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!

A New Year!

     2014 was a good year for me: I became a CZT (certified Zentangle Teacher), and started this wonderful journey. Tim and I had a good (but very quick!) summer in Colorado and managed to get some hiking in at Rocky Mountain National Park.
     We just made our annual migration to Florida, and have been soaking up the sun and warmth. This also means that I am starting a list of students who are interested in taking Zentangle classes from me in the Sarasota/Venice, Fl. area! If you are interested, please contact me by leaving a comment below. I'm excited to meet new students and to share this wonderful art form!

I  have also recently started a new 'illustrated journal' for 2015, which incorporates Zentangle along with various other artistic explorations ~ collage, stamping, Gelli Plate printing, etc: having a  creative blast in general!
     We were to pick a word that has meaning, both for our journals and our lives. After much thought, I chose "gratitude" because that's something I believe we should all be aware of. I feel that I have so much to be grateful for: my family, my opportunity to travel, sharing music (and my life!) with Tim, my Zentangle journey, as well as the chance to explore other creative pursuits! The quote that I used is from Deepak Chopra:

 Gratitude opens the door to...

the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the Universe.

You open the door through gratitude.

Here's a peek at my first page.

I hope you enjoy this post, and have much to be grateful for in your life!

Happy 2015!

Class scheduled!

Just a shout-out to those of you in the Loveland, Colorado area. I will be teaching a basic (beginner) Zentangle class on Saturday from 1:00 - 3:00 at the High Plains Environmental Center. 

Who can do Zentangle?  Anyone! If you can draw a line, a circle, you can do Zentangle!

Come and learn about this wonderful art form which: 
** Reduces stress
** Increases focus and creativity
** Provides artistic satisfaction
** Increases sense of personal wellbeing

Come join the fun!

Please comment below if you want directions or further information!

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!)

Some musings from a new CZT

     WOW!  I had such a wonderful time at the CZT seminar in Providence, RI. The seminar was so beautifully planned and presented, and I'm still processing all of the wonderful energy, friendship, and ideas that made up the 4 days.

     I loved the technique of Zentangle before, but now I feel that I'm in the process of gaining a deeper understanding of it. I like to look at the different layers: the simple process of putting your pen to the paper, the act of focusing and being in the present, slowing down to "one stroke at a time" . . . . and the ways that this can apply to life in general! Rick and Maria emphasized the low-tech aspect of Zentangle. It's a reason to turn off the phone, computer, television, etc. along with all of the thoughts that race around our heads. It lets us be comfortable with silence, and "just be".

      Some people have confused Zentangle with doodling. Zentangle is done mindfully, with intention. Each stroke is deliberate in itself. The outcome is unknown (as in life!), and unplanned, but the end result of each tile is unique and beautiful.  
     
     Over the past three years of tangling, I've loved seeing and recognizing different styles of Zentangle artists. It's like personalities or handwriting. Even though similar tangles (patterns) might be used in separate pieces, the style of each person is uniqely individual.

     So . . . . that's just the tip of the iceberg but I'll stop for now, and show you some photos of the weekend!

THANK YOU, Rick and Maria!!

My new "best buddies", Diana Linsse and Leslie Joliet

Happy to see Judy Gucker again!

 . . .and then we got to sit with our other 'best buddy",  Sheryl Kaleo!

With Maria Thomas 

We were a little chilly, and Maria loaned us scarves!
Diana is the scarf fashionista, with Leslie.

"Rosemary is for rememberance" . . . 

 . . . . with Verdigoh

Diva-dancing around a Bijou tile!

A group mosaic

Bijou on my pumpkin!

We DID it! 

A very happy CZT!

Thanks for visiting!

     . . . . . and now, it's time to tangle!









      

A new CZT! (As of this weekend)

Well, I'm starting to do a slow spin, anticipating  my upcoming trip to Providence, RI for the CZT seminar with Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. I signed up a year ago, so I've had all this time to look forward to it, wonder what the weekend will hold, etc. One of the very best resources I've had is the book Zentangle  by Rick and Maria. Besides a wealth of information, stories, and descriptions of the birth of Zentangle, it's full of the most incredible samples of Maria's art as well as beautiful Zentangle samples by both Maria and Rick. Highly recommended to anyone interested in Zentangle!
     Last Sunday, I had lunch with Sue Clark (TangledInkArt.blogspot.com), Pat Mathes (GranTangles.blogspot.com), and Cj Peterson. Cj and Pat became CZT's in June, so they were able to give me some ideas before my trip.
   So, as you can see, I'm so excited to meet the founders of Zentangle in person, along with 100+ brand-new CZT's/friends!  I think it's going to be every bit as wonderful as I imagine!

.... And here's a sample of one of my recent ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) pieces: