Open Seed Arts

Spillover Love

2012-02-15T10:24:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was spent steeped in big love. A beloved family member left the planet, so we all gathered to remember his life and share the connections we had around him. Even though it often looks like people float near to us, and then away from us, the ties of love that bind us were evident in the celebration. It seemed fitting that the next few days would bring us Valentine's day.
By Monday I had already done my Diva Challenge before I started in on my calendar entry. I had unexpectedly fallen in love with the square logo presented in the challenge, so I just couldn't help but spill that love again onto another space (Feb. 13). When I did the Fengle heart on the 14th, I figured I might as well add some red to celebrate the holiday. I loved the feeling of the red pen (a Pilot extra fine Precise V5) on this paper, so I backed up and did a little red on the 13th. Then I realized I still loved playing with open boxes that floated behind each other, so today's entry was simply that, coloring the open spaces with the red.

The tangles in between were inspired by CZT Cari Raboin's calendar entry for Jan 7-9, (pictured here) that she posted on Facebook. I was so in love with how she changed the size of her tangle, that I had to try a little of that too! I first thought Cari did Tripoli, but then I thought it might be Fife, so.... the one on my Feb. 14th is Tripoli, and the 15th is Fife.

Thanks to a loving family, CZTs Diana Hirsch, Laura Harms, and Cari Raboin, and of course, Zentangle:) I love how love spills over.

Dillydally with Diamonds

2012-02-13T19:18:00.000-05:00

To dillydally is, by the Merriam-Webster definition, to "waste time by delaying." Yes, it was a day of delaying some things that maybe should have been tended to....like taxes or cleaning the basement. And it is, after all, a Monday: time to get moving. But it was one of those Mondays that came behind a rather large weekend, so it was a little tough to get back in the saddle.
I do make a point on Monday mornings to visit the Diva to see what she has waiting for us in the way of a big juicy Zentangle® challenge. This week's treat was offered by a guest challenger, CZT Diana Hirsch. Diana used her challenge to raise awareness for The Four Diamonds Fund.
Using the organization's logo as a string, and then using only diamond-esque tangles to fill the string, was a particularly challenging request for me. Most days, making a diamond shape just doesn't fit my natural rhythm. I don't know why it's so different than a square, which gives me no trouble. I approached the challenge with a ho-hum, since I had a preconceived notion of my enjoyment level with drawing diamonds. Thinking back, that sounds a little arrogant to think that I should know beforehand what I will and will not connect to before I even start! Oh well, not a surprise really. I have my story and I'm sticking to it (ahem).
The first tile I did was pretty simple. I wasn't into it for a very long time. All those straight lines were not doing a thing for my fun level. Wow how arrogant again, to think that the lines of my pen were supposed to entertain me. geez. ok. Moving forward, the magic of this art form once again took over, and I found myself looking at this tile in a more open way. The more lines I made, the more open I felt, and the more that little creative voice spoke to me about putting other little lines here and there, and where to put some shade. Hmm. I should have known this would happen. If I just shut up to myself about what I think I will like, I might just open myself up to something new and miraculous.
After the first tile, I was anxious to try another. I spent lots of time on this second one. And, by Merriam-Webster's meaning, and maybe some other people's standards of what should be done in a day's time, this dillydallying was getting out of control. I dillydallied and probably even shilly-shallied too! It was great fun.
Thank you, Diana!! And thank you, Laura. And also thank you to Rick Roberts for his post for the day, that I'm sure had something to do with allowing myself to see beyond my expectations, and move forward into something much more wondrous!

For Glen

2012-02-10T09:11:00.000-05:00

As father-in-laws go, Glen was wonderful. As a grandfather, the best kind. These are the ways I knew him. Glen passed on Tuesday and so was on my mind all week. When I looked at my calendar page for the last few days, it felt very joyful to me, although the week was laden with sadness for all of us who will miss Glen. I suppose that what came out onto the pages was the other side of the sadness... a gratitude and joy for the life of a wonderful person. Thanks, Glen.

I spilled my coffee yesterday morning, so there is a bit of extra color a the bottom of the page. It's my wish that we accept and appreciate the unexpected color that each day brings.

Really a Diva

2012-02-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

Every Monday morning I visit Laura Harm's blog to see what Zentangle® challenge she offers us for the week. Her commitment of time, love and talent is astonishing, as she has a plateful of stuff in her life that might make most of us forgo the effort it would take to keep up this weekly blog post project. For that we are all very grateful. Which is why it is with so much joy that I say, Congrats, Laura on being voted Top Blog of the Top 100 Teaching Blogs of 2011!!!! You rock the Zentangle, and the Zentangle community by inspiring us every week to participate in the challenge. Whether we post our challenge responses or not, there are hundreds of people who look forward to your Monday morning surprise, each one finding a corner of joy for themselves in the world of Zentangle. Big hugs and kisses to you!
Speaking of the challenge, below is my offering for this week. I was very happy to see that our challenge was to use Tricia Faraone's Sanibelle! I found this one just a few short weeks ago, and LOVE doing it. It was so much fun I did a monotangle first, simply because I couldn't stop once the rhythm started. I then figured I would stretch out a bit and do something else with another tile, so I did Sanibelle around a loop string, and filled the middle with a Baton variation. The shading on Sanibelle is also super fun...

Thanks, Laura and thank you Tricia for sharing your beautiful and playful tangle with us.

Koolapopper/Footlites Fun

2012-02-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

February began with a lot of Koolapopper, Sandra Strait's new tangle. It 'popped' up at the exact time I wanted to begin my daily tangle on the calendar, so I gave it a whirl. The instructions are easy, although I found that I needed to look at the steps each time I did it, as I'm not one to retain the steps when I'm in the groove of drawing the actual lines. It was tons of fun, and I added lines after the basic pattern was put down, sending my brain into all sorts of fun little what ifs, especially when it comes to interconnecting between string sections. I couldn't stop doing this so I did the whole page with this tangle.

I also added one I call Footlites at the bottom. The steps to this one haven't been published, so this seems like as good a time as any.

Thanks, Sandra for a really fun three days!!!

Fresh Eyes

2012-02-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

When I designed the Tangle-a-Day calendar, I added some of my own art, mostly because my friends told me I should. I wanted to have big blocks of blank tangling space, but my friends won out.
At the end of January, two thirds of the calendar page is taken up by a big blob of Inapod, with one little square for the day of January 31. Laura Harms had hers finished before mine, and it was so cool that she just extended the already tangled space into her blank one, making it all one big piece of art. Check it out in her Flickr post here. Also check out what Donna Jeanne Koepp did with her page here. What they did was so much fun, that I get very inspired to get mine up to date. I added lots of bubbles to connect my old with my new, and did a variation of Margaret Bremner's Dansk, that sort of mimicked the Inapod.

Here is what the page looked like before:

Here is what emerged for me:

I was needing a little color in my life this morning, so I took the photo with the calendar laying on a painting of my kitties. hello kitty.

This exercise really made me realize how much fun it is to
1) use an existing piece of Zentangle® (or otherwise!) art to play with
2) find an unfinished tile one started long ago, and continue it with fresh eyes!

The Inapod art that I had done some time ago now had another purpose: to jumpstart more art! And my kitty painting: I didn't realize when I took the photo that I would be talking about 'fresh eyes'! It's amazing what the right brain comes up with when the doors swing open! See this entry (under the heading, Inspirational) from the Zentangle website.

Lefty Loosey

2012-01-30T17:20:00.000-05:00

I always love the non-dominant hand challenges. I don't often do it until I get a reminder, so thank you, Diva, for the challenge this week. I decided on Sunday nite to save my next calendar entry for the challenge. When I saw what it was, I immediately wanted to change my mind. I really liked the way the two previous days on the calendar page looked, and I was afraid I would 'mess it up'. As soon as that thought hit my brain, I knew that I HAD to do the challenge with my left hand in the last empty box on the page. I then figured I might as well repeat what had already emerged in the two previous days, to see what it would feel like to do the same thing using my left hand. It was a struggle about a third of the way through, as I had to gently tell my critical voice to take a breather while me and the joy voice had a little fun. Once I let go of the need to control the line, and make it as pretty as I thought the other parts of the page were, I was on my way to some real fun.
Letting go of how it looks makes me much more aware of how it feels. Loosening my hold on the pen helped me release the urge to control it. I went very slowly, not to make a great line, but to feel the line as it emerged from my pen. I love the feeling of the wiggles and wobbles. In seeing some of the other challenge participants' work, I was struck by how delicate and gorgeous the wobbles are. There is real feeling in those lines. Makes me happy to look at every one of them.
Thanks, again Laura. I have to remember to do this one on my own a little more!

Here is the whole page...

And here is the challenge section of the page... if you can't tell, I am in love with Tricia Faraone's Sanibelle tangle.

Silver Keepsake

2012-01-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

My friend Loretta is having more fun with her calendar, and I wanted to share. I love what she did with her niece's birthday! She told me she used a double sided tape to add the photo, then tangled around it. She found a silver Sharpie paint marker to accent her page. It almost glows in this photo! I love how wild Loretta is getting with her pages. This one is especially joyful. Having a good week, Loretta? Thanks for sharing.

Speaking of sharing, a Flickr group has been set up for those of you who want to share your calendar fun online. If I can figure out a way to do a slideshow here on the blog, I will do that too. Thank you all for the great feedback! I am inspired by all of you!!

Diva Week 55: Moebius String

2012-01-23T11:31:00.001-05:00

The Diva Challenge for week 55(!) is to make a string using the Moebius Syndrome logo. Laura's son has this rare condition, and she is working hard to raise awareness and support for this Foundation, including dyeing her hair purple (the foundation's signature color)!! Read about the Moebius Syndrome Foundation.
It was a little daunting to draw the string, so Laura provided a traceable image. I didn't use it, as I was up for the challenge of trying it without tracing. It's a little wonky but that's just how it goes (on Mondays especially)! I had fun with Margaret Bremner's new tangle, Dansk, and also threw in some orbs (almost exactly a year ago's challenge post) for healing measure.
Here's to you, Artoo, and your sweet smilin' eyes!

Tangleations: 2-N-5.... Pais/Hollibaugh

2012-01-20T10:10:00.002-05:00

Stuck (once again!) on what tangle to do next, I used my handy dandy Tangle Guide from Tanglepatterns.com. I keep it on my computer desktop so it's at my fingertips! (Check out how to get one here).
For Jan 16, I went straight for the first one on the list: 2-N-5, a tangle created by CZT Anita Roby-Avery. Anita's instructions begin with a pencil grid, but I like to freeform on this stuff, so that's what I did. I like when things are a little wonky, so this works for me. I show my steps to the tangleation below. Once I had the basic tangle done, I did a few more things to it. I had so much fun I did another one going a different direction on Jan 17. I extended the lines from the 17th into the 18th, and began a few elements of Pais by Mikee Huber, then added some Hollibaugh by Molly Hollibaugh, and finished adding the insides of Pais after the Hollibaugh. If all this sounds confusing, just refer to the steps below. I had so much fun with these, that I had to share the steps. (You can find the original steps to these tangles by clicking the links provided in this post.)
Thank you Linda Farmer (tanglepatterns.com), Anita Roby-Avery, Mikee Huber, and Molly Hollibaugh!

Purple Haze

2012-01-18T17:29:00.000-05:00

The Diva's 54th Challenge: Purple Haze. Read through Laura's post to find out why she chose purple.

Using color in Zentangle is always a little daunting to me. I rarely think about adding color. Because I love the black and white and shading, I'm quite happy to stick with that. But, the challenge being just that: a challenge, I am grateful to have someone nudge me out of my box, so thank you, Laura!
I began with a string of purple blobs, made with random purple watercolor pencils I happened to have handy. The color was a bit more on the magenta than purple side, so in the end, I added a little more purple, and a bit of blue. I was having a hard time with this one, and it seemed like it just wasn't finished, no matter what I did. I could feel myself wanting to overwork the whole thing, so I let it lay for a bit.
As always, just when I don't know I need something, it appears. I was blog hopping and was happy to see that Zentangle had a new post. Wa-la! I needed a little dark to balance all that complex swirling I was doing! All the shading in the world wasn't helping, but once I read the blog about the one third/two thirds proportion, I knew that's where the answer was: a little more black! It's still busy, but it feels a little more balanced. Thanks Laura and Maria (and/or Rick) for pulling me forward today. I might just try another!

Calendar Giveaway!

2012-01-17T12:39:00.000-05:00

If you're surfing around for more Zentangle® fun and some really great inspiration, you must check out Sandra Strait's (Life Imitates Doodles) review of the 2012 Tangle-a-Day Calendar. Sandra's reviews are always interesting and thorough, and full of useful information about different mediums and their possibilities. Whether you've been into Zentangle for a while, or just starting out, Sandra's blog always has great info AND awesome eye candy.
She is also giving away one of the calendars (signed and everything!). If you leave a comment and your email address (by midnight, January 22), you will be entered to win. Winner will be posted January 23.
Thanks for the review, Sandra! And thanks to all who have purchased a calendar. We've just printed the second batch!

