Information:

Painted in 2023, later assigned Design index number 006 for the studio records, titled the Melek Taus Mandala.

Photoshop and Wacom Cintiq/Stylus

Artist Statement

The Melek Taus Mandala is an exploration of principled integrity, devotional focus, and interior light drawn from Yezidi sacred tradition. The composition breaks traditional radial symmetry by introducing a stylized peacock form that sweeps in an asymmetrical spiral arc from the outer rim inward toward the core, actively disrupting the static geometric field.

The color story relies on layered, iridescent fields of deep cobalt, emerald, and violet, accented by feathered eye motifs that open like apertures across the circular ground. Moving past conventional decorative wildlife motifs, the piece treats the peacock as an esoteric archetype of holy wisdom, Sophia, and the Promethean pursuit of spiritual illumination.

My background in esoteric study centers the Peacock Angel as a symbol of divine compassion that refuses passive obedience in favor of moral truth. The work functions as an intentional visual instrument, grounding the viewer in quiet resolve and reminding them that true radiance requires standing firm in personal principle.

Studio Notes for the Catalog

Few sacred figures are as misunderstood or as profoundly moving as Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel of the Yezidi tradition. When commanded by the divine to bow before newly created man, he refused, holding fast to his vow to honor only the supreme Creator. In Yezidi theology, that refusal was recognized not as pride or rebellion, but as the ultimate test of fidelity, rewarded by being placed in stewardship over the world. Tradition holds that Melek Taus looked down upon the suffering of creation and wept for seven thousand years, filling seven jars with tears of mercy that extinguished the fires of the underworld.

When I began designing this mandala, I wanted to avoid making a piece that read as a simple decorative study of feathers. I set out to hide this ancient narrative of divine compassion and liberation in plain sight.

I broke the formal symmetry of the canvas by drafting the bird along a sweeping spiral arc. The form enters from the outer rim and cuts directly into the radiant center, guiding the eye through a rhythmic progression of feather patterns and iridescent hues. Across Eastern traditions, the peacock fan is the emblem of spiritual royalty and Sophia: the illusion of worldly splendor worn as a cloak over the wise soul, while underneath sits the true radiance of the Hidden Light.

Technically, the challenge was balancing the saturation of emerald, peacock blue, and violet so the surface maintained a luminous, back-lit quality without collapsing into visual clutter. The Melek Taus Mandala is an homage to those rare individuals who maintain unshakeable integrity under pressure: an artistic testament that deep compassion and unyielding strength are the exact same virtue.