Diva Challenge #227 ~ Circus Life!

This week, Lee Darter, CZT 15 is the guest host for the Diva's challenge. Lee was in Sarasota, Florida which is the home of the Ringling Brothers circus and museum. This challenge was near and dear to my heart, because we spend part of the year in the Sarasota area.
       The challenge, itself, however was definitely a challenge! Lee asked us to create a tile with the tangles: Tropicana, Cack, and a choice of Florz, Linq, or Fescu. It was a trick to integrate these very different tangles into a somewhat cohesive group. After a while, however, they decided to play together nicely.
I hope this takes you to the circus! Enjoy!

I Am The Diva challenge: Simplicity!

After lurking and enjoying the responses to Laura Harms challenges ("I Am The Diva" at http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/), I am **finally** stepping up and diving in!
This week Katie Crommet is the guest host. Her blog can be found at http://www.katieczt.com/. Katie chose the challenge of "simplicity".  She challenged us to be simple, know when to stop, and know that "we are enough".
     I enjoyed this ~ no over-thinking or stressing. It was one of the most effortless tiles I've done. Thanks, Katie!

Tangles are: Florz, Msst, Tipple, Printemps, and Flux.

   

Zentangle community

 What is it about the Zentangle community/family that makes it so supportive?  The Zentangle process does attract people who are (for the most part) friendly, sharing, and caring. The whole method itself is based on mindfulness, relaxation, and appreciation. Tanglers focus on being in the moment, letting go of expected outcomes, and "expecting the unexpected". In Zentangle, "there are no mistakes"!
     The practice of Zentangle not only attracts people who understand the philosophy, but it is self-perpetuating. I've seen this happen at gatherings (from over 100 people at TangleU to 4 friends getting together at the coffeehouse to share Zentangle) as well as online.
     On Facebook, there are many groups who share Zentangle- and Zentangle-Inspired Art. The     comments and feedback are consistently helpful and supportive, no matter how new or experienced
    the person is. I've been inspired by other tanglers who share new tangles, give challenges, and     contribute new techniques.    
     That being said, here are a few new tiles of mine which are the results of this sharing community: new tangles, ideas, and techniques!

Shelly Beauchamp  brought us Mak-Rah-Mee (here is a link to her blog: http://shellybeauch.blogspot.com/)
Jane Monk developed this curved variation of Hollibaugh  (http://janemonkstudio.com/)

 . . . . and here is my first (finally!) post to The Diva's challenge, which is SO much fun to watch and be inspired by!
You can find Laura Harms, the Diva, at: http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/

. . . . So, I hope this gives just a taste of how we all inspire and support each other in this Zentangle journey.

PS ~ I've also been having fun with apps and my tiles:

     Enjoy ~~ and happy tangling!

Renaissance Tile class!

I have become more and more excited about the possibilities of the Zentangle Renaissance tiles over the past year. These tiles were developed to showcase shading as well as highlighting techniques based on the chiaroscuro method in Renaissance art. While preparing to teach this class, I looked up definitions and examples of the chiaroscuro method. 
Wikipedia defines it as, "in art, it is the use of strong contrast between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. Dictionary.com mentions that the basis of the word is equivalent to chiaro (bright) plus oscuro (dark).

This contrast of light and shade results in a dramatic effect. The technique was initially pioneered by Leonardo da Vinci, and it was further developed by atrists such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt. Rembrandt. 

Here are a few examples of chiaroscuro used in Rembrandt's paintings. I love the moody glow of the light against the dark!


A beautiful example of this technique by Maria Thomas, who developed Zentangle with Rick Roberts, is linked here to their blog: 
http://zentangle.blogspot.com/2015/06/art-method-sales-and-j.html

You can also find great examples of Zentangle Renaissance tiles in the FaceBook group: Square One: Purely Renaissance Zentangle

 And now . . . . . . drumroll, please! Here are Renaissance tiles done in class yesterday!

Everyone did a spectacular job!

Marti Morgan sent this image of her first (!) tiles from class last year along with her new Renaissance tiles from class yesterday.

Kathy Webb sent this wonderful 'collage' of her supplies in addition to a peek at her tiles!

Here is my most recent Renaissance tile.

If you enjoyed this post, have any questions or ideas, I would love to hear your comments! Thanks for stopping by!