Listen to your voices

2012-01-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I put some waffles in the toaster like any other waffle day. As I waited for them to pop up, I daydreamed a little, as I do most times I have to wait a few minutes. They popped and while I spread on some butter, the word 'honey' popped in my my mind. I hardly ever put honey on my waffles, so I figured I better listen. So I found my little honey bear, and as I watched the strings of honey drizzzle over the waffle, adhering itself to the patterns' highs and lows, the word 'nourish' came to mind. I thought about Zentangle's Rick Roberts (who is also a beekeeper) and how cool it was that he had "his girls" in the backyard that made them honey, and how many people were nourished by that honey. (Hmm... sounds a lot like Zentangle's own story if you ask me.)
I took my waffle into my office to have a little online fun while eating breakfast. As I hardly had scrolled my Facebook newsfeed, there was a post with a huge image of a bee (art by Amanda Clark). The friend who posted the photo had commented on the importance of bees and their nurturing ways, and how honey was a sacred food. Nice. Big smile from me. I then moved on to my Words with Friends game, and the first person on my list of plays had just played the word, 'honey'. Another big smile from me.
Now, as usual, I'm often not sure what to do with the information when it comes at me in this way. I just know I have to pay attention, and treasure each moment and what it has to say to me (or most likely, what I have to say to myself). All I know is that the next thing that popped in my head was to tangle Rick's Beelight in the day's calendar space. So in honor of all the bees and beekeepers and honey eaters: Beelight for January 15.
Thank you to the bees, Rick, and my own inner voice.

At the time I did the 15th, I was two days behind, so I did the 15th first, as the inspiration was so present for that one, then went backward to the 14 (I bought beads that day, can you tell?), and then Friday the 13th, the day I got my haircut (Enyshou is a fun tangle!). Catching up OR moving ahead in the daily calendar is always an option!!
A note about Beelight: The online versions don't always show the "sparkle" that you see on this example. I would encourage you to play with the 'sparkle' anytime you can. It adds a great dimension. Add some shading around the edges, and dang, it looks like it will pop off the page any minute!

Undine Love: Diva Week 53!

2012-01-13T11:31:00.000-05:00

The Diva (Laura Harms, CZT!) is back to kick off a new year of Zentangle® challenges. Every Monday it's a treat to visit her blog to see what kind of tangly mayhem she's cooked up for us to play with. She took a little well-deserved break over the holiday, and now we are all back in the saddle.
Her new tangle, Undine, is our first challenge for the year. I immersed myself in it for a few days, as there are so many possible tangleations for this! If you go to her blog and scroll down to the list of challenge participants, and visit all those sites, you will see that's true.
Thanks, Laura, and welcome back!

Jan 7-8-9

2012-01-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

There is something about having a space to fill everyday that makes setting aside time for Zentangle® a little easier for me. Time flies sometimes and if it wasn't for the Diva this year, and her weekly challenge, there would be some weeks that the business of life's other stuff took up my tangle time. This year's smaller calendar is making it easier for me to tangle every day, or at least every other day. I can carry it around the house and do it wherever I like. So far, so good. Below is my Jan 7-9, and also my friend Loretta's, who is using her calendar as more of a diary of events, where she not only tangles, but writes short little notes about something that happened that day. I love what she is doing and this week's about took my breath away! So here are both of our 7-9's...
Thanks for sharing, Loretta. I love what you did with the numbers!

Loretta's Tangle-a-Day, Jan 7-9:

Carole's Tangle-a-Day, Jan 7-9

Calendar Diary 2

2012-01-10T11:09:00.001-05:00

Having some yummy fun with new tangles. I was floating around the internet and landed at Margaret Bremner's place and saw a tangle that really caught my eye. I did some exploring and found out it was one of Sandra Strait's tangles, called Fohbraid. This looks like it might be difficult, but the steps are broken down beautifully. It's one of those that I want to do all kinds of tangleations to, so I'm sure this isn't the last time I will play with it (Jan 4). Jan 5, I was watching a Twilight Zone marathon and those wonky spirals were all I could do for a couple days. I know there are tangles like this out there, but not sure what it (they) are called. The background for the spirals is one of my all time favorites: Maria Thomas' NZeppel. I love how it always floats so nicely behind other tangles. Then for Jan. 6, there is Inapod, which I hadn't done in such a long time, but it seemed to continue the movement of the Fohbraid, so there she be. Thanks, Margaret, Maria, and Sandra (and The Twilight Zone).
Thanks to everyone who has purchased a Tangle-a-Day Calendar. The printer tells me we need to print another batch, so that we will!

Thank you, Loretta!

2012-01-06T11:37:00.000-05:00

My friend and fellow artist, Loretta Puncer, owns Gallery 510 in Dayton Ohio. This is the gallery that hosts my Zentangle® classes. It's a beautiful space with a wide selection of beautiful handmade jewelry, art pieces, paintings, ceramics and plenty more. I'm grateful to have such a consistently great space for Zentangle classes. From the beautiful surroundings, to the fresh brewed coffee and tea that Loretta offers the students, it just couldn't be better.
Loretta and her husband started the year with a trip to Chicago. As she left her house, she grabbed one of the Tangle-a-day calendars that I had given her to sell in the gallery. Here (with her permission) is her (awesome) visual diary of her trip. What a beautiful way to record the time! And later, as time passes in the year, she can look back and remember the feeling of being in Chicago. (Read the comment entry by Rick Roberts in this post of the Zentangle blog). Thanks for sharing it with us, Loretta, and thank you for being the hostess with the mostest for our Zentangle classes!
Happy tangling, everyone!

ps: she also brought me one of my favorite treats ever:
Garrett's Popcorn...mmm
... tangle time with a side of Chicago mix!

Calendar Diary 1

2012-01-04T13:39:00.000-05:00

A little (Tangle-a-Day) calendar fun to start another year of Zentangle®...

I have no plan of what will happen in any of the daily spaces in my 2012 calendar. Part of me would like to make a determination of some kind: use it for the Diva Challenge (always a good idea), practice new tangles, start at the beginning of the alphabet and work the tangle names in order? I love all of these ideas, but in the end, what comes each day is going to be a mystery, and I love that too!

I am now off to make a pot of tea, do some savoring, and see what appears for today's space!

resounding intent

2012-01-01T09:08:00.001-05:00

A Tale of Two Coffee Makers: Wait for it

2011-12-28T10:17:00.000-05:00

Your driving a car, thinking everything is just dandy, then you look at the speedometer and see that you are driving much faster than you should be. Speed sneaks up. We go with the flow around us and pretty soon everything is moving way too fast.
This is an age of immediate results, lightning speed communication, high expectation. (check out this YouTube clip of Louis C.K.). SO all this brings me to my new coffee maker. It's a Keurig, and since I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, it's little "one cup under a minute" function is really cool, especially in the morning when it's a little harder to not spill coffee grounds all over the counter, pour water on myself, and then, heaven forbid, WAIT for a cup of coffee to brew. Ask anyone I know: they will tell you I love my new coffee maker. I also got a new french press coffee maker, which I also love. But why would I use that one if it takes at least 10 minutes total to get a cup of coffee?
... because sometimes the wait is just what is needed, whether we are aware of it or not. I once spent a weekend with some friends. As i sat sleepy-eyed at the kitchen table, wishing for some coffee, I see that my hostess with the mostest is hand grinding the coffee beans, boiling water on the stove, and then we will wait some more for it to brew in the coffee press. There was a part of me that didn't understand this. Why would you do all that work and then have to wait for the coffee? I have to say, the "child" part of me wanted my coffee and wanted it soon! But there was another part of me that always trusts that everything truly is in its place, and that part of me waited with that conscious trust. What happened when I got to taste that coffee? It was a heightened sense of gratitude, not to mention an appreciation for all that had gone into this cup of coffee.. I could actually TASTE the love and attention. One of the best cups of coffee I ever had.
What my coffee makers (both the people kind and the machine kind!) have to teach me: sometimes it's efficient to have a quick cup of coffee, but sometimes it's in the waiting that we get to really experience the moment at hand. My new little Keurig will brew tea, too. But I don't think that will happen. For me, an afternoon tea break is just that: a break from activity, a waiting for the steep, a savoring of the flavor, and a mood of the moment.
Take a minute to savor whatever you are doing. Drive a little slower, sip a little more, tangle a little more deliberately. When you wait for it, mmmmmmmmmm.

As the days get brighter...

2011-12-24T11:38:00.000-05:00

Ring-a-ling

2011-12-17T14:56:00.001-05:00

A little holiday love...

2012 Tangle-a-Day Calendar!

2011-12-13T18:17:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to announce that the 2012 Tangle-a-Day Calendars are almost off the press! I'm expecting them by sometime next week (fingers crossed, maybe earlier?).

This calendar was designed as a daily journal for those who love to practice the art of Zentangle®! The 2102 version is much different than last. It's 146 pages, each page is 8 inches wide, 5 inches deep. The calendar has a coil binding (on the 5" side), making it easier to take this little tangle journal with you wherever you go. Each day of the month has a block (about 2.5"x2.5") to fill with whatever you like. It also has a few tangled spaces to jump start your tangled mind. The paper has the same feel as last year, which I love, and my Sakura pen did too! The other difference is, I'm selling them through the Greyden Press online bookstore. Place the order online and they will ship them directly to you. I am also offering a bulk price for 5 or more shipped to the same address. If you have any questions, feel free to email me directly. Happy tangling everyone!!

The Unstoppable Fife

2011-12-07T11:32:00.001-05:00

I missed last week's "Biggify" Diva Challenge, dang it. Instead of busy holidays, I have relaxing ones. I tend to do all the fun things I don't get to do when I'm busy with my graphics work. So my routine (as loose as it may be!) gets turned around. I usually do the challenge on Tuesday mornings. I go to breakfast with a friend and do some chatting and tangling. Even if my friend can't make it, I go anyway, enjoying a little time that I set aside just to relax with the Zentangle process. Last week, I devoted that time to a new project that needed a big focus. I took the same focused intent I use for Zentangle, and applied it to the new project: I processed my thoughts and notes just like a Zentangle-- starting with a 'string' foundation, and letting everything else flow from there. It was great fun and as I shuffled my pages of notes to find a good order, I felt like I was turning my tile to see what was there. Awesome fun.
This past Tuesday, I had breakfast with my friend, but there was much to talk about, so we didn't touch the Zentangles. BUT... that same day I had to get my car serviced and had to wait a good bit for it to be finished. I always carry my Zentangle stuff with me (see this post), and so I had plenty of fun while I waited. I played with this week's challenge, using the new tangle Fife, and could not stop. I kept adding the little shapes behind, then behind again, finding all the corners I could connect long after I thought I would be finished. FUN FUN!! Then to shade it was even more delicious. Finding all the little 'behinds' is like finding little treasures as I move around the tile, feeling each little mark as a world on its own.
Thank you, Laura, Molly, Jann, and thanks to the guys at the car service place for taking longer than was scheduled... It gave me an opportunity to see Fife in an unstoppable way. Hmmm. Now I am wondering if that has anything to do with the other project I'm working on...

Threading the Red

2011-11-22T17:26:00.001-05:00

I'm not prone to use color in a Zentangle®. Something about the black and white satisfies my little soul, so I don't often venture far from that until I am asked to. Or, in this case, challenged to! That is one of the reasons I like Laura Harm's challenges. I like to challenge myself, but it's even more fun for me when someone else lays down the gauntlet.

This week the Diva presented guest challenger, Cris Letourneau CZT. Cris presented a challenge to support The Red Thread Promise organization. So here comes the color part: We were to create a traditional black and white tangle tile with a single red "thread" running through it. We were also invited to send our actual tiles to be auctioned to help raise money for the organization.

I used red pen for my string, and moved on with the black. The red pen I had was a very bright one, which really shook me up!! Just kind of kidding, although it definitely wasn't the most comfortable color for me to use, I bucked up and had a lot of fun. (As is so often the case when peeking out of the 'box'.)

Thanks, Cris and Laura, for a fun challenge. And my tiles are headed your way, Cris!

TriShapes to Monotangle

2011-11-16T08:28:00.001-05:00

This week's Diva Challenge is brought to us by Sue Clark, a CZT from Loveland Colorado. Sue's idea is to use three shapes (circle, square, triangle) to create the string. The other element of the challenge was to "tri" tangles that we had never used before. That part was easy, as there are so many tangles popping up, one can hardly keep track. Enter: tanglepatterns.com! I visited this site, went to the beginning (A), and started down the list, adding tangles that I hadn't tried yet. This was fun, as I didn't have to think, just pick in the order they appeared. I love doing this! It gives me a sort of permission to not care so much about what I want the tile to look like, or what I think might go together. Not that those things are bad, but one can often get over-focused on presentation and outcome.
My string had many sections! So I used many tangles! (Antidots, Arc Flower, Archer, Asian Fans, Basketweave, Bateek, Bilt... with a little 'Nzeppel and Paradox thrown in, just because I love them!) This was a fun process: to just let go and fill each section without the worry of what the outcome would be. I started to feel very busy, and so did my tile. I liked how it felt, but I knew I had to do another tile to balance myself out a little!

During the first tile, I paid attention to which of the tangles I was enjoying most while doing it. Which rhythm suited me at the time? I settled on Archer, a tangle created by Chris Gerstner. I decided to do a monotangle tile: just using one tangle in all the sections created by the string. I used the three shapes again to make the string and filled them with Archer. Even though this tangle appears to be a "border" tangle, I mirrored it and then let it stretch out and attach itself to the Archers in other sections of the tile, connecting the ends of the lines to whatever was around it. Shading was lots of fun, as lots of shapes appeared that I hadn't seen when I just tangling the lines. And where did the string go? Hard telling, but it's in there!

Thanks to Sue and Laura for a fun challenge this week, and Chris Gerstner for a fun tangle. And thanks to tanglepatterns.com and all who contribute to it!

Got Galoo?

