Anyone up for a Zentangle Retreat?

Because art is so much fun to do with other people, it seems to me that a Zentangle Re-treat would be something fun to try and work out.
   As I poked around with the idea, little signs along the way led to Oakwood Retreat Center in Selma Indiana. This sweet and earthy little farm is out in the country, and they love to host  groups that in some way nourish the spirit. I'd say Zentangle does just that, so we've planned a long weekend retreat for March 17 through March 20. It begins on the evening of St. Patty's Day (Thursday) and ends on the first day of Spring (Sunday). And we'll throw a full moon in, too.
   We're calling it Zentangle® FloatFest: A Re-Treat for Zentangle Lovers. The idea is to provide a time and space for people who love Zentangle to connect with others, get away, learn something new, relax, do nothing, do everything, do a little, do a lot. We want to provide a space where each person can 'float' with their own Zentangle experience. There will be structure for those who like that, but there will also be the freedom to pick and choose what each person feels is right for each moment.
   We are still forming classes and activities, and as we have information to share, we will share it here. If you would like more information or have specific questions, send me an email at openseed@woh.rr.com. (Subject line: FloatFest)

Eye Candy in Motion!

This video appeared on my Facebook feed this morning from artist Amy Kollar Anderson. Amy is a Dayton Ohio artist who works in acrylics. Her work is full of wonderful patterns (and other things!). I thought you all would like to see this time lapse creation. It's fun to peek into another person's process. Thanks Amy, for showing us yours!
   Make sure you click the link to see more of Amy's wonderful work!

String X Two

This week's challenge from the diva herself, Laura Harms: A Zentangle tile that begins with a double string (made with two pencils side by side). Fellow CZT, Margaret Bremner mentioned this on her blog and has already created some stunning tiles using the double pencil string. This is my first try with it, and I'm sure it's not my last, as it is LOTS of fun! Can't wait to do more. Thanks Laura and Margaret, for the inspiration! Looking forward to next week's challenge!

"Open the doors, Nancy!"

We had planned to get to the grocery early today. All bundled and ready to go, I sat on the couch waiting for Daved to finish folding the clothes (the angel that he is). It was just before 8am, he was watching TCM, and the movie, "Pollyanna" was about to start. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid, so I played with the thought of staying put to watch it. Grocery... old movie... grocery....ok...old movie it is! So off came the scarf and coat, and we settled into the snow-flurried morning with Hayley Mills and Jane Wyman.
   I was surprised at how much I was enjoying the movie, as I'm not one to watch most movies more than once. At one point, I noticed some sniffling sounds coming from the other couch. Ok, good, so I wasn't the only one.
   "Pollyanna" is a story about optimism, but for me, it was more of a story about inspiration and how it moves between people. At one point in the movie, Jane Wyman, who plays the intimidating auntie, must make a choice between (what I saw as) control and allowance, love and fear. Would she allow the inspiration all around her to move through her or would she cling to her illusion of control?
   "Open the doors, Nancy," she said.
    What a wonderful little sentence! I'm so "glad" that I allowed myself to set aside the grocery plan and stay and watch this movie. I think that "Open the doors, Nancy" might be my mantra for the coming year. New Year's resolutions don't do much for me, but I will adopt a good mantra once in a while:)
   We did go to the store, the plan being to make a big bunch of veggie lasagna. We had more veggies than could probably fit into our pans, and I always feel confused when I try to remember which layers go in what order. I'm reading the box, and fearful that all the ingredients that lay before me will never fit in to those pans. If I had been on my own, I would have done the safe thing, but there was Daved egging me on to put more stuff in there. I tried to argue about the mess it would make, and what it might waste, and we would have to open another bag of cheese..blah blah...and he could have easily let me win the argument. But somewhere there was Aunt Polly whispering, "Open the doors, Nancy." I heard her. I gave into D's playful badgering, stepped aside and let him at it.
   As I sat with Aunt Polly's words, I watched as he put more and more into those pans, put them in the oven, cleaned up the kitchen and left me to write this entry. It doesn't matter now if the pans overflow, if they even taste good, whatever. It was fun just to open the doors and allow.

A friendly star

My friend and fellow CZT, Peg Farmer, made this Zentangle Christmas star. Before this little beauty found her home on my tree, her 'formal' portrait called for some pink (the color of love). She looks very pretty in pink, I think. Thanks, Peg!

Merry Christmas, everyone. 

Whatever brightness comes our way this season, maybe we can carry it with us for a while, and then pass it on to someone else:)

Tangle a Day Calendar...Soon!

Well, it all came together, so there will definitely be a desk calendar ready for 2011! The printer says it will be ready on December 30 so I say, Yippee! I'm excited about this calendar because it's one that YOU get to design. The months are laid out in light grey (like strings) and the type is outlined so you can tangle inside or out... you can make notes, you can practice tangles, you can make a whole month into a piece of art! 

The calendar is 12 x 18" and is padded at the top. Each month has its own page. A sample page gives you ideas on how you might want to use your calendar. The paper is a smooth white cover stock. If you like a smooth feel with your pen, you will like it. I like using the .005 on this stock, but you can fool around and see what you like best. Shading works best with a regular pencil and a blending stump.

If you'd like to order a calendar, visit the Openseed Etsy site (you can click the pink box in the column on the right, too). The calendar will be ready December 30.

I can tell.

I can see by this tile that I've played a little too much Zuma Blitz (an online video game)! I'm really starting to notice how my environment plays into my Zentangle tiles. It wasn't like I said to myself, "Wow, there are cool patterns in the Zuma game." (Although that has happened often.) It was more like, after I saw the tile, I said, "Wow, I have lotsa Zuma on the brain!" Either way, it's all fun. It does make me wonder what insights may come to me if I looked back on my piles of tiles. Hmm... dating them is a good idea... sort of like a Zentangle diary!