaleidoscope-like pattern that evolved from a simple circle. Despite the complex drawing process, her decision to work outside was never a distraction. "It's not meditation like some might think," she explains. "Doing Theta, the energy readings and drawings, I have learned to go into and come out of that focused state very easily." She loves the company of others, preferring to draw in coffee shops rather than the confines of her apartment.
Petroski, who has a BFA in pottery, started out making average-size jars, which became the canvases for her henna- and mandala-inspired ink drawings. In time, Petroski felt that designing on ceramics limited her and she decided to make a change. "After switching to paper, my drawing skills increased exponentially," she says—which seems plausible after 300 hours of work. "Eastern religions started me on my path, but my work is more of an exploration of love, the universal and unconditional love that all religions are after," she reveals. "That's what I try to harness and bring into every mandala, and my every action."
Transformation and pottery are currently displayed as part of the "B&WX4" exhibit, with work by Loel Barr, David Provan, and Thomas Sarrantonio, at the Hudson Beach Gallery in Beacon. Allison Petroski is available for ThetaHealing readings on April 12 from 4 to 6 pm, followed by a reception at the gallery from 6 to 8 pm. (845) 440-0068; Hudsonbeachglass.com.