2011-11-11T16:46:00.001-05:00

Inspired by Maria Thomas' tangled frame ideas, I offered a Zentangle class that featured specific tangles that could be used to create personalized and unique photo enhancements. As I prepared for the class, with my library of trusty tangles in front of me, a new tangle emerged. This one was born in trying to 'clean up' a messy ink blob I had made while trying to do a whole other thing. This may be a tangle that has been done before, although I've looked around and didn't see it. So if any of you have seen it, let me know. I call this Galoo. If you like coloring in spaces, you will most probably have some fun with it!

Here is the detail of one frame corner:

And here are the steps:

Containing the Fun

2011-11-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

I little while back I was inspired by Maria Thomas' repurposing of a canister that they now use as a home for their Micron® pens. To store my pens properly in a horizontal position, I put them in a box I have to rummage through. Not fun, and certainly not very handy. What ended up happening was, I had them laying horizontally all over my desk, and once in a while they ended up back in the box. After seeing the canister idea, I was on the hunt in my own house to find something I could repurpose. No such luck.
Not long after, I was in Staples and found this square pencil holder that had sections. Laying it on its side (with some kneaded eraser dots to hold it steady on my desk), I can put all the .01 pens in one compartment, all "the others" in another compartment, and a pile of tiles now has a home in the lower compartment! I don't see this contraption online at Staples, so you might have to actually visit the store to see if they have them. I believe they also had a black version.
Now my desk is still not clutter-free by any means, but now my pens are not part of that clutter, happy in their new little home and standing ready at a moment's notice. Because one never knows when a Zentangle moment may present itself!

Pondering on the Poppy

2011-11-07T13:04:00.000-05:00

The Diva's challenge this week is about poppies, or rather, what they call us to remember. It seems the past couple months have been full of passings: people leaving this party for some other. I don't have a clue about how it all really works, although my sense is, that possibly, everything that seems to leave still lingers in some way or another. The poppies are a reminder of the energies that linger in our lives, and our connection to them.

The process of Zentangle also reminds me of these things. As one line ends, another emerges from the pen, connected in some magical, yet natural way to the space around it. Each line flows to where it pleases, and finds its place, relative to those that have come before it. As each tile is finished, it finds its place to stay, maybe in a box, maybe in a letter to a friend. Wherever it ends up, its marks and twists and turns are indelibly real, and the next Zentangle that comes into existence, is quietly built upon the one we put away. One thing just can't help but be part of the next. So thank you everybody:)

What Zentangle feels like to me

2011-11-06T07:59:00.000-05:00

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Bridging the Love

2011-11-04T10:13:00.000-04:00

I am a lucky girl.

Last weekend I was invited to teach some beading classes at Beads'N More in Akron, Ohio, which is over 3 hours away. (One of the shop owners is Estelle Goodnight, who is also a CZT!) So my other half, Daved (also now a CZT!) drove me up the road, and also acted as my 'store manager', as I was able to bring a trunk show of patterns and kits to sell during the classes. It was a great weekend, with wonderful people, and creative energy flowing all around. It was a special experience to be in a shop that bridged beading AND Zentangle energy. (Thank you, Estelle and Alyson!)

As I was keeping very busy teaching the classes, Daved had lots of time to sit and be still. There were times it appeared that he was doing nothing, and for the most part, that was kind of true. But as I watched him be still, I called to mind something Rick Roberts had said during the recent CZT seminar: To pay attention to what is NOT there: the open space. Very often it is the stillness and not doing, that brings us to see the next step to take.

It wasn't until the second morning that I saw what was happening in Daved's 'open space' of the day before. As I sipped my hotel coffee, and pulled out some blank Zentangle tiles, we began a chat. He described to me a tangle that had come to mind in that open space of the day before. He hadn't put it to paper, and I was seeing that he would leave that up to me:)

What happened was a tangle he calls Bridgen.

There are tangles a bit like this one, but what makes this different is the process of the sequence. For instance, in Tink, the circles are drawn first inside a string section, and then randomly connected. In Bridgen, the string IS the basis of the tangle. All of your marks are made one after the other, connecting right onto the string itself. (This part is fun, as path decision is already made.) Once you have covered your string, then (step 6), make the next circle inside a section next to, or far away from the last circle you made. Then make another "bridge" mark (step 7) to connect them, letting the new line fall under the line that is already there. This will result in a Hollibaugh effect, of items falling behind. Remember, the bridges can be curved or straight. Find your own rhythm: do you like to make a circle then connect? Or do you like to make the lines and cap it with a circle? Are you in a mood to fill up the space or leave some blank and open? I love how the process of a Zentangle can show us these little things about ourselves.

Thank you, Daved and the space. I've been getting joyfully lost/opened up in this one!

Spooky Little Treasures

2011-11-02T11:34:00.004-04:00

When my boys were little, Halloween was one of our favorite holidays. Super hero costumes were pretty much the norm, and the front porch was a mini-haunted house that even the teenaged trick-or-treaters thought was cool enough for them. These days I have my (grown men!) kids' Facebook pages to see what they wear on Halloween. And now I live on a dark street a bit up a hill that the little kids just don't make their way to, so it's a quiet evening of tangling for me.
I love how a life can ebb and flow into new spaces, just like a Zentangle. My Halloweens these days are like an open space to either fill or not fill, with whatever I like. This Monday, the Diva presented a spooky flavored challenge. A webby kind of mood took me over, so that's where I went:

Thanks Laura, and hope you all had a great Hallow's Eve!

Punzel Play

2011-10-26T11:35:00.001-04:00

The new tangle in town is called Punzel, and is a tangleation of one called Chainging. The Diva has presented it as this week's challenge. I was fortunate (along with about 100 others) to learn this at the recent Zentangle Certification seminar. It took me a little while to get this one, and I kept making my little horn shapes way too long! I finally got the hang of it after watching Maria do it a few times. I was thinking too much about lining things up to make a chain (a very left brain activity: trying to make a tangle look like something in real life). Once I realized that it was only about making a series of SHAPES, I was able to let go of what I thought should happen, and simply get into the rhythm of making those little shapes. Also, until I fill in the little black spaces, it can look a little confusing to me. Trust!! I find that if I trust the steps and try not to think ahead, it's much easier!

I love how this tangle can be playful and strong all at once. Its chunky parts are lots of fun to shade and play with, which is why one of my tiles is a lot more complex than the other. I couldn't stop having so much fun.

Thank you, Rick and Maria, for another fun and beautiful tangle. Thanks, Laura, for keeping the challenge fires burning!

Tangled Inside

2011-10-20T16:00:00.000-04:00

Wow, finally back in the Diva Challenge world. The last few weeks were a little upside down, trying to get all my work done before our wonderful trip to Providence for the Zentangle certification seminar. I would do the weekly challenge, but then never got as far as scanning and uploading and then writing. I missed it!!
I started a string on Monday using Flux (Rick-style), but got interrupted before I could tangle it. In the meantime, a new post from tanglepatterns.com appeared, featuring Margaret Bremner's tangle, Prestwood. This one looked like fun, so I used it for the challenge this week. I love this tangle, as its curvy lines were just what I needed! It got a little involved, but I think that was what was so fun! I also did this without my good glasses (I didn't want to tear myself away from the fun to find them), so it's very rough looking. But hey, again, it's not how it looks, it's how it feels! And boy did it feel good to do the challenge and actually get far enough to post it and link it and everything!

I gotta hand it to Laura Harms. I'm sure my life is only half as busy as hers, yet she keeps on posting challenges every week without skipping a beat. For that I am grateful. It was still there waiting for me. Thanks, Laura, and happy birthday to your sweet little Artoo!

And thank you, Margaret, for a fun new tangle!

Sparks Ignite

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

The planets lined up in such a way, that I was able to attend the Zentangle Certification Seminar (#7!) last week. Each of 100+ participants come to it with their own unique connection and experience of Zentangle. Some come with little sparks, and some come with big fires already burning. It didn't seem to matter what each person's specific relationship to it was. When we were all there together, the fire seemed steady and communal, as if each person passed a little torch to each other all at once. It's a very mysterious feeling, and as this was my second time to participate in a CZT seminar, I found it interesting that the same feeling was present both times. I can't say what it is that makes it happen, I can only say that it happens. I would go again in a minute if I could.
I was lucky enough to go with my other half, Daved, and my friends Peg, Lesley, and Angie. We all flew there together, spread out while we were at the seminar, and came back together in the end. Only this time, when we left and stood around in airports, we found ourselves shoulder to shoulder with newfound friends who also found themselves wearing tee-shirts with pen marks all over them. The only clean shirt I had was my new black shirt that posed the question: "Want to see my Zentangles?" By the way, if you have one of those shirts, be careful where you wear it: going through security at an airport isn't a good time to explain Zentangle to the person behind you who has suddenly read your shirt and wants to know what Zentangle is. I would suggest if you do wear one, also stuff some tangled tiles in your pocket for giveaways if you have no time to explain yourself:)
As I'm still trying to catch up on work after being away for a week, and words really do fail to convey all the wonders of the experience, I will, instead, post a photo that, for me, embodies the spirit of love, camaraderie, and pure joy of the experience. The seminar participants in this photo were at one time, strangers from different parts of the world. But every time I look at the photo, they feel almost like one person. This is the magic I feel from this art form. It's a connector and an equalizer. It's an art for everyone. And I am basking in some fiery gratitude.

An unconditionally beautiful reminder...

2011-10-03T10:53:00.000-04:00

Do not be concerned with the fruit of your action, just give attention to the action itself. The fruit will come of its own accord. This is a powerful spiritual practice.

Eckhart Tolle

In thinking a little about this, we could say the fruit (which we often call the end result) doesn't even matter. The condition of the fruit is irrelevant (is the end result 'good' or 'not good'). Even if you are able to give attention to the action itself while you are in the action, please don't get to the end of the action and then judge the fruit. The action can BE the fruit.

The act of doing Zentangle is the fruit. No matter what you are experiencing as you do your Zentangle, that is the gift. Whether it be joy or frustration, All of it will show you what is in the moment. No wrong, no right. It's just a moment.

Pinwheel for Peace

2011-09-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

just enough time for a quick post...Diva Challenge #40!

Redefining a Day

2011-09-14T09:39:00.002-04:00

Thank you, Laura for your lovely challenge this week. One would think after inhabiting this planet for as long as we have, that we wouldn't need reminders of the power of love, but we do.
Love and fear. It's been said that there are only these two things. The anniversary of 9/11 brings either or both to the fore. As I watched tv, and read the Facebook posts of the day, I was struck by the amount of sadness and loss of 9/11 ten years ago. But also, on Sunday, I was fortunate enough to get a real reminder of what a day can mean: our young friends welcomed their first baby. It occurred to me, the possible cloud that our new little friend, Eva, might carry. Sometimes when a person is born on a day marked by tragedy, that energy can "get on" a person. I'm wondering if we shift our perspective to a love-based one, how that could change the meaning of a day.
On Sunday, I tangled a gift for little Eva Jolie. When Laura posted our challenge the next day, it felt like I had already participated in the challenge. When I finally got to see and hold little Eva yesterday, everyone in the room talked about the possibility that she could change the meaning of the day for all of us there. That's a start, yes? Can such a sweet and tiny little being pull it off? I have no doubts. She already has. We can be the change we wish to see.

Thank you, Laura and little Eva Jolie!

Tangled Toms

2011-09-12T15:55:00.000-04:00

I'm in love. I've admired from afar, having only the internet to dance around my desires. I played with the idea of meeting in person, but the planets just hadn't lined up that way yet. One day, a server in a restaurant introduced me to her favorite, which gave me the inspiration to pursue my intuitive hunches. I found a place where I could try my sweeties on for size. The only one that seemed to work was a lovely bicolor, which I secretly really wanted, but didn't think it would be appropriate in all situations. Because I'm a sucker for black and white, and especially stripes, was hoping they would do. Once I slipped into it, there was no longer a question. The love was real and everything about it was perfect: comfortable, cute, unpretentious, straight forward.

If you've not tried on a pair of TOMS shoes, I suggest you at least find a shoe store and do that. And if you've never hear of TOMS shoes, here is a link to tell you all about it. They have great shoes and a great story. Once I knew what size would fit me (I found them true to size for me, some say get a half size smaller, as they are likely to stretch), I ordered another pair (ok, two pair) from toms.com. I ordered a basic black, and a natural canvas, to tangle, of course.....

I used a Micron .03 and a regular graphite pencil (softer lead works best). I tried a .05, but the ink seemed to skip over the canvas instead of actually coloring it. I will probably make some of the areas a little darker, but then again, I'm too anxious to start wearing them, so maybe not. I sprayed it with some Krylon, but will have to hunt down some Scotchgard™ or something similar. Anyone with any suggestions, please chime in! I loved how easy these were to tangle, and I love that they ended up looking like a Zentangle I would do on a tile, with all the line differences and pencil shadows.
I am in love. Never had a shoe that was more comfortable (Minnetonkas are really nice!), and I know that if I HAVE to wear something else, I will. Otherwise, Toms are now my go-to shoe!

