I did not expect the mushrooms to end up being a significant part of this mandala, but there they are. In a rare moment of "content to leave well enough alone," I elected to leave the background a solid color, rather than fill it with more mushrooms or lichen or falling leaves or whatever. At the last moment I decided to give it better symmetry, though, and I think it is the better for it.

The natural shape of the lichen in this image reminded me a lot of the traditional Indian mandala symbols. In the following images, I attempted to expound upon that idea.

I also like this photo a bunch, all by itself.

The concept of a traditional-looking mandala made from photos, utilizing the natural connections between the pieces, became the basis for all of my favorite mandalas. I really like the way this one looks nearly natural - like perhaps the lichen just happened to grow into a mandala pattern.