Light

Time Flies

Funny how life happens I didn't know at the time I created the last post that it would become the last post for almost 5 years. Nothing intentional about it just the way life morphed over time. Have lately thought about posting again - less about promotion (business is mostly closed), more about recording and organizing my on-going Zentangle and Pyrography work as well as some new things I've been exploring over the last several months. I've been experimenting with watercolor and pastels - definitely a stretch for me. I'm also enjoying classes in Contemplative Photography and this morning took a Haiku Poetry Class. If any previous followers find your way back here welcome nice to see you again and to any new folks glad you stopped by.

 Contemplative Photography Class Level I - Light

 

 

 

Haiku Poetry class today -

sweet primal wild woods
alive with spirit dancing
sky exhales soft winds

Zentangle Diva Challenge 332

 Fun Challenge from the Diva this week however maybe should have waited until I was not so tired.  Blurry eyed not always the best time to tangle.  Then again if I didn't do it now probably would not have gotten back to it this week. 

Challenge was to use 2 squares as your string and tangle from there.  I decided to stack my squares on top of each other - sort of - it's the stacked look that I want your eye to perceive.  So wanted to start over - didn't quite come out as I'd first intended but since there are no mistakes in Zentangle no do over required.  Might play with another idea if time allows.

Diva Challenge #332 

 

Diva Challenge #330 Zentangle Plates

The Diva Challenge this week,  Zentangle Plates is from guest blogger Jeanette Clawson.  Jeanette offered two ways to complete the challenge, one is to draw the circular strings using 4 tiles for a Mosaic Mandala or to complete just one tile.

I enjoy creating mandalas so chose the 4 tile option.  Rather than have each tile be the same I decided for a more mosaic look using different tangles on each tile.  I did make an exception for the center section and the outer most ring, those are the same on each tile. That provided just the right amount of continuity for my eye.

Challenge #330

4 Tiles and the Mosaic

Click any image for larger view

Golven - Fiore - Puf - Hi-Cs

Rounding It Up - Ribn - Trivet - Hi-Cs

Yew-Dee - Quib - (made it up) -  Hi-Cs

'Nzeppel - Asgard - Ditto - Hi-Cs

There were so many ways to display the mosaic -

but this one appealed to my eye more than the others.

One more Mandala -  at our monthly Zentangle Club last week, the project was a mandala drawn on Kraft-Tex Fabric Paper and then affixed to a cork trivet.

Diva Challenge #318 - Diptych

Diva Challenge this week is to create a Diptych - the broad definition is two panels joined by a hinge, often times the panels are mirrored.

Here is my rendition on a Zendala tile.

Tangles: Hibred  'Nzeppel  Flux  CO2  Msst

.... and a bonus tile from the weekend

 

Zentangle Diva Challenge 287

Jumping back into the blog world with Diva Challenge #287.  Been too long - had a lot of fun with this one.  Will definitely being do more with the Dreamcatcher as Reticula.

Zentangle Diva Challenge 237

The challenge this week is from guest poster CharKat a local fellow CZT.  She has a great studio/store in Temcula, CA where she offers a variety of classes - check it out.

The challenge is to use a stencil as a string and use spray inks, dyes to create it on the tile, then go tangle it.  Most of what I needed to complete this challenge is out at my studio so I had to improvise a little - like using the juice from my breakfast blueberries as the coloring agent.  After painting, spritzing, and flicking juice mostly on several tiles plus the surrounding area I did eventually find a stencil. Used a small paint brush to mark the stencil on the tile.  There is some light shading but the scan didn't pick up much of that.

Diva Challenge #237

 

Have also had the wood burning pens fired up quite a bit lately - creating items for craft fairs and getting a head start for holiday gifts.  Below are some of the wall hooks.  All are done on basswood most are 4" with a few 5" ones.

click on image for larger view 

 

A Bit of This 'n That

This weeks Diva Challenge 225 - Add some color.  Color is always a challenge for me, I really like the simple beauty of Black and White plus I'm not very confident in my color skills and I don't have a lot of tools that help me incorporate color into my work.  That's been changing a bit lately but still a long way to go to find a comfort zone.

Kept this one simple and used my most favorite color combos, purple, gold and green.  

Diva Challenge 225 - Add Color

  

Dooledo, CO2, and Tipple 

I did this one for the last week's Diva Challenge 224, a monotangle using Tipple.  Didn't set out to do it in color. I'd started several tiles but wasn't inspired enough to finish any of them.  While cleaning out a cupboard I came across this circle scratch piece.  Tangling is always more fun than cleaning so just started playing with it by drawing a few circles and had an AHA moment to use it for the challenge - just never got around to posting it.

 

Things I've done in the last couple of weeks, mostly for posting in several Facebook groups.  Hope you enjoy the variety.

 Cadent variations, Keeko

 A couple of Munchin monotangles - one with rounding - wasn't sure I'd like it but rather pleased with the look - now to remember it the next time!

 

Last ones - a couple of Found Poetry pieces.