Art is for Everyone

2011-09-09T22:18:00.000-04:00

A new little restaurant called Amicis opened in our city (Kettering, Ohio) a couple months ago. One of their commitments is to feature a local artist's work each month. They get fun stuff on their walls, and they also get to help out artists in the area who want to show or sell their work. I offered up Zentangle, and they said, 'cool!'
I had a few large Zentangle inspired pieces, and lots of actual Zentangle tiles (LOTS of those). Most of my larger items were already framed, but the smaller pieces were not. Framing is expensive, and it's really hard to find nice frames that will fit a Zentangle tile. So I asked my friend and framer, Dave Crowell (Framin' Dave as we like to call him) to help me out. We worked out a deal where he made frames from his short pieces, and I agreed to just buy whatever he made. I loved the idea of getting a bunch of random frames to play with. And because Dave knows all about what Zentangle is, I trusted that he would give me frames that would work. What fun it was to pick up boxes of these babies and then match them up with my little army of Zentangle tiles! I framed about 40 of the tiles altogether. Not all of them are in the show, but most are.

As many of you know, I borrowed Laura Harms' Zentangle Challenge one week and asked participants to send me their challenge tiles. I wanted to feature these as part of the show. I thought the best way to show what Zentangle is (in my mind, it is art for everyone!) would be to show the beauty and diversity in lots of different tiles done by lots of different people. You all were amazing!! I received 60 tiles from people all over the world! It was a thrill to get the mail every day- so many beautiful tiles! I had seen many of them already online, and to see them in 'real life' was like I was meeting the person who created it, and feeling them with me. Putting them all together was like the online Zentangle community coming to life right before me. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your beautiful contributions.
To display this lovely community of tiles, I found a slide-in frame strip that is used for displaying 4x6 photos. They were inexpensive and each 18" strip held 5 tiles very nicely, although I did have to cut them and reposition them to hold the 3.5" tiles.

As for what will happen to the tiles you all sent, we decided that if people wanted to buy one, they could easily take it off the strip, and we will donate the proceeds to the local art non-profit, We Care Arts, who help disabled persons discover and use their potential through learning art skills. Once a tile has been sold, we slip a thank you tile in its place with the donor's name on it.

Thank you all again for helping me illustrate the beauty and fun of Zentangle. As far as I'm concerned, even though the show has only been up since Tuesday, it's already a success because of its spirit and your participation. I feel all of you there, and I am grateful for that. Anything else that comes from it would be icing on an already yummy cake! (I did sell 4 pieces on the night of the reception -- woo hoo!)

Pair o' ducks

2011-09-09T11:18:00.000-04:00

I missed last week's Diva challenge. I started a few tiles, but that's as far as it went. Some days and weeks are just like that. Sometimes the challenge is actually getting to do the challenge. It felt a little funny not to get to it. Having it not happen, I became aware of the ritual it has become for me. It's a gift I give myself each week. Even though I can sit and tangle anytime I like, I forget that I don't always have to take command from all the 'shoulds' that live in my head. (I should get this done, that done, etc). It's a good thing to shake things up and move out of the rituals once in a while so I can really feel into which ones really mean something to me.
This week I made a point to be with my challenge gift. I love Paradox, but don't do it as much as I would think I would, so this was great fun. It's especially cool, since Margaret Bremner posted her very awesome Paradox "pointers" in her blog. At this time, I haven't been round to see what all the other challenge participants are up to, so looking forward to doing that in the next couple days. It's always an inspiration!
I am always inspired by Shelly Beauch's lovely spirals, so the first was a spiral filled with Paradox. The second was a very swirly string, with the triangles eked out of the sections. I'm in love right now with the brown Micron, so it had to find its way in there this week.
Thank you, Laura, Margaret, Shelly, and Rick Roberts, for the gift of Paradox (or Pair of ducks, as the Diva says!)

Back in the Saddle

2011-09-08T22:42:00.000-04:00

Hello, to anyone who is still coming to try and read a post on this blog! Sorry to have been away so long. I've missed a Diva Challenge, and everything! (that would be my first miss). It's been a very busy couple of weeks around here. I had the opportunity to show my work in two places during the month of September, so I just said yes, closed my eyes and jumped in! I figured I might just as well do both at once instead of staggering the workload. It was lots of fun, and sometimes overwhelming, but now all the stuff is somewhere else instead of laying around my house!
My jewelry is featured at Gallery 510 in Dayton, and the Zentangle side of me has work showing at Amicis, a new restaurant in Kettering, OH. The jewelry had been in the works quite a while. I had taken some time off from designing any original beadweaving designs to simply enjoy some peyote stitch projects. What happened turned into designing more stuff with guess what? Peyote stitch. I had taken the pressure off myself, gave myself permission to simply get back to the basics of enjoying beading, ONE BEAD AT A TIME, for no other reason than to just bead! Before I knew it, I ended up with over 20 different peyote pieces. Funny how that all works. It was only natural, then, to put them out in the world all at once. I'd never done what I would call a "collection" before, so it was kind of fun to see this little cohesive group of bracelets all coming out together.

Here are a few photos of the fruits of "Project: Peyote"

Tomorrow I will tell you all about the Zentangle show...

Challenge Week 36: Assunta

2011-08-24T17:14:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday morning I took my tangly toys and went to breakfast with the purpose of learning Rick Roberts' new tangle, Assunta. Learning this tangle was the Diva's Zentangle challenge for week #36.
SO... I got away from my phone, sat on a cool and breezy patio, ordered my breakfast, and began to follow the tangle's steps that were illustrated in the Zentangle newsletter. I followed the steps, trying not to 'figure out' the structure. That was a little tough. Part of my brain wanted to understand what I was doing, so I could do it RIGHT! But there was a deeper part of me that nudged me to let that go and just trust the structure that I saw on the paper in front of me (I had printed out the diagram from the newsletter). It was still a little daunting, as I lost my bearings once my initials little nicks were gone, but again, I looked at the diagram for my map, trusting that the road really would take me to the end. And it did. Once I turned down the voice of control in the left side of my brain, the voice of beautiful unreason in the right side became loud enough to follow, and to trust what my eyes were seeing.
I did a couple tiles before I got really comfortable with the structure and eventually, a sort of rhythm came around. I naturally worked small when I first began, and by the time I was ready for a third tile, I wanted to get into a bigger scale. I couldn't resist adding Puf to the spaces between the drop shapes, so having a larger scale would make that easier. This tangle reminded me of Cadent, and so my third tile included that as well, also all "Puf-ed" out. So much fun, especially the shading. That's when all the shapes emerge and things start asking to be out front or behind. I love that in Zentangle, you can decide what to shade and what not to. Because it's just a shape, and not a representational rendering of something real, like an apple in the sunlight, it doesn't matter where you put your shading.

I love the new Assunta tangle – thank you, Rick! And thanks to Maria for inspiring such a treat. If you read the newsletter, you will get the story on that!

Thanks, Laura for another fun weekly challenge!

Tuesday Tangle Breakfast

2011-08-23T10:55:00.001-04:00

Chai Spiced Oats (this was so pretty I had to post!)

Last week I visited my favorite breakfast spot for a little quiet time away from my computer. Amicis has awesome Chai Spiced Oats and it was a cool, lovely morning on the restaurant's patio. As I always have Zentangle tiles and Micron pens in my purse, after I ordered my oats, I pulled out my goodies and joyously tangled a tile. It was such a sweet experience, I decided to make it a weekly ritual. If I did it on Tuesday, the Monday mayhem would have passed, and I could settle into the Diva's challenge, or play with a newly discovered tangle.

Assunta and Breakfast

   I put the word out on Facebook to the local Zentangle lovers. I figured, even if no one could join me, I would still be happy to sit and tangle all by myself. Today was the first "official" Tuesday Tangle Breakfast. I had one tangle buddy appear (thanks for the great company, Tammy!), and the morning was cool and sunny. I had a great time sinking my pen into the new tangle, Assunta. Once my right brain wrapped around its structure, my pen didn't want to stop. Of course, the breakfast wrap I ordered tempted the pen down, but I can't wait to tangle more later today.
   One of the things I love about the art of Zentangle, is its flexibility. Whether by yourself, or in a group of others (even if they aren't tangling), it's unobtrusive and relaxing, no matter where you are. I'm looking forward to next Tuesday.
   Thanks, Zentangle, Amicis, and Tammy!

Tile X2

2011-08-17T13:54:00.000-04:00

Margaret Bremner, a fellow CZT, brings us this week's Diva Challenge (number 35!). She invited participants to first create a string that included a small square with a large border, then add a string to that. It creates a very orderly tile, with wild things happening in the space between the strings. I thought, since things have been busy round these parts, I would only do one this week. And I felt like I was cheating a bit by using two colors to define the difference between the tile and the border. But I kept reminding myself that the challenge and its "rules" are really just suggestions, just like the string itself is a suggestion; rather than something that binds my decisions, the challenge gives me the groundwork to jump into realms not yet discovered! So, while letting myself have so much fun, two tiles came about.
Thanks Margaret! Thanks, Laura!

Zen Mandalas: Sacred Circles

2011-08-12T14:27:00.000-04:00

Just in case you haven't seen Suzanne McNeill's new book, it's here!
Zen Mandalas: Sacred Circles Inspired by Zentangle®

Suzanne McNeill, CZT, has once again put together a wonderful collection of Zentangle inspired mandalas that will inspire you to get out your art goodies and get busy. As always, there are new tangles and new ways of looking at the art of Zentangle. And color? Lots of color! She also covers the symbolic aspects of the colors and shapes used in mandalas.
   I am very grateful to be included in the book, along with my fellow CZT, Margaret Bremner. Her beautiful work graces the cover of the book, and there are more of her goodies inside, as well.
   I've been a fan of Margaret's work since we met at the CZT training seminar in May, 2010. I remember looking at the show'n'tell table, thinking... "I really want to meet this Margaret Bremner person!" I finally did meet her on the second day, and little did I know we would be sharing space in a book one year later. I love the tangles of this life, and the strings underneath. Thank you, Rick and Maria for being the string!!
   I hope you all add this book to your stash (as I know most of you have every Zentangle inspired book that comes out!), and find the inspiration and gifts that a mandala, especially Zentangle-style, can bring.

Thank you Suzanne, Rick, Maria and Margaret.

The Harmony of Opposition

2011-08-11T21:06:00.000-04:00

Words just don't come around some days. But there is always a Zentangle to say things in ways that words never can.
My Week 34 Diva Challenge: Opposites Attract. I loved this idea: Thanks Laura and Christina:)

Pendrills Play

2011-08-03T13:35:00.001-04:00

It's always fun when a new tangle comes to town. This week, the Zentangle newsletter offered a tantalizing new tangle treat called Pendrills. And always on top of her game, Laura Harms (aka the Diva) offered the challenge to use it this week.
I love how this simple shape can grow and twist or simply slide across the page in a straight line. It can go behind, which is one of my favorite things, or stay flat, or end in a curly fashion, or not. Amazing how a couple of simple lines and swirls can have so much to say!
Thanks, Maria, Rick, Laura, and the lovely grapevine!

Let's Connect

2011-07-27T17:29:00.000-04:00

These past few days the news has been filled with reminders of how some people on a certain Hill are having a tough time connecting. (Don't worry, this isn't political, just an example of some human nature.) Maybe they should all just chill about 20 minutes for a Zentangle break. I got to thinking about connections and visualizing one side putting their stuff on the table, and the other side putting their stuff on the other side of the table. Really, the process of Zentangle shows us that there is always a way it can come together, if we just step back and see, instead of hovering, hanging on to what we think is “right.” All this observation led me to this little tile…

One of the things I love most about Zentangle is that there is something for everyone… like an art smorgasbord, where one can pick and choose elements, styles, rhythms…. It’s endless! If you tend to like a little order in your life, Zentangle provides it. If you need to get out of a box, Zentangle can help you do that. Some days we like to stay in the lines, other days we just have to bust out of them. The string in Zentangle allows both of these things at once. Here are a few tips (and also some visual steps) for satisfying both sides, and at the same time, connecting one tangle with another:

Make your string with at least three sections.
Fill one section of the tile in a tangle of your choice, staying within the lines of the string boundary.
Fill a second section that is furthest away from the first one with a different tangle, again staying within the boundary of the string.
Look at the two filled areas. Turn your tile in different directions, hold it at arm's length. (This give you a fresh perspective every time!) Find lines that have “stopped” at the string, and see if you can continue the lines, using them as “bridges” to your second tangle (see the Third tile below). The tangle, Hollibaugh is a great bridge-maker! Or use one existing tangle as the starting point for the new tangle. You can also have elements from your first tangles that can drift across the string into your new tangle.
Once you’ve made your bridges, use them as a new string and fill them with more of your favorite tangles, or fill them with the same tangles that extend from a previous section.

Tonight I will raise a little glass of something to connection and all the places we can find it.

Tuftid

2011-07-26T07:42:00.004-04:00

After sitting with this tangle's possible names for a couple weeks, the name Tuftid appeared, and when it did, it just sounded right.

When starting Step 2, start the fan shape in the center, working outward. You can start each line at the cross, or at the outside of the stringed section. I like to start at the edge of the string section and make my line toward the cross edge. Experiment with the rhythm of the lines and see what feels best to you. Make the lines straight or curvy!
It's also fun, especially if you have an intricate string, to connect the ends of one section's tufts with the ends of the tufts in the adjoining section.

This tangle is really fun on the new black Zentangle tiles (available from your favorite CZT!). I love the feel of these tiles. I used the Sakura white Jelly Roll pen. Because of the way the ink flows, it's good to go nice and slow and deliberate. This was a good exercise for me, as I realized I am getting faster with my regular Micron. Going slow felt really nice and I need to remember to do that more often.

Have fun!

Dancing with the moment of Process...

2011-07-21T09:10:00.001-04:00

Many of you may have seen this already, but it bears sharing again. The way the artist, Jim Denevan, describes his experience with his art is the process of Zentangle feels to me. Enjoy...

