Origin of Golden Petals

The origin here is the half-mandala on the left, dense with petals, teardrops and dotwork in black fineliner. From its edge, five-petalled frangipani spill out across the gold and down the page, each with yellow at the heart, pink at the tips and a fine blue outline, as if the pattern were shedding its petals into the world.

Frangipani, known in many Indian homes as champa or the temple flower, is often planted near shrines and used in offerings for its fragrance. Gold adds a sense of the sacred and of abundance, echoing Anusuya's idea of a source from which all beauty grows. The diagonal sweep from mandala to flowers gives the composition a movement that a single circle cannot, drawing the eye from one corner of the sheet to the other. It is one of the most decorative, celebratory pieces in the Space series.