Truth once bewept,

Now speaks beyond measure

Refreshed

Rejoicing

Liberated

'tis well to think without delight
should one wish to not have the sun

give up the darkness
indeed
return
wandering
walk the hillside
as if in wonder
take delight in that place
repair there for the new day

Diva Challenge 219

This week's Diva Challenge is to use patterns with straight lines - no curves.  I'd say most of my tangles fall into this category - I do use many of the curvy organic patterns, and greatly admire the work of those that are more organic but I have to admit if a patten gives me fits it's an organic one.

Here's my entry for challenge 219. The template is an early one from from Zendala Dare days - just two patterns used - Spiteria and Panzi.

Challenge 219  Straight Lines

On another note I finally succumbed and joined Facebook, mostly to participate in the Zentangle and Pyrography/Woodburning communities.  I'm still learning my way around.  I don't post much on my personal page but I did create a Page for my art - if you want to take a look and if so inclined like the page you can find it here 

https://www.facebook.com/TinkeredArtStudio

One group I enjoy is Zentangle Stacked and Tangled. The prompt this week was Stripes.  Here is the tile I posted there.

Of course I'm still woodburning, sometimes it seems I spend more time with my woodburning pens than my microns.  Another hook, delivered today to a friend as a gift for her new office.

Bi-Zen-Tennial Celebration

The Diva Challenge hits 200 this week - time to celebrate with "taking it to the edge" with our "mac 'n cheese" tangle.  I have a few favorites to choose from but decided to go with Hollibaugh as it's a pattern I did for 10 years on gourds before I even knew Zentangle existed.  It was hard to give up the gourd art but I found Zentangle a few months later and finding Hollibaugh there was comforting and welcoming.  It's so versatile, I love teaching it, and I love getting lost in it - truly a zen pattern for me.

Update: Reposting the tile with 200 added. I had included it early on when working the tangle but as the hollibaugh grew I'd blacked it in and then forgot to add it back. 

Those of you that strained to find it - sorry about that - it's there now!

Still woodburning - a new item - decorative wall hook 4" x 4" basswood.

Diva Challenge and Woodburning

Diva Challenge 197 - use the new tangle Arukas.  I'm a fan of tangles with straight lines but the jury is still out on Arukas.  I like it but still trying to find the rhythm of it. Somehow I got hooked on using a spiral in the center and the 8 point star and added to the overall challenge by playing with color - the metallic pens are a little flat here especially the gold.  These 3 are done but not finished more of an experiment than what I usually do.

 click on any image for larger view

 

A few more woodburned pieces.

A birthday present for a dear friend of 35+ years

Tea light candle holder

Diva Challenge #188 - National Coming Out Day

The inspiration for this weeks Diva Challenge comes from 12 year old Daniel who wrote to the Diva asking for a show of support not only for his friend who is gay but also for the LGBTQA community in honor of National Coming Out Day - October 11th. Visit the Diva's blog to read more info on this request.

I completed 2 tiles for the challenge and I'm surprised at what appeared.  I thought I would just create a tile using tangles with names representing LGBQA.   I had several tangles ready to go but every time I would sit down to get started I would have several very concrete images take over my thoughts - very untangle like and not my process at all!

So after several failed attempts at getting a tile started I began to play with trying to put some of the images on paper.  First thing to know - I don't draw real things but for some reason I kept at it especially the one tile.  Most of the renditions were so pathetic as to be humorous.  I wasn't sketching them out to actually use them for the challenge but as a way to get them out of my system so I could get back to the challenge.

Imagine my surprise when one of them actually started to look like what I was trying to sketch - could it be possible?  Don't get to excited it's still a pretty crude rendition but I  liked the simplicity and symbolism.

 

The other image was not that hard to recreate as it is the logo for the HRC (Human Rights Campaign - "one of the largest civil rights organizations around striving to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all."

I also finished a couple more cuffs  one using gloven and the other a modification of Yew-Dee

 

Diva Challenge 185

Just a quick drive by to get my tile posted for this week's Diva Challenge - use only the tangles Phicops and Diva Dance.  Wasn't feeling especially inspired, it has been oppressively hot here for the last several days.  We won't be getting much of a break until the end of the week - 89 degrees yet at 11:30 pm is just too hot!

Zentangle Diva Challenge 181 Water

Water - it's an on-going topic of conversation and concern here in CA these days as we are experiencing yet again very severe drought conditions.  Some mandatory water conservation efforts are now in place.  Here in SoCal most of our water is imported from the Colorado river and to a lesser degree from northern California.  What little winter snow pack we have in SoCal mountains supplements that but there has been very little winter snow pack for the past few years so the reservoirs are quite low.

Instead of the seascape that I probably would have done I decided on rain as the inspiration for my tile. How many different ways could I represent rain - maybe if I draw enough of it the rains will come.  Aah, if only it were that simple.

Water

 

Pop-Cloud, Msst, Printemps, CO2, Tipple, Sanibelle, Rain, Fescu,

Zinger, Lightening Bolt & one name that escapes me

I've also been doing a bit of woodburning.  Just ordered some fun bracelets and cuffs.  Right now I'm just in experimentation mode but if it works out will be adding them to my winter shows and maybe finally open the online shop instead of just threatening to do it!

Also on the woodburning front - I'll be teaching mini intro class - Woodburning 101 - click on the Zentangle Classes page at the top of the blog for the details.