You can also visit this site for more photos.

Calling All Fairies!

2011-07-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

I've seen a ghost, but not sure I've ever seen a fairy. I think that once in a while my cats see them as they quietly fix their attention on something moving along the ceiling. There is something comforting about knowing there are, perhaps, little "sparklies" all around us, adding to our lives in ways we can't fathom. Life is a mystery and I like it that way! When you know you don't know about something, you can allow for all kinds of possibilities. There is no "End-of-Story", so the story can contain all kinds of elements yet to be discovered. (Much like the process of Zentangle®, yes?) Fairies remind me that this is always so.
Thanks, Carol Bailey Floyd, for adding your spritely spirit to the Diva Zentangle Challenge this week. What a light-hearted way to start the week! Fairies + Zentangle = wonderful possibilities! And that is something to celebrate! (See Carol's blog about THAT!)

stART with a string

2011-07-12T21:09:00.000-04:00

Thank goodness for Laura Harms and her guest challengers. Things have been so busy round here, that about the only time I get to tangle lately is for the weekly challenge. This is something I wouldn't miss. It's always a fun opportunity to 1) tangle, and 2) be part of a really fun community.
   This week's Diva Challenge (Number 30!!) is brought to us by Christina Vanderlist (aka online as stART). Christina challenged us to use our initials as our string. It's a cool idea, and a fun way to start a Zentangle tile when stumped by a string idea.
  I like that the initials don't always keep their identity, which is kind of ironically cool. It's fun to see the letters dissolve into the tangles. Seeing the letter as a shape rather than a part of a word, it's not surprising that it seems to disappear. I noticed that when I concentrated on the letter as an initial of my name, there was a whole different feeling when doing it, and a whole different outcome. I like the ones where the letters get lost the best. I also didn't realize until I scanned them to post, that I didn't sign them. I guess I felt like I already had put my 'chop' on it in the string. The first two started as block initials, and the third was a cursive rendition.
   Thanks, Christina, for a really fun challenge. And a special thanks to Shelly Beauch, whose Tripoli tangleation really inspired tile #2. And of course, thanks to miss Diva, who started all this hoorrraah.

Z Shoes

2011-07-06T22:16:00.000-04:00

A while back on Facebook, there were a few posts about tangled shoes. It's an irresistible project, so when I found these shoes at Meijer, I had to try it. (Here is an online source for the same shoe, although the ones at Meijer we much less expensive). They are made for people who stand on their feet a lot, so they are really comfortable and kind of cute when they're all tangled up!
I see online that there is tan and black. That might look really cool, too. The shoes are a manmade, molded material. I tried the Micron and it took forever to dry, so I sprayed it with some Klear Kote, and that did the trick. Once I realized that little snafu, I did the rest in enamel markers. I'm still trying to figure out how to do the strap, as it bends and cracks the marker. Maybe a shoe dye. Will have to work on that.

Week 29: String Theory IV

2011-07-05T08:41:00.000-04:00

This week's Diva challenge is brought to us by guest tangler and CZT, Sue Jacobs. Sue presented a genius idea for creating a string. Read about it here.
   I love this idea and will no doubt keep have my handy dandy string-maker nearby for those days when I need a jump start string-wise. The string is often the first 'hang-up' if I'm not feeling very "let-it-go-ish".
   I used a very thin beading thread, that had some curl to it, so most of my string lines were very roundish. I'm going to try something flimsier next try to see what happens.
   As I am often tangling at my computer desk, I had been looking up seed pod images on the internet. I came across a desert rose seed pod photo that immediately sparked a tangle, so that is the first tile. I don't know what to call it, so anyone with any ideas, please feel free to make a suggestion.

Thanks, Diva, Sue, and the lovely desert rose.

Trippin' on Tripoli

2011-06-29T19:58:00.000-04:00

Diva's Challenge week #28: Tripoli...
   I've been waiting for Tripoli. We could see it brewing for weeks in Maria Thomas' Zentangle blog offerings... a little here and there. Now it's time for us to trip the pen fantastic to create our own tangleations of this versatile (and addictive) tangle.
   I could not stop. I don't know if I even could say I finished one. The longer they sat around, the more I wanted to add and play. It's been a week of nothing but 'what ifs'. This is the joy of Zentangle for me. When the flood of 'what ifs' comes, I listen. That is my intuitive muse that whispers in my ear. And if I don't do what she says, she sometimes keeps at me : "add black" or "add dots". Sometimes I argue and sometimes I ignore her. But I am learning to get out of the way and let her be. When the intuition is rolling, there is no such thing as judgement or perfectionism. She doesn't really care if I finish a tile or not. She doesn't care if it looks pleasing or not. She just nudges each movement I make, allowing for one foot in front of the other... one stroke after the other.
   When I first began playing with Tripoli, I was worrying too much about something, and now I don't remember what it was. I think it was that my triangles weren't lining up into a very nice circle. After doing so many, it didn't matter. The more triangles I made, the less I worried (that is the magic of just making the lines). Once I let go, it was like knowing a song by heart... the pen just went. As you can see, there are lots of renegade triangles on my tiles, but these are the ones that feel like little kids who just can't stand in that single file line. It's ok. They just are like that. I also felt compelled to connect the spaces inbetween the triangles... and add a little Puf to one of the tiles.
   I just had so much fun, I didn't know how to choose which ones to post. There are quite a few here (and more I've started) , all of them feeling unfinished in the most appropriate way.
   Thanks, Maria, for birthing the Tripoli, thanks Laura, for adding it to the challenge, and thank you, Intuition for being so relentless.

The REAL Challenge #27!

2011-06-22T14:42:00.000-04:00

Ok, so apparently I was skim reading when I read the Diva's challenge instructions on Monday morning. It didn't sink in at all that we were to use two SPECIFIC tangles: Dex and Verdigoh. It wasn't until after I posted my challenge and started visiting other participants' sites, that I realized, geez, they are all using the same tangles! Hmm. I felt a little like I had turned in my World History homework to the Geometry teacher. So poor me. I had to do the challenge twice!! What a heartbreak:) Actually, it's like scoring two desserts in one day, so I hope you don't really feel sorry for me.
At first, I wasn't sure I was up for a grid tangle (Dex), especially when the frondy flow of Verdigoh was also in the mix. I wanted to get my inky little hands on that like NOW. But, staying in the moment, I diligently, and most of the time, lovingly, colored in all the little boxes of Dex. It was that exercise that put me right in the zone. Sometimes I have to squirm through a discomfort to get to the other side of the experience. As you can see, I had a hard time putting down the pen, and three tiles came out.
Tile number one, I created an Oopertunity when I made too many grid lines for my first Dex attempt (bottom right). So even though it looks like a whole other tangle, it really is just Dex gone awry. My pen was a little scratchy and worn, but I found it great fun to color in a scratchy, feathery background.

Another string set number two in motion...

Number three felt like it needed to start with a straight Dex grid. I suppose it was the curly-q other side of me that had to do Verdigoh in a spiral. I had lots of fun with the Sakura Jelly Roll white and got the tendrils of the Verdigoh to roll over and behind the Dex grid. I will be playing a little more with this!

The Diva's Duo Tangle: Triangular Travels

2011-06-21T16:30:00.003-04:00

Maria Thomas of Zentangle has been teasing us with triangular tidbits for a few weeks now. The way she makes them go round in circles has been a mystery to me, so I've been trying the triangles over the last few days.
   While playing with the triangles, and this week's DIva Challenge (#27!!), I was reminded of a tangle that Molly Hollibaugh (Maria's lovely daughter) showed us at the Certified Teacher Seminar in May 2010. I think she calls it Y-Knot. (Sorry, couldn't find an online version to link.) In keeping with the guidelines of the challenge – to use only two tangles, I combined Y-Knot with Hollibaugh.
  I obviously missed the part about using Dex and Verdigogh! That will be part 2 of my challenge. Maybe part of my challenge in the future would be to slow down while I am reading the post!!
  Thank you, Laura, Molly and Maria for another inspirational challenge!

Big Time Fun

2011-06-18T09:08:00.000-04:00

It's great fun to play with Zentangle® in a larger form. This Zentangle inspired art (aka ZIA) is about 8x12 created on a sheet of heavy vellum bristol 11x14. I might just make a visit to my friend, Framin' Dave.

art like a child

2011-06-17T10:17:00.000-04:00

If you are in a room full of kindergartners and you ask, "Who in here is an artist?", most of the children will raise their hands. If you ask a room full of high school seniors, you might get a couple hands.
   What if....
every child had a room full of paints and canvas, and each child got a hug and a kiss for the strokes they made? I wonder what the world would look like if that was our experience.
  A friend sent me this link about a 4-year old artist, Aelita Andre. You may have seen it, and if you did, it might have been in the context of how much money this child gets for her paintings. In this post, however, I'm just looking at what this child feels like to me as she is painting... with a beautiful intuitive and deliberate grace, she feels to me to be very connected in her moments at hand.
   Does she appear to be thinking about form and light and composition? Not in my eyes. Of course, many of the grown-ups around her will chatter on about her abilities to use form, light, composition, etcetera etcetera etcetera. And many will make assessments about whether or not this is art, whether her parents are doing her a disservice, or are out for the money, or if she should be using grown-up paints, etcetera etcetera etcetera.
   I just want to look at her face as she paints and dances around, to see what pure joy in art-making could be like. That kind of joy and confidence comes from trusting one's own intuition. We are all artists, we all have intuition. But often we listen to the world's idea of what is good or bad, rather than trusting our own path and our own sense of joy.
   When I stumbled upon Zentangle®, I could feel the potential of this art form to help anyone, regardless of skill, get to that place of connection and joy. By letting the lines of a tangle engage us, such questions about what is art, is my line ok, is my composition a good one... can all fade away until we are left with just the joy of feeling pen on paper and the joy it can bring. The joy comes from letting all those other technical art aspects float away. It's the letting go that is so wonderful. Just look at Aelita's face.

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” Pablo Picasso

Spirals Three

2011-06-13T17:11:00.000-04:00

What fun! The Diva presented the Week 26 Challenge as a spiral string. I was happy because spirals are my favorites. Anything that's round and round is gobs of fun for me. This challenge flows nicely from last week's zendala fun.
My first was simple: two interconnected spirals. (Check out this video by Vi Hart to learn how to cross over or "snake" your lines. It's fun and much easier than you'd think!) I've also fallen head over heals with my white Sakura jelly roll pen...

I'm filing the second one under: Anything worth doing is worth over-doing. I just couldn't stop. I'm not very excited about the outcome, but I'm still learning how to not judge the looks of something, but rather to remember how it felt to do it. It was fun and I felt really connected to the moment, so here she be...

I had so much fun with the intertwining that I had to do another...

Thanks, Laura for Week 26 of your awesome Diva Challenge.

Mo-Mo and her girl

2011-06-11T20:41:00.000-04:00

A little gift for my friend Monica,

who is getting ready to welcome her new baby girl, Mila.

Finding what you aren't looking for

2011-06-11T01:16:00.000-04:00

In a lovely turn of events, I found myself with two tickets to see Alison Krauss at Fraze Pavillion. It's a beautiful venue and I'd see just about anyone there. Summer night under the stars, music, people. It had been a while since I'd been there and was really looking forward to going. My brother, whom I rarely get to see, was going too, so that made it even more of a special night.
   The tickets weren't cheap and the concert was a sell-out, so what to do when, as soon as we leave the house to go, the skies open up and thunder and lightning clap the skies for miles. We sat at the restaurant at dinner, wondering and hoping and trying to talk the weather into changing. The tickets in our hands read 'rain or shine- no umbrellas'. Hmm didn't know that when we left the house with nothing but umbrellas. When the rain stopped, we figured, let's just go. Wet is not the end of the world.
   We found a good parking spot, and sat in our car until the second set of rainclouds passed over. Seems like everyone there was hip to the no umbrella clause but us. Raincoats, parkas, plastic ponchos were all around us. Wet is not the end of the world. As we approached the park, the lines were crazy. Apparently there was some trouble opening the venue or getting people checked through the entrances. We were drenched before we even got to the end of the line, which would take at least a half hour to move through. Ok. Wet is not the end of the world, but it's already feeling kind of ridiculous to be doing what we were doing. We spent good money, so do we stick it out and get our money's worth or go home and sit on our nice dry couch? Hmm.
   We decided to go home and start over. We live minutes away by car, so we thought we would get other shoes, dump the umbrellas, get our raincoats and just be late for the concert. By the time we got back, parking was blocks away, (I could use the walk!) and the lines were now even longer instead of shorter. The rain had stopped and the skies were clearing. The lines, though were not moving. The opening act was already on stage. Soon the opening act was finished and we still were in a line outside the venue. Every so often we would wonder if we should just go home. The only thing keeping us in that line was that we had no expectations of anything. Sure, we were looking forward to a nice nite of music under the stars, but we really knew that we were where we were supposed to be. Not that we even really wanted to see the show that bad. The most meaningful part was just hanging out with my brother, and just attempting to get out and have some other kind of fun than we normally have was worth the try.
  As soon as we finally found our seats, Alison Krauss and Union Station appeared on stage. Her voice alone was really worth the trouble. The whole band was great.
   About halfway through the set, the band took a little break and left one musician on stage. Jerry Douglas is the band's dobro player. I'm not really into dobros, so I wasn't expecting the next thing that happened.
   Sometimes during a live concert, I get distracted by all the visuals of a show. I often just close my eyes and listen to the music. There is something different about closing my eyes at a concert that is different from doing it with a cd. The energy of the music is alive, and somehow more crystalline in its delivery.
   As I listened to the sound of the dobro, it felt like a door was opening inside me. I couldn't say why, but I started to cry. It wasn't a sobbing kind of thing, thank goodness, but the kind of thing that happens when you're watching a movie, and it all of a sudden touches you and there you are with tears on your face.
   I'm still amazed that a night beginning with so much conditional mayhem, could come to such a place of such stillness and openness. It's like I cleared out everything around me and let this crystal clear sound be more than just a sound from an instrument. It became a thread to something deep inside myself and outside myself all at once. I just wasn't looking for that, but then there I found it.
   Thanks, Tom. Thanks, Jerry Douglas and his beautiful dobro. And thanks to all the mayhem that brought that one moment to the fore.

