Lori and John Koley are a husband-and-wife duo who make wooden mandalas from their home in Mulvihill.
“We make mandala art out of plywood,” said John. “Mandala is a layered art.”
After what started out as a post-retirement hobby for him in 2021, the Koleys now sell their works of art at craft sales under the name Koley Creations.
Express Photo by Nicole Kapusta
“When I decided to retire, I knew I needed a hobby. I had always been interested in lasers, so I bought one and it has grown from there. Now, we do everything together.”
They started with a small laser and began engraving ceramic tiles. After discovering the thrill of engraving, John purchased a larger laser to cut wood.
“There are so many things that you can do with a laser,” added Lori. “You got to find what you like, and go with that. You can laser everything; you can do whatever you want.”
She went on to explain that each piece normally takes a week to be made.
They start by painting the plywood and then cut each piece out individually with the laser. Once the pieces are cut, they are glued together and left to dry for a few days. To finish the designs, they stain the pieces and coat them with a finishing spray.
“We use a UV coating to give them a bit of a finish. It makes the colour pop a little bit more.”
Right now, the Koleys are just using designs that they find online, but they hope to soon start making their own. If you have a specific design in mind for your mandala, Koley Creations will do their best to bring your visions to life with what they can find online.
The possibilities are endless for your new piece of mandala art. From animals to mountains, Koley Creations can do it all.
“If there is a file available, we can do it,” said Lori.
Koley Creation mandalas are also very light. John explained that he typically uses three mm. plywood, with the odd piece being made with five mm. wood.
Express Photo by Nicole Kapusta
“We make our pieces to go on walls. The biggest one we make is about 20” by 20” and is eight layers of wood.”
Since the pair of artists want to keep their hobby small, they currently only sell at craft sales. Koley Creations has one more craft sale left before they close for the year.
You can find them at the Indoor Christmas Craft and Vendor Market on Dec. 7 at the Gimli Rec Centre. If you want to connect with the Koleys about their art, you are also welcome to email them at koleycreations@gmail.com.
