Dance Of The Spirits: Mandalas By Jon H. Davis

The life of a travel photographer is an adventure filled with the unexpected. Things can happen quickly, so having the camera ready to capture the moment is essential. A hippo that emerges off the bow of a Tanzanian riverboat will not wait and it’s challenging, and rare, to get the perfect shot.

Sometimes, when I feel everything is running smoothly, the weather suddenly changes and delays a shoot. I keep moving forward. Then slowly, the storm passes, the clouds part and the landscape is painted with an incredible light, accented by a gorgeous rainbow. This happened in Alaska’s Denali National Park. The beauty of it is, you never know, as nature reveals itself in so many mysterious ways. I am never at a loss to find even some small treasure through the lens. Many of those often overlooked gems become  the source material for my original process of “digital alchemy” and the creation of new mandalas.

Jon H. Davis embraces digital media, expressing his vision of people and places while reflecting his love of the natural world, ancient arts, and global adventures. He has been an avid photographer since his youth and after studies at the Brooks Institute of Fine Art and Photography, went on a two-year sojourn taking volumes of photos. While driving across Europe and Asia in his Volkswagen van, his adventures included kayaking in the fjords of Norway, skiing throughout the Alps, and elephant-riding in Sri Lanka. His photographs–including ships from the Indian Ocean, robots from Japan, food from Thailand, and totem poles from Canada– have been published in many magazines including The Robb Report, Body & Soul, The Hook, Spa Life, Global Rhythm and North American Inns.

In addition to his video documentaries and vast inventory of photographs from around the world, Davis creates colorful contemporary artworks inspired by Tibetan mandalas (cosmic maps of the universe). Working with a process he calls “digital alchemy,” he transforms his photographs and paintings into contemporary mandalas, incorporating elements, textures, and patterns from the natural world. These works are available in limited edition archival prints as well as on canvas, metal, and in digital installations. Davis is currently working on a new book of his mandala images.