More Peyote FUN

2011-06-09T11:05:00.000-04:00

A couple more peyote bracelet designs... I am having way too much fun. And I am blaming it on Zentangle.

The Expectation of Order

2011-06-07T09:25:00.001-04:00

It's nice to wake up in the morning and feel like I'm all caught up with things I need to do. Once in a while that happens. On those days, I feel orderly and in control (mmm hmm.) In those moments when things around me feel orderly, it feels like a comfort and a blessing. It's like the feeling when my house has just been cleaned, and all is right with the world. I just want to sit on the couch and enjoy how nice it is just for a minute until I resume what appears to be the chaos of beads and Micron pens. Or the cat decides now is a good time to get rid of the hairball on the nice clean carpet.
   There are different kinds of order. There is order as in the big picture scheme of things, where everything truly is in its place. A big part of me always knows that. But then there is that self-imposed, 'gotta-get-me-some-comfort' kind of order - the one where I wake up and think I have it oh-so-together. That's my own narrow little view of what I want order to look like in my life and I often move forward with the expectation that things will remain orderly as long as I pay attention and stay in control (mm hmm yeah). Just when I think I know what my own kind of order is, I get reminded that it's just folly.
   This week's Diva challenge (brought to us by guest challenger, Genevieve Crabe), is to create a zendala (fusion of Zentangle and mandala). She provided a template, which is great, as the start of a zendala is often the daunting part of it.
   As it was much too early for the sound of my printer on a Monday morning, I didn't trace the provided template, but copied it by hand with pencil on a Zentangle tile. So long, Symmetry! It was then I became aware of my lesson for the day (day/life?) about the expectation of order. Because I had already bypassed the orderly symmetry of the zendala template, I figured I might just be asking myself to let go of my expectations of order, and let something else come through. What appeared to be chaotic on my tile (as opposed to the tidy and symmetrical template provided), would be allowed for as part of the big order of things. I gave myself permission to let go of my version of what order is.
   The magic of a mandala is still there, as it goes round and round, dancing from a center point and moving outward. Letting go was just what I needed. Once my coffee kicked in and I could be with the chirping of my printer, I did print out and trace Genevieve's template. But by that time, the lesson of expectation was still working, and lots of experimenting took place. I will savor the symmetry some other day!
   Thank you Laura, great idea to have guests! Thank you, Genevieve for giving me the right exercise at the exact right time! And thanks to Maria Thomas for inspiring the lacy fun on the second tile.

Off the deep end

2011-06-03T14:59:00.000-04:00

I am immersed in peyote...
I am using a new program (new to me, well-used by others) that is helping me take my Zentangle tiles and turn them into beadweaving designs. Great fun, but not all of my Zentangle inspired work lends itself to a bracelet. The next best thing: use the principles and process of Zentangle® to create something that will translate into a bracelet.
The more I messed around the more I realized, that designing in this program was no different than approaching a Zentangle tile. One bead (stroke) at a time, one color at a time, one block at a time. I begin with no idea, and let my mind and intuition deliberately wander, just like with pen on tile.
Here is one of my new favorites ...

In the Mood for Magic

2011-05-31T10:58:00.000-04:00

The Diva's week 24 challenge is to use only stripes as the string. Stripes being linear and all, I went first to an obvious place in the first tile.

Then some curvy stripes creeped in for tile number 2...

Then came the third tile: When I did the string and began to play, I knew it would end up getting very lost, so I scanned it to record where I came from. I didn't know where I was going yet...

...but soon it became clear that some Puf was in the picture....

And voila... the finished tile.

The string has done its magic again... you can't see it, but it never fails to bring together whatever we bring to the spaces.

Thank you Laura, and thank you, string.

Zentangle, meet Peyote. Peyote, Zentangle.

2011-05-30T15:37:00.000-04:00

I finally have started to get the hang of mixing my two favorite things: Zentangle® and bead weaving. I've been struggling for a couple of months to figure out how to get some of my own tangles onto a piece of jewelry. Not having done much peyote stitch, I felt like I had to learn the hard way how not to make a pattern! I had already invested lots of time and effort into a large cuff, that in my heart, I knew was not cutting it. My tension was very uneven, and the spirals weren't as round as I wanted to see them.
One day last week, in a Facebook look, I commented on another bead friend's post. Another beader did also..one who happens to be a master at peyote. I've always admired her work: Carol Dean Sharpe (aka Sand Fibers for you Etsy lovers). The subject of Zentangle came up in the comments, and before I knew it, Carol and I were in a conversation, and she had given me the key to unlock the next step on my peyote adventure. (Sounds like a line from a Carlos Castaneda book, yes? Sorry, no.) She led me to a bead program that would help me turn my tangles into playful peyote cuffs.
I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere. It's been a process of much tearing out and starting over, but that's the good stuff, and where all the learning happens, even if it is the hard way.

Thanks, Carol, for your help AND your inspiration. Thanks, Zentangle and thank you, Facebook!

Week 23: String Theory

2011-05-23T20:51:00.000-04:00

I love that each person will use the same string for this week's Diva Challenge. When I teach a beginner Zentangle class, we all start with the same string, and it's always tons of fun to see what happens as each person brings their own beauty and sensibility to each tangle and each tile.
   Taking a cue from Laura's (the diva) process, I didn't have my kit handy, so I opened my tangle library with eyes closed, and picked whatever tangle was in front of me. As I was mid-tile, I heard my email chime and saw that a new tangle had been posted on tanglepatterns.com. It's J.J. LaBarbera's pattern: Arc Flower. I used it in the lower left corner of tile #2. Lots of fun!! I also had a lovely time with Donna Hornsby's Keenees. I love the way those little 'kini bottoms dance around on tile #1. Very cute, Donna! Mine don't have the polka dots; I'm more of a little black keenee kind of girl (mmm hmm...it's been a long time and never again).
   I went for lots of black on these, and I have to note: using the Sakura graphic 3 pen... be careful not to smudge. I smudged. (A little shading does wonders: tile #3.)
   Now that I'm looking at these three tiles, I can't really remember where the string actually is, but it's always quietly underneath, pulling everything together. It has its own little way of being there, but not being there all at the same time. That's the magic of the String:)
  Thanks, Laura, J.J., Donna, Zentangle, tanglepatterns.com, and the lovely string itself!

Unbinding the Shackles of Notions

2011-05-22T08:58:00.000-04:00

One of the best things about being a Certified Zentangle Teacher is the opportunity to revisit the basics of this art form. I offer a Zentangle® Intro class each month at a local gallery in Dayton, Ohio. Each time I teach this class, I am reminding myself of the elegant groundwork of this simple artform. One wonderful aspect of Zentangle is the unknown outcome. It is designed to "inspire participants to build and expand on each new idea, unhindered and unconstrained by limiting preconceptions."
This past Friday's class, I knew three of the four students before the class even started. When I think I know people, there are preconceived notions about them that can color what I say and do. So, just as when I begin a new Zentangle tile, I notice my notions, and let them go if I can, and then things become much clearer. When my intuition isn't clouded or hammered by what I think I know, things flow much easier. To prepare for a class, I usually create a sample tile, using the tangles I know I will teach. I wasn't surprised that it somehow got lost between my house and the gallery. Just one more indicator to always start without my notions!
Here's a photo of what happened in our class... so much rhythm and creative juice! It's always a treat to see how each person interprets the the same string and the same tangles. We used Meer, Crescent Moon, Beelight, and Hollibaugh. Beautiful!!!

Thanks Sara, Mike, Phil, Rosaline, Gallery 510, and Zentangle!

Bead Time

2011-05-21T09:47:00.000-04:00

I spent last weekend at "the" bead retreat. Twice a year, a group of 16-24 women drag their bead belongings to Kirkmont Center in Zanesfield, Ohio. We also drag every snack under the sun and our jammies. It's a nice long weekend (Thursday through Sunday) of relaxing, staying up late, munching, beading, staying shoeless and in jammies, and best of all, laughing.
It's a great time to devote to bead projects, and I had more than a few UFOs (UnFinished Objects) to keep me busy. Even though I didn't finish them all, it was nice to have a time set aside for connecting with them. For me, this community of these beaders is what I enjoy most, so anything I get done is just icing on the cake! (Of course, we had real cake too. And brownies, and chips and cookies.)
Here are a few things that happened:

Thanks ladies, for a great weekend!

Hair comes more change.

2011-05-19T19:01:00.000-04:00

Surrender is awesome. It's much more fun to surrender to the changes than to fight them.

My morning at the hair salon (Affinity Salon) was, once again, an exercise in allowance and surrender. I went there planning to get some of my grey hair turned to black. I've never had black hair ever. But Craig (my stylist/designer/artist) coaxed me over the last two visits to consider it. I decided yes. I was still in "control", as I had pondered my options and chose that as the next step. But, when I got there and we chatted about what to do, he had bigger (and better) plans. At this point, I really did know that my intent was to let him 'have at it', allowing him to do whatever vision was dancing around in his head. It was great fun to watch him paint. I felt like a blank canvas as the artist floated from one strand to another, with careful contemplation and intuition. THAT was fun.

I let it be. I love it. I feel like I might be becoming a Zentangle. I realized as he dried my hair, and I saw the greys and blacks playing together on my head, that my clothes were black and grey, with textured tights covered in large diamond patterns, and black and white polka dotted shoes. My purse is a tangly looking one, too. My reading glasses were also black and white polka dots. hmmm. He told me that if I started wearing a coat made from dalmations (ala Cruella Deville), I might be in big trouble.

I'm posting photos, since last time I talked about the hair, people asked. Mostly the black is in the back and sides (which used to be light grey), with a few streaks in the front bangs. I've also decided to post a photo on the side bar of the blog since I'm headed to Providence in October for the next Zentangle seminar. Now when I meet my online friends, they might know me from my photo instead of my name tag!

Thanks, Craig, for my really fun hair! And thanks, Christina for the best, most relaxing shampoo in Dayton! You guys are really great.

Playing with Change

2011-05-18T10:07:00.000-04:00

I like consistency, as it often makes life a little easier when we know what to expect. There is a comfort in knowing that things around us are staying the same. But every day is full of ebbs and flows, and embracing the changes that come upon us is an exciting game.
This morning I looked at my little blogspace and felt it was time to shake it up. I went exploring in the Blogger design "store" and found what felt like a really fun and flowy and watery pink background. Don't know why, but it just felt right. Makes me wonder what other changes I will see today...

Diva22: A Little Help From My (Best) Friend

2011-05-16T19:14:00.000-04:00

I often feel a natural sense of gratitude in connection to Zentangle. I am always glad I found it, and awfully glad I am able to pick up a pen and appreciate what calm and loveliness each stroke brings.

The Diva's challenge this week was to "enlist the help of someone other than yourself who will draw the string on your tile or Zentangle Inspired piece". I enlisted my other half, Daved, and he did two for me. When I placed the two strung tiles in front of me, I was immediately filled with gratitude for this partner who performed this simple task with such love and respect. It's just a little piece of paper, but not. He knows that and I am grateful for that, too.

As so many beautiful things are blooming around me, I suppose it was natural to do these two tiles. They sort of burst forth from the pen. They are so similar, yet not. It's almost like one was continued from the other. Hmm...little pieces of art that went from one hand to another. What fun.

Thank you Daved, Laura, and Peg (for finding Zentangle).

21 Oof

2011-05-11T20:02:00.000-04:00

Our 21st Diva challenge was to get to know the new Zentangle® pattern, Oof. Yay! a new tangle to play with!

I was surprised that this challenge was my most difficult! I felt really out of synch with my pen this week. I also realized that making the diamond shapes I needed to begin the Oof Tangle, were not in the "things I do well" drawer. For some reason, this tripped me up every time. I'm not a very precise tangler, so lining things up makes me a little nervous. I don't think I ever did settle into a flow with it.
   The Zentangle process asks us to be patient with ourselves, take our time, be deliberate and let things flow. Once again, my exercise was to allow the marks to be where they are, whether they are in step or out of step with the way a tangle's steps go! Lemonade from lemons. And I felt like I had many lemons in these three tiles. Some don't resemble the Oof tangle, some have just a hint of it left, and I'm thinking one, at least, is bare bones Oof.
   Thank you, Laura, and thank you Zentangle!!

Mama Maria!

2011-05-08T08:58:00.000-04:00

M is for 'mama', and I hope you all have a great Mother's Day.

M is also for Maria Thomas, the mama of Zentangle®. Thank you, Maria (and Rick too) for giving life to this art form that nourishes and enhances all of our lives!

