Tangle Refresher class

When we got back to Florida, I heard from a few people that they needed to have a Refresher class, to get back into the Zen of tangling. Some hadn't tangled for a few months, and some just wanted to learn some new tangles. 

We had a good turnout for the Tangle Refresher class on November 18! It was great to see friends from last year! 

Nine people took the class, and did a great job with new tangles, including Lynn Shelton Meades' Dew Drop enhancer. 

Here is the link to Lynn's tutorial for the dew drop: Dew Drops

(We all decided that we would need to practice this technique!)

The tangles that we worked on were: 

Tile 1~ Huggins, Puf, Buttercup, and Sand Swirl.

Tile 2 ~ Cubine, Cyme, Leaflet, and Tagh

from left to right: Susie, Jane, Diane, Steve, Bonni, MaryAnn, Angela, Glenna Jo, and myself.

Our class mosaic!

Illuminated letter: the process of a Zentangle-inspired-art piece.

     Last Saturday, I had a wonderful time participating in an Illuminated Letter workshop at Sue Clark's house. (See her blog at: www.TangledInkArt.blogspot.com) Seven of us created Zentangle-inspired-art pieces on Opus tiles, which are 10"x10". We all shared ideas and inspirations, and had a good start to our pieces. . . . . and a big "thanks" to Pat Mathes for pointing me in the direction of David Nicholl's tutorials on drawing Celtic knots!
After 5 hours, (which included a pot-luck lunch!) we took our tiles home to finish individually.

 



 I had SO much fun working on this piece, from finding the right letter form, to dividing the tile with strings, to playing with composition and tangles! The possibilities are truly endless!

      That being said, here are some photos to show you the process of this Opus tile:

ENJOY! .... and happy tangling!

More Zentangle in the Nokomis/Sarasota Florida area!

     I am constantly amazed at how people who are new to Zentangle start out by saying, "I can't do that" . . . . and then end up saying, "Wow! I did that!".
   
SO ~ WHAT IS ZENTANGLE?

1. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS: You don't need any previous training or "artistic talent" to learn this art form.  The process is created "one stroke at a time", where each step is just one line! If you can draw a line, a circle, and a 'S', then you can do Zentangle!
   "The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being." 
   Zentangle can: 
   

   • increase your focus,
   • help you relax,
   • inspire your creativity,
   • improve teamwork,
   • build your confidence,
   • change your outlook.
   Today a wonderful group of new Zentangle students came for an introductory class. We had a cozy time to tangle as it rained outside! Here are a few photos of our finished tiles ~ Each one is so unique and beautiful. 
   

   

   
   
   

   

   
   

   

   As a Certified Zentangle Teacher, I absolutely love seeing these tiles "come to life", with the individual styles of each student! We all learn from each other . . . . and then, when each tile is shaded, completed, signed, and admired, there is that "WOW!" moment. 

Zentangle Classes in Nokomis, Florida!

     Yesterday, 7 new tanglers showed up to take a Beginner Zentangle class here in Nokomis, Florida! Everyone did a great job, and learned 8 new tangles, as well as a bit of the history and philosophy of Zentangle.
 

I'm so excited about starting this new adventure here in Florida. I've been grateful for the interest shown, and the enthusiasm of people in this area to learn Zentangle. It's true that Zentangle attracts some of the most friendly people: ones who want to learn a new skill, try something unique, and share new friendships!

After the 2 1/2 hour class, we put all of the tiles into a mosaic:

We're now looking at possible additional classes such as Renaissance Tiles, Organic Tangles, or Snowflake Zendalas! I'm looking forward to sharing more "Tangling Adventures" with everyone!

          If you're interested in learning Zentangle, (or just want to say, "Hi!") feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you!

Why "Tangle Your Bliss"?

I have been asked about the name of my blog. It comes from the interviews that Bill Moyers did with Joseph Campbell. Out of these interviews came the book, The Power of Myth.
The following quote sums up the idea of following your bliss:

“Follow your bliss.
If you do follow your bliss,
you put yourself on a kind of track
that has been there all the while waiting for you,
and the life you ought to be living
is the one you are living.
When you can see that,
you begin to meet people
who are in the field of your bliss,
and they open the doors to you.
I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid,
and doors will open
where you didn't know they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss,
doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.”

