Residents and visitors can experience the healing power of art by viewing the mandala collection by local artist and Bird Rock Art Guild member Kyle Bowen, whose work is currently showing at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters through the middle of June. Bowen, 22, is an avid surfer and instructor at ARTS — A Reason to Survive, a local nonprofit that believes visual, performing and literary arts can literally transform lives — especially those of kids. Bowen said he loved to draw and paint since he was a child, but really became passionate about his artwork after a traumatic brain injury while skateboarding. After the accident, his perception of reality began to change dramatically, prompting paranoia and fear of things that didn’t used to scare him. It was then that he turned to drawing and painting as his own form of art therapy. Over time, things began to change — this time for the better. Along with his mom’s homeopathic remedies and the help of a friend who became a sort of spiritual guide, he began to heal. His healing process, as well as his art, took an even more spiritual turn when he received a gift from his grandmother: two books, “Man and His Symbols” by Carl Jung and “Divine Forces” by Paul Heusenstamm. The books inspired him to make his own mandalas — “circle,” in Sanskrit, which are commonly used in Buddhist and Hindu sacred art. Bowen started painting the circular designs on smooth rocks, and once he started, he couldn’t stop. He painted hundreds of them, and as his perception and experience became more positive, mystical and profound, his artwork became more colorful and abstract, with deeper blending techniques. Bowen said he finds the power of the mandala is extremely healing for the brain and soul. His medium shifted from rock to canvas, and his art started to connect with viewers on a different level. The simplistic, bright, organic patterns draw in the viewer immediately. “If only I could have discovered this earlier, I could have avoided so many unpleasant experiences,” he said. “But I also think it’s really important that I had those experiences because it makes life interesting and tests the strength of my spirit. I wouldn’t change anything — even if I had the chance to.” Bowen’s mandala artwork will be on display at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 5627 La Jolla Blvd., until the middle of the month.