Royal Re-do

2011-05-07T08:27:00.000-04:00

It's been way too long since my last post! I've been floating between beading and tangling, and cupcake/muffin making. And, of course, there's my graphic business to care for mixed in with all that. There are some days when I'm having so much fun, I don't know what day it is and how much time has flown by. It's been like that the last couple of weeks. Time to get back in the blog saddle for a bit. Especially for the Diva's Challenge: Royal Wedding.

I was a little saturated by the wedding visuals, so I thought it might be hard to revisit something I thought I had already spent so much time with. But just as soon as I think it will be hard, I realize that's the fun of the challenge. On to the Zentangle portion of the Royal Wedding coverage...

The Challenge is a Light

2011-04-26T09:18:00.000-04:00

One of the things I love most about the process of Zentangle: If I am paying attention, I can observe things about myself, not just the piece of art in front of me. ("Zentangle allows us to both lose ourselves and find ourselves at the same time"--Maria Thomas)

This week's Diva's Challenge: "Create a tile or Zentangle Inspired piece using the William Morris technique of light over dark." When I saw this challenge, my first feeling was that I wasn't in the mood for floral. As soon as I was aware of this feeling, I realized how prejudicial that reaction was. When I think of Morris, I think of vines and florals and scrolled lines. I realized that, of course, we were being challenged on the technique of light over dark, but part of me jumped to the conclusion of florals, based on my own (limited!) preconceived notion of WIlliam Morris. Hurdle addressed: sometimes just being aware of a preconception is enough to crumble it to pieces. That's good news!

Realizing my foot was in the mud of preconceived notions, I made a decision to not think about how best to start the challenge. I grabbed a Zentangle pre-strung tile, (I'm really loving these!) and began filling the spaces with 'Nzeppel, which doesn't automatically end up with black spaces. Oh well, cross that bridge when I get there. It was great fun filling the whole tile with this tangle. Little by little, a black "hole" began to emerge, so I quietly followed its lead. I love the black parts of a Zentangle, so my tendency is to keep it that way. But this process, again, asks me to shine the light on a tendency and find a way to disassemble its hold on me. And this weekly challenge is a way of breaking free, so the little Jelly Roll pen came out to play. Baby dots and done.

The second tile was an even bigger challenge, since there were lots of velvety black spaces that I didn't want to disturb. But I shook off my tendencies again and reluctantly began to add white on the edges. The more I did, the more freedom I felt. I did give myself the treat of keeping a few areas velvety, but all in all, the challenge did its thing: it took me to a different place than I would have gone on my own, with my preconceived notions and habits.

Thank you Laura, William, Jane, and Maria.

Simple El-EGGance

2011-04-21T09:17:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I just had to find an egg word and join in the Diva Challenge once eggain.

What really motivated me to do more on the challenge was browsing through the entries submitted so far. It's fun to get a cup of coffee, settle in, and walk down the blog hallways, peeking in each door, to see what beauty lies within. I was particularly moved by Lois Stokes' response to the challenge. The simplicity of her Zentangle tile really spoke to me.
   Lately my tiles have naturally become more involved. I have tons of fun with that, but today, Lois and the Egg nudged me into a place of simplicity. The egg itself, in all its simple glory, seems to whisper: "KISS" (Keep it Simple, Sweetie!). So that's what I did.
   Again, in love with the elEGGance of limits, I used one of Zentangle's pre-strung tiles. Since circles are my favorite shape to tangle, I simply filled the spaces with whatever size egg shape fit. Coloring in spaces is my next favorite thing, so geez, how much more fun could I have this morning?
   Thank you, Lois, Laura, Zentangle, and the simple little egg.

Getting EggZZZZellent

2011-04-19T10:10:00.000-04:00

In lots of people's experience, Monday mornings can be a drag. But for those participating in the Diva's Weekly Challenge, I would venture to say, not so. I look forward to what little tidbit of 'fun-ness' she will present each week. This week, by way of a computer glitch, the challenge was posted a little later than usual. There I sat at my computer, blank tile and pen ready to go. No challenge posted yet. Oh well, tangling is tangling, so I tangled away. I figured it would be double fun today, as I did a random tile in the morning and then a challenge tile later when the post got up.

I didn't realize until a day later, that my "waiting" tile, had eggs in it! So even though it was created before the challenge post, and not with the challenge consciously in my mind, I figured maybe the challenge vibes didn't need the computer at all. (Twilight Zone music here, maybe?)

The second one was doubly inspired: first by the challenge, and then by Margaret Bremner's new tangle, Diamond Panes. Once I had made an egg-shaped string, the tile said to me, "Please try Margaret Bremner's new tangle on me!" I loved how she used it in her sample: how the shape sort of floats above the new pattern. I could see why my little egg was so insistent.

I also felt compelled to scan the challenge tile before shading and after, since I thought it would be a good example of how simple shading can make a difference. Even just a bit of shading around the outside of an object can make lots of dimension! One of the things I love about the Zentangle® art form is that simplicity is what makes it accessible to everyone. You can go simple or complex, and it's all fun!

Rhythm Reminder

2011-04-14T10:50:00.001-04:00

I'm still having fun with the pre-strung tiles. Using the "elegance of (someone else's) limits" is both fun and challenging, and somewhat communal, which I love. If you don't have any of the Zentangle® pre-strungs handy, ask a friend to draw you a string (or a whole pile of them to save for later!). Great fun.
   When I saw the post about Sue Clark's new tangle, Tri-Po, I had to try it. As true with many tangles that I first try, it took me some time to get the rhythm of it. I started the tile with the Tri-Po elements scattered in a few of the stringed sections. Some of them looked a little awkward, since I was still on my journey to connect to the rhythm. I added some auras that helped them connect with each other, and that, in turn helped me feel more connected to them. Wow... the circle of life in a few Zentangle strokes. Always amazing.
   And because Mooka is nowhere near out of my system, the remaining sections were filled with them. I'm still finding my way to the rhythm of our new friend, as I naturally want to make my 'tendril' turn up instead of under. Mooka challenges my natural, or maybe habitual, way of being with a certain shape. I like when this happens.
   Comfort is good, but challenge is good, too. Our natural rhythms are a wonderful gift, and being aware of them is a wonderful thing. But what is also just as wonderful, is finding a new rhythm to dance to, new steps that take us out of our comfort zone and into a whole new kind of fun!
   And because I try not to squelch or judge snippets that float into my mind, this OLD song came to me as I wrote this post. The song, called "Walk Right In," will show my age, and no doubt be an earworm for me in the next couple days, but the words seem to fit my process today...

Walk right in, sit right down

Daddy, let your mind roll on

Walk right in, sit right down

Daddy, let your mind roll on

Everybody's talkin' 'bout a new way of walkin'

Do you want to lose your mind?

Walk right in, sit right down

Daddy, let your mind roll on

"Walk RIght In" Gus Cannon, Erik Darling, Hosie Woods, Willard Svanoe

Fifteen and (not) counting

2011-04-12T11:13:00.002-04:00

As always, Laura Harms' weekly Zentangle challenge fit right into my "life's lesson plan." The challenges have an uncanny way of appearing exactly at the right moment... pushing exactly the buttons that need to be pushed. How does she do that?
   Daved and I just took some time off in the form of a really long weekend. That meant three actual workdays that we didn't work (plus the two 'freebie' weekend days!). I came back to a pile of emails and rush jobs and needy kitty cats that missed their 'mommy.' We also came back to budding trees, all green and fuzzy, and a side yard of beautiful daffodils! Things had geared up while we were gone, and beginning a work week on a Tuesday instead of a Monday, it felt a little like the world had started back up without me.
   No time to tangle? Hmm? Not even 15 minutes?

   I began with a Zentangle® pre-strung tile today. Laura's advice was to simplify. Even though I think I don't think about the string, once I reached for a pre-strung tile, I felt a lightness come over me. That part was already done! I opened my book of tangles and following the stream of lightheartedness, picked something simple, as I was trying to stay away from thinking altogether. I looked at the clock to begin. I went a little over my 15 minutes, but when that happened, it felt so luxurious that I did another tile. I used the same pre-strung tile on the second one just to see how different it could become.
   It's always amazing how one string can float into so many different forms. There are a million creative ways to be with a string, to be with the time of day. We can structure our minutes and time however it works for us. We can allow room for all of it!
   I found that in the space between my deadlines and lists, there really is 15 minutes, even more. It turns out that was the best thing I could have done today. It helped me feel a little more balanced. It is what it always is, whether it's a Monday or a Tuesday. It all feels the same after a little tangle time.
   Thank you, Laura. And thanks, Rick and Maria for the pre-strung tile idea.

Finished Cuff

2011-04-06T21:07:00.001-04:00

I've finished my first Zentangle inspired beadweaving project. I was really happy to have found the perfect clasp for this peyote-stitch cuff: a button I bought about five years ago during a trip to NYC. It had been patiently waiting (as many buttons are) in my big button box.
Next up: a two-inch wide cuff. (This one is one inch wide)

Mooka Meander

2011-04-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

Week 16 of Diva's Challenge: Mooka!
Zentangle presented a new tangle, called Mooka. With timing always being perfect and all, it fit right into the challenge for this week. I've been noticing these flowy shapes in Maria's tangles lately and hoped there would soon be a video to guide us into it. So, thank you Rick and Maria, for letting it loose on the masses! It will be great fun to see what everyone does with this one. I know I had tons of fun. I love how this tangle can meander in one place, or unfurl its tentacles to parts far away.
Here are my first two:

Looking forward to doing more!!

Calendar Recap: March

2011-04-03T08:40:00.001-04:00

March was a month of great fun for me. My sons' birthdays, the FloatFest Zentangle retreat, lunches and breakfasts with friends, bead and Zentangle classes AND... SPRING BEGAN. But it's the little day-to-day things that are too many to mention, that make up the whole chunk of time that we call March. But looking at my tangle-a-day March, I can somehow feel them all at once in this visual diary.

Marching Away

2011-04-01T15:40:00.000-04:00

March is gone. Around here, it's a lively month. Both of my kids were born in March, two years apart, so there is always a little birthday fun.
   I was so inspired by Margaret Bremner's wedding gift to her daughter and son-in-law, that I did something similar to give to my sons for their birthdays. I didn't get a chance to scan them properly, so one is a little fuzzy. My oldest son is Phil, and he requested his initials, and he also picked the tangles he preferred. Alex is the younger, and people call him Ax (or Axle). I didn't give him a choice, for one, I started the project as an experiment with his letters first. I was so happy with how it was turning out that I let the cat out of the bag and showed them both early on what they were getting for their birthdays.
   I think they were happy with them. They let me take their picture to go with this post, so that is probably a good sign.
   Thanks to Phil and Alex as they inspire me all the time, and thanks to Margaret, because she does, too!

Ax and Phil

Curvaliscious

2011-03-31T08:52:00.000-04:00

Week Number 15 of the Diva's Challenge: Curves
   What began as a balancing exercise (last week was straight lines), became a wide swing of the pendulum for me. I couldn't stop with the curves. Thank goodness a new grid-based tangle came along that I really liked (Quiltz, by Kym Barlow), and that shook me out of the curves for just a minute :)
   I also fell in love with Maria Thomas' idea of using the white Sakura Jelly Roll pen in the dark recesses (interstices=new word for me) of my tile. So that kept me busy with even more fun this week. It all just makes me wonder, 'Wow, what will happen next week?'
  Thanks, everyone, for such a wonderfully inspired week!

Being the Zentangle

2011-03-28T18:01:00.000-04:00

There are some people in this world who have the ability to inspire confidence in other people. Just being in their presence makes you feel like the world and what is in it, is an open place, full of possibilities. I see it as a sort of transfer of confidence... whatever confident energy one person has, can be transfered to another if the other is even slightly open.

   Any of my friends who have heard my Hair Horror Stories will tell you that when it comes to getting my hair cut, I have no hope or confidence whatsoever!! At one point I resigned myself to what I called bad hair karma.
   If there is such a thing, I'm thinking that my hair karma may have changed.
   Craig at Affinity Salon did my hair in November, and it gets more fun every time I go. My hair is basically gray, which I do like. I've been through the coloring thing, but I'm not diligent enough to always keep it up, and like I said, the gray is fine. But since I was having so much fun, I might as well have some MORE fun, so we decided to play with some color.
   Our discussion about exactly what part to color, and then what actual color, was interesting to me. If we moved forward simply by the words in the discussion, we would not have gotten anywhere. The color brown can be dark and rich or soft and minky, and what does that really mean to each person? We both had a vision of sorts, but it seemed like it might be different, but how would I know? One person's words can mean something very different to another.
   But because Craig is one of those people I mentioned in the first paragraph of this blog, I found myself inspired by his confidence, and just surrendered to the process itself.I knew I had to let go of whatever the heck I thought 'minky' was, and just let him do his thing. I told him my life was in his hands and whatever he did, I would be open.
   I was also scheduled to get a manicure that day. When Nikki, the manicurist, asked me what color I'd like, I told her my usual preference was a (safe) muted color, but that today was a day for getting out of my box. She picked a brighter pink. Again, I again surrender. I sat at the table, ready for some pink, when Craig came over with two bottles of purple nail polish. Wow. The last color I would pick. Funny. The only other time anyone gave me nail polish it was purple. My friend and fellow CZT Carol Bailey Floyd sent it to me once as a gift of celebration and joyous abandon. So fitting that he would pick purple today. Again, I surrendered.