― Joseph Campbell

Zentangle can be a way to connect with that bliss, or calm center where you don't have a sense of time or stress. Tangling can give us a taste of bliss, if only for the 15 minutes it takes to complete a tile!

Soooo, this week, my  Zentangle journey has continued with the birth of my new business named (surprisingly enough!) "Tangle Your Bliss". I feel as though I'm being somewhat swept along with the whole process, and discovering as I go along. I had no idea what was involved with establishing a business, registering with the state, etc! All of this in preparation for my first class on Saturday! "If you tangle they will come!" At any rate, I'm having fun with the whole process . . . . and teaching my first class will, I think, be a blast!

. . . . and some samples:
Normally, my ZIA's are abstract pieces, but I wanted to try a whimsical fairy-type house. Below is a ZIA I did a few months back, first in black and white, and then in color ~ Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting ~~ I would love to hear your comments, ideas, etc! 

New class, new business, new ZIA, oh,my!

     Since I returned from Providence, RI for the CZT training, I've started my 'official' Zentangle business, registering with the state, filling out forms, etc. I've also scheduled a class on introduction to Zentangle, which I'm very excited about! It will be held at the High Plains Environmental Center on Saturday, Nov 22 from 1:00 - 3:00. I know that as the time draws nearer I'll be nervous, but for now I'm just excited to share Zentangle with people who haven't done it yet.
    For the past month or so, I've been tangling on the original Zentangle tiles, which are 3.5" x 3.5".  This has been inspired by the Facebook group, "Square One: Purely Zentangle". It's been great to get back to the basic traditional tile, using only the black Micron pen. As someone commented, "having the boundaries makes us push the creativity a bit more".
    That being said, I felt the need to go back to my larger paper and do a ZIA (Zentangle-inspired-art) piece. I've worked on this for the past 3 days, and am pretty happy with the result. I love the process of transitioning one tangle into another, and balancing the composition. (At least, it's a good brain challenge!)

Retreat to Paradise~~ Bliss!

We just finished three days of tangling bliss at the Retreat to Paradise, organized by Jo-Ellen Matthews in Indialantic, Fl. What amazing group of creative people! Instructors included Meredith Yunas ("organic tangles" plus "mindfulness"), Margaret Bremner ("Zentangle Inspired Mandalas"), and Cherryl Moote ("Playbooks"). We also had a chance to experiment with watercolors, shrink plastic, and tangling on a ceramic heart. This was my first Zentangle retreat, and my brain is full of new ideas, connections, and friends! 

It was wonderful to meet many 'online' friends in person!

patsy monk, Jo-Ellen Mathews, Cherryl Moote, and Margaret Bremner. (Thanks to Dorian Eng for the great photography!)

Meredith Yunas teaching organic tangles for garden and ocean ZIA's.

Margaret Bremner teaching Zendalas.

Cherryl Moote teaching book binding and 'play books'. 

.... And now, I'm going to go tangle!

Have a wonderful, creative day!

A glimpse back. . .

Thanks for visiting!! We are currently making our first loooong RV trip, from Colorado to Florida~ getting a chance to see my Mom! Our two kitties are traveling with us, and doing very well. Here is a photo of Jasmine "helping" me tangle before we left, back in February.

. . . And here is the finished ZIA ("Zentangle-inspired art) piece that I used for an ATC exchange: 

Happy tangling, everyone!!

New to blogging ~ more to come!

This is my first time (ever) posting! I have been doing Zentangle for the past 2 years~ and love it.
I took a few Zentangle classes from Sue Clark ("Tangled Ink Art"), and the rest was history! There is something so calming about the process of Zentangle ~ I believe it's the perfect combination of right/left brain activity. It's a blend of artistic and mathematical thinking . . . . with emphasis on the process, and not the product.