Well, well, well

This week marks my return to the fabulous Diva challenges!  I had to take a break because the assignments and deadlines were becoming barriers to my creativity during a busy time of my life.  Now that I've made some life changes, I have more time and energy to jump back into the challenges.  Yippee!  Laura always comes up with awesome ideas for the weekly challenge.  It's bothered me that I haven't been able to do them.  Maybe I'll go catch up on the 20 or so challenges I missed.

For this week's challenge, the Diva asked us to work with two tangle patterns, or as named on the Diva's blog, a Duotangle.  The task was to create a piece of art using only Pea-nuckle and Well, official Zentangle® patterns.

I have loved Pea-nuckle since I learned it at my CZT training from the creator Molly Hollibaugh (yes, if you tangle, that name should sound familiar!).  I think it's a pattern that takes a little thinking and works best when the original columns of S's line up closely.  I sometimes find that patterns like this can require a bit more focus.  I have to be in the right state of mind to use patterns like Pea-nuckle, and as in this challenge, Well.  This was definitely a thinking challenge.

I don't feel like I've totally embraced the pattern Well yet.  Every time I go to draw it, I end up with a variation of Yew-Dee by CZT Peg Farmer.  I love Yew-Dee.  My first attempt at the challenge ended up with Pea-nunckle in one corner and a Bales-free version of Yew-Dee because my tangle memory directed my Micron to follow its usual Yew-Dee flow.  I still love how this piece came out.

The second one features several sizes of Pea-nuckle and two versions of Well.


These are numbers 4 and 5 of my 53 card ATC swap.  Only 48 to go!

53 Pickup

Have you ever played 52 pickup?  You know the game.  One person throws all the cards into the air while the unsuspecting player has to pick them all up.

I'm participating in an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap with fellow Certified Zentangle® Teachers (CZTs).  Each person will create 53 cards to swap (a full deck plus an extra).

The project sounds daunting--53 cards due in a couple months.  I'll be swapping ATCs with artists whose work I admire regularly.  Ack!  My immediate thoughts were...

Am I good enough?
How will my art compare?
Can I finish that many pieces?
What did I sign up for?
Why did I do this?

I keep reminding myself that the Zentangle® Method is not judgmental. The process and enjoyment of it is more important than the finished project.  If I have fun exploring while becoming focused and relaxed, my art will be better.  It's not about loving each piece; it's about loving the journey and not being afraid to take it.

Another question... Where do I start?  Like anything else start at the beginning.  I picked up my blank ATCs and started tangling a mini garden which I suspect will soon receive a color treatment.

I am looking at this swap as a fun adventure in creativity.  Each person will be receiving one ATC from each other participant so the decks will be quite a creative hodgepodge.  That's very freeing because I don't have to make all 53 look alike or even have any similar features.  I can pick up each blank and start fresh in any creative direction I feel like heading.

I expect my ATCs will be of different styles--black and white, color, color wash, stencils, gardens, and all of the other techniques that I enjoy.  Maybe I'll try some new ones too!  This small size is quick to complete and fun to explore.

Here are ATCs 1-3.  50 to go!

Happy Tangled Birthday

I spent a recent evening teaching as part of a birthday slumber party for six ten year olds.  The birthday girl had been inspired by her mother's tangling, after a class with me, and wanted to learn more.  

The girls were attentive and enthusiastic.  They dove into the patterns fearlessly and felt inspired to explore their own pattern variations.  

I love the energy of any new tangler learning this method, and I find kids are even more enthusiastic.  I think it's because they're more open to trying new things and less afraid of making mistakes.  

Maybe adults are further away from the experience of playing that they forget how fun it can be to try something for the first time.  As we grow older, do we lose a little bit of our curiosity?  Does responsibility interfere with exploration?  How many adults actually check off items on their bucket lists if they even create a list in the first place?  I hope everyone achieves--or at least tries--every item on those wish lists.  Life is an adventure filled with new experiences, feelings, and dreams if we're ready for them.  

Maybe being a mom has changed me more than I realized.  I find myself seeing the world through my daughter's beautiful blue eyes and wondering about the world around us.  The way she approaches things baffles my responsibility-ridden adult mind.  Even when I understand the particular developmental stage she's at, I frequently state that "I never would have thought of doing that."  I watch in awe at how she plays, makes up games, tells stories, and finds ways to amuse herself every second of the day.  She is the happiest person I have ever known.  I hope she stays that way her whole life and doesn't let the world's heaviness weigh on her.

Kids get it.  They explore, they try, they take chances.  They fall down, get up, and try again.  

I loved sharing the Zentangle® Method with this group of smart and creative girls.  They gave me a look into my daughter's future when she's older.  I loved seeing the excitement and thrill of creating alive in each of them.  It was a joy to work with them.

One of the girls said that she loves that she doesn't have to be an artist to do this.  She said it's pretty easy to do and only takes simple lines and patterns to make art.  She liked that there were no mistakes too.  I think she got it!

Check out the beautiful animal scratch art pieces they created:

Take a Few Minutes for Yourself

We all get busy.  