   I felt a little like a blank Zentangle tile-- open and available to whatever the universe has in store. I sat back and let Craig and Nikki do what they love to do (and they do it so well). I even ended up with a flower painted on one of my nails. For someone who wears olive green, grey and black most of the time, purple nail polish with a little flower was definitely out of my comfort zone... but...I found that floating with these two people was more fun than controlling what happened to my hair and fingernails.
   Letting go of my expectations and wishes, I had no grounds for disappointment. WIth nothing to control, I had nothing to hold on to. Wow. That was so much fun. And for the record, I was extremely happy with the hair AND the purple nails! Thank you Craig and Nikki.

  The next time you sit with a blank Zentangle tile, think of how that little open space is waiting for you to give it your confidence and joy. It's your opportunity to transfer a little of your passion onto a sweet little piece of art. Then once you've made the 'transfer', go find someone to give it to.

Tangle: Floatfest

2011-03-27T13:05:00.001-04:00

Just one more bit of FloatFest fun...

This month's Tangle a Day Calendar came along with me to the FloatFest Zentangle Re-Treat last weekend. A few people saw what showed up on March 6 and 7 of the calendar, and asked if I would demonstrate the tangle.

At the time, there was no name for it, so the group decided it should be named for the retreat, since this was the first time it had been shared. So I present: Floatfest: the tangle.

This tangle starts off like Crescent Moon, and ends up a little like Hollibaugh with its "bars behind" process. It works best on a rounded area of the string, so the auras can dance a bit. We tried starting on a straight line, but it didn't have the same effect. When doing the double auras (beginning Step 2), don't worry about where they begin and end. Just stop the aura when you get to whatever element it bumps into. Keep adding the double auras, piling them as high as you like.
After you've created the initial aura arcs, go back and add the bottom portions (legs) of the arcs (Step 5). The order of adding these legs doesn't matter, unless you want it to. You can begin toward the front, or bottom row, and continue back. I find that I start that way, and then next thing I know, I am doing them willy nilly. It's all about the floating on this one!
Once the group named this tangle, I thought it seemed really fitting. I see the crescent shapes as individuals of a community. As each person's aura/energy ripples outward, it touches the next person in unexpected and unplanned ways. When the auras are completed, they tie everything together and feel like a very unified element. Just like a community. The trick to its charm is not to control it. Let the auras fall where they may and appreciate and love them for just where they are.

Straight Up ZELIA

2011-03-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

One of our FloatFest participants owns a bead shop (Beads'N More) in Akron Ohio. Estelle and I had a couple chats about how Zentangle and beadweaving might work hand in hand. I had thought a while back about doing a beaded cuff in a Zentangle design, but it just never happened. Talking with Estelle fueled and reignited those little embers, and as soon as I returned home, I began working on a cuff using a simple peyote stitch. I had never attempted to bead from a peyote chart pattern (much less create one!), but before I began any beading, I had to first create a Zentangle design that could be transfered to a bead chart. Because this stitch is created in staggered lines of beads, yes, you guessed it... Laura's challenge was perfectly timed, floating right into the focus of my project. (How was I going to get those spirals I saw in my head to be any kind of round in this world of straight lines?)
The cuff is not complete, but thought I would share what's happening so far with the process.
Beading from a chart is more relaxing than I had imagined. I never was one for counted cross stitch, although not sure why. I think working from a pattern seemed very confining somehow. But now I am seeing how 'in the moment' this kind of work is. Each bead goes on one at a time, added row by row, in an order that hardly makes any sense to me as I do it. And trying to "figure it out" from a big picture perspective, just confuses me and I have to think too hard. So, in each moment, the focus is on each bead and where it goes, trusting the chart, and hoping the end result will look like the chart I designed. As the piece gets going, it's really exciting to see the patterns emerge. Even the 'mistakes' are ok with me. After all, it's Zentangle/Estelle/Laura-inspired art! (ZELIA). Thank you everyone!!

Straight Ahead

2011-03-24T07:18:00.000-04:00

After a weekend of Zentangle saturation at the FloatFest Re-Treat, I wasn't sure if I would be all tangled out, or just getting started. As it turns out, I haven't quit tangling since I got home. The Diva's Challenge #14 was waiting for me when I got back. I found it perfectly appropriate that after such a floaty weekend, she offered a bunch of straight lines as a challenge. Perfect. I did two right away.
The first one uses Puf, Baton, and Paradox. The lower left portion began as a tangleation of Betweed, and then it morphed into something very 'slatty' looking. I left one of the Puf items (upper left) unconnected, just as a reminder of how this tangle begins with straight lines. In connecting the corners with little individual straight lines, one corner to the next, it puffs up in a magical way. I'm always amazed at how Puf and Paradox get so round. Way fun.
I also played with another medium that fit in perfectly with this challenge. Once again, Miss Laura's timing was perfect. But more about that on another day...

Still floating

2011-03-23T11:05:00.000-04:00

Lots of sharing went on during our FloatFest weekend. One of our participants, Lacey, showed us how to make a tetrahedron from an ordinary envelope. Very cool!

We experimented with watercolor pencils, using the tangles, Puf and Paradox as our base.

Between classes and show and tells, we floated around nine tiles that each had the same string. Each person filled in whatever areas they felt like filling, and put it back on a table. At any time during our stay, we picked up a tile from the table and tangled a little bit more. On Saturday, we assembled the tiles into a "quilt", put it in a 12x12 frame, and signed our names on the back. We got the kitchen crew to draw a name, and Sheryl returned to her home with all of us lovingly tucked under glass, going home with her.

Thanks, everyone, for a wonderful weekend.

More Floating

2011-03-21T21:33:00.000-04:00

Before everyone's arrival, the room stood still in a glow of soft sun. Fresh white tablecloths seemed to float above the chairs, waiting for the tanglers to set up residence. Little gift boxes waited for their new caretakers to open them and relish their contents.
The weather was a beautiful, sunny sixty-something, perfect for driving, as some were coming from Northern Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois.

By five pm, most had arrived, and we settled into our rooms, found our extra blankies, and then met for a wonderful dinner prepared by the Oakwood staff. We also had some special Blake's cupcakes delivered by one of our Akron Ohio visitors. (Thanks, Estelle!) We unpacked our goodies, then sat for a tangly little while to get to know each other, and to warm up our places for the coming day...

The next morning began around 8am with a lovely breakfast. After we settled back into our workspaces, Peg Farmer (CZT #3), walked us through the lovely ritual of beginning a Zentangle tile. She led us into the zone with a wonderful combination of tangles! We joked about having a Zentangle donut for breakfast...(this photo was taken before we added the last tangle in the center.)

Some of our participants in the Z-zone...It was fitting to have

so much pink (the color of love and disarmament) to start our weekend...

FloatFest 2011

2011-03-21T09:15:00.000-04:00

Just as taking a picture of a beautiful full moon just isn't like the real thing, there is hardly a way for me to describe my experience of this past weekend's FloatFest retreat.

   Floatfest is a Zentangle-inspired retreat that was open to anyone who wanted to spend a long weekend immersed in the fun of Zentangle. Held at Oakwood Retreat Center in Selma, Indiana, it began on Thursday evening (St. Patty's Day) and floated through the (full moon) weekend, ending Sunday (first day of Spring!) mid morning.
   When I first had the idea to do the retreat, my only wish was to gather other 'Z-freaks' and be with them. I figured there might be others like me who wanted a chance to do the same. Twelve of us gathered to tangle the weekend away, share some tricks and ideas, take a few classes, naps and side excursions, and nourish ourselves with wonderful, wholesome food prepared by the Oakwood staff.
  There were many wonderful things about all the people who attended, one of which was their ability to be a group that allowed for each other, cared for each other, and floated with each moment. To me, the whole weekend was one big Zentangle... each moment connected to the next moment, changing the "plan" as the moments called for it. At one point we changed the whole day's schedule so a group could take an afternoon trip to Muncie for some shopping. I am so grateful for each person's openness to the floating part of the weekend. To me, that is the essence of the Zentangle process. We had a schedule as our "string", but we floated in and out of it as each of us needed to.
   In the next few days, I will share a little more about the weekend. I usually forget to take pictures of things as they are happening, so there might not be so many of those (maybe some of the participants will send me theirs!), but I can share the glimpses that I do have.
   A big thank you to Oakwood Retreat Center. Roric, Donna, Matt, and Jessica...and the rest of the staff that we never met, but I know their intent helped create the loving, unpretentious space that we "borrowed" for the weekend.

Finding Zees

2011-03-16T09:29:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite tools for shading is an everyday mechanical pencil. This came about mostly because I don't have a pencil sharpener in all the places around my house that I tangle. Using a mechanical pencil sidesteps the issue. I like the .07 size the best, and I use "B" lead, which is softer than the HB. Having a little sharp point makes it fun for me to get into all those yummy ditches and dents created by the tangles.
Scouting the local office supply store for a supply of these pencils, I came across a value pack - yippee! They were so inexpensive that it was well worth trying, even if they all fell apart. Paying attention to nothing other than the price, it wasn't until I got home that I discovered how awesome they really are. Not only do they hold up well, but they are called Z-Grips. Wondrous.
Every time I use them I am reminded of what the 'Z-Grip' really is: not a grip at all, but a gentle holding of a robin's egg.

(Waking) In My Sleep

2011-03-15T08:05:00.003-04:00

There are corners of our brains that seem to be asleep, or maybe just resting until it's time to come forward. This week's Diva Zentangle Challenge woke up a little corner for me. Our 'assignment' was to create a Zentangle with our non-dominant hand. I have to say, this exercise always excites me! Having taught a right brain drawing class many moons ago, I love the opportunity to shift the way we see, and jump-start parts of our brain that are dormant. Using our non-dominant hand helps to shift the gears of our "regular" brain function. The Zentangle process itself already does this, but using the other hand gives that shift an even bigger push.
   As I created the string, I could already feel a little sleepy part of my brain awakening. As I picked up the pen, it woke up a little more. I felt the little kid in me wandering around the tile, letting the squiggly lines take their shape. It was deliberateness with almost no control. I started to notice that where I placed my next lines felt as strange as what the lines were looking like. It felt almost like I was in a waking dream, being guided by some part of me way underneath my daily brainwaves. What fun!!
   I'm feeling I want to do this at least once every week. Who knows what will come up from that sleeping space inside? I suspect that's where all the 'real' stuff is...
   Thanks, Laura!

Multiplied Blues

2011-03-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

Cathy Helmers saw my entry in the Diva's blue challenge on Tuesday's post and thought the tiles would be fun to process as fabric designs. Cathy designs gorgeous Zentangle inspired fabric that you can view (and purchase!) at Spoonflower.com. Here is what she did with a couple of my blue challenges:

Thanks, Cat! Way fun:)

Playing the Blues

2011-03-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

The Diva's Challenge #12: Something Blue!
This was a toughie. It's been a little while since I had used color in Zentangles. I felt a little intimidated and stumped... like there was a 'supposed to' in the mix. There were expectations (self-imposed) swirling around, so I let it be for a day. When I saw Maria Thomas' post, I was inspired to get out the box I could feel myself in.
I don't have much to color with, except some really fun watercolor pencils. I figured I would start with a blue string, or even a blue blob. Here is what happened first:

I then used a wet brush to smear the color. I forgot that a little color goes a long way with these pencils and the blue ended up much darker than I was hoping for. Oh well, onward and forward! As it moved along, I felt like I wanted more highlights, so I dug up a white pen (Sakura Pentouch) and tried to add some blinkies. It was a little hard to get it to smear just right, since it's an opaque marker, but after some messing around, it finally perked up. For as light as I thought I was starting out, the whole process felt very heavy-handed. I think I was still working out the box issue, with all of its "shoulds" tucked neatly inside it.

Still looking for something airy and blue, I started another. This time the blue was barely on the paper, just a hint of a string. Using the tangle Artoo as a beginning, this springy tile was more of the feeling of blue to me. After the pen, I added a little more blue and pencil shading.

The last one was a tile that I had started a few weeks ago, but only had gotten a small amount tangled. I added blue after I finished the pen tangles. As I worked on all of these, a little blue "rule" ran through my head. It's always been one of my favorite rules, because in the statement contains the allowance for breaking the rule: Blue recedes except for when it doesn't. The fun was to see what the blue was going to do in the end ...will it or won't it?

Monotangles

2011-03-02T18:23:00.000-05:00

The Diva's Week 11: Monotangles. (What a great word!)
One might think that a whole tile with the same tangle would be restrictive. I wondered about that before I started, but then soon realized how freeing the "elegance of limits" can be.
I thought back to my college art major days. Our first year Design class was one thing: pick an item from nature, and use that one item as a basis for the designs we would create for the whole semester. At first it seemed almost impossible, but as the weeks went by, we were stretching and seeing and fully in the rhythm of our little item. It was one of the best classes ever. This challenge felt like that. How freeing to only be immersed in one pattern. What an opportunity to explore the lines and feel the rhythms of the tangle.

My first tile was a string of loops and circles, with Hollibaugh wrapped around each loop and also then connecting the loops. Great fun.
I thought this would be the perfect time to bust open my package of pre-strung Zentangle tiles! This took the decision-making almost completely out of the equation. All that was left for me to do was pick a tangle and start. It was so much fun, that I did two more, using Puf (and a few circles, I can't resist, ok and a bullseye kind of center).

Almost

2011-03-02T07:13:00.000-05:00

This beauty, currently in my side yard, is called a Christmas rose (Helleborus Niger). It usually blooms in the middle of the snow near the end of January. Our snow is gone, and these were a little late, but perfectly timed to give us a taste of the Spring that is coming. Thank you, Momma Nature. We needed that:)