I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to blog even though the words and art have been eager to jump onto the screen.  Sometimes work, family, the house, and the thousand other things that fill our days take priority over our passions.  Of course we have to pay the bills and feed our children, but we are better able to do all those important things when we are in a better place personally.  

It's like we're instructed on an airplane in case of emergency--put your own oxygen mask on before assisting someone else.  How good are we to others if we're struggling--for air, sanity, or relaxation?

Life takes over easily, and we can forget to take care of ourselves.  When that happens, I try to fit in a little tangling even if it's just for a few minutes.  I may not have been able to blog lately or even turn my computer on much, but I have managed to tangle.

With each breath and line, I become more focused and able to complete the many daily tasks on my to-do list.  Sometimes lists can seem daunting, but with a little perspective achieved from focus and relaxation, I'm able to check off the items happily.

Amid the craziness lately, I taught a wonderful class at Memorial Hall Library.  I enjoyed sharing the Zentangle® Method with about 18 new tanglers.  

We started with a breathing and line exercise inspired by Netherlands artist John Franzen.  Please check out his web site for some truly inspirational and talented videos.  From there, we explored a variety of patterns and shading techniques.

The class marveled at the beautiful mosaic they created at the end.  They commented, praised, noticed the subtle differences, and took lots of pictures.  I love hearing new students admire favorite spots in another person's work while forgetting those areas in their own work that they might not have liked.  

There is something truly special about the shared experience that happens when people come together to learn or to continue their Zentangle® practice.

After class, a woman told me that she didn't think this class would do anything for her.  She was stressed and tired and hesitant about the meditative aspect of the class.  She loved the class and was surprised she was able to let go of her day while relaxing and creating.  I enjoyed watching her explore her art in class and was honored to hear about her experience.   

Sometimes it can be difficult to explain that the Zentangle® Method just works.  You have to try it to see for yourself.  What's the worst that can happen?  You get a few minutes for yourself.

Season for Leaves

I love autumn!  It's my favorite time of the year.  In addition to celebrating my wedding anniversary and my daughter's birthday, it's also time for stunning color-changing leaves.  I love the way the orange, red, and yellow tones look against the brown trunks and cloudy, gray-blue fall sky.  It's like the leaves are going out in a final blaze of glory before succumbing to the bleak grayness of winter.

What do the changing and falling leaves make you think or feel?

One of my favorite tangled pieces, and one that is most often discussed by others, is my autumn leaves piece using a Dreamweaver stencil.  You can read more about my inspiration and creation of this piece on a past blog post.

As the weather grows colder, and the stores become disturbingly filled with Christmas decorations and gifts, I find it difficult not to think about the ever-approaching winter.  I felt inspired to recreate my autumn trees with a wintery look to help ease into the idea of cold, snow, ice, skidding cars, slush, bulky coats, boots, slip-and-falls, and all the other things that come with my least favorite time of year.  Sure, I love Christmas and the pretty look of a snow-covered yard, but after a few days, I'm ready for spring again.  Here's my tangled tree version of winter trees:  

This time I tangled all of the low branches since winter makes it much easier to see all the bony lines when the branches aren't not obscured by lovely leaves.  I quite enjoy how skeletal and stark this piece came out.  I hope you like it too!

If you love these trees, check out my upcoming craft fairs this fall. 

'Tis the Season for Pumpkins

Well it's my favorite time of the year!  In addition to my daughter's birthday and my wedding anniversary, it's also time to celebrate crisp mornings, changing leaves, witches, and pumpkins!  I love Autumn and pretty much everything that goes along with it.

When my daughter and I recently went pumpkin picking, I was very tempted by the interesting white pumpkins in the field.  I so wanted to tangle one.  Unfortunately, they were quite large and were a bit heavy to lug home for tangling.

My little pumpkin selector found a small pumpkin for herself as well as a nice smooth pumpkin for her daddy.  When we got home, the smooth pumpkin called out for tangles.  Often when tangling a pumpkin, I'll follow the ridges or ribs on the outside filling with bands of patterns.  This pumpkin was so smooth, I treated it like a blank canvas tangling all around.  I used some of my favorite garden patterns and threw in a few regular patterns too.  I used a fine point Sharpie.  This was fun to do!

Have some seasonal fun with your tangling too.

Thanks for Tangling

I had a great time tangling with a new group of people at the Center at Punchard in Andover.  The enthusiastic group included twelve beginner tanglers, a few with some previous art experience.  It was wonderful to share the Zentangle Method® with everyone.  

I think everyone did a fantastic job!

I love how each person makes the patterns his or her own.  Check out how different each version of Crescent Moon is.  Some are very bold and dark, and some have many delicate lines.  I showed some variations for playing with Bales, and each person used different shading and fillers to further make the tiles individual art.

During this class, I learned an interesting lesson about white noise.  I love playing the beautiful flute music by Rick Roberts during my classes to add to the relaxing atmosphere.  Our tangling space had a different "musical" option--that of the compressor of a yogurt machine turning on and off intermittently throughout the night.  

Sometimes our environment might not be the most relaxing--due to visual clutter, phones or people asking for us, or external noises--but we can achieve a focused sense of relaxation thanks to the Zentangle Method®.  With each step or stroke, we can let those distractions melt away along with any stress we might be feeling too.  Give it a try!