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:

Pastels on 5th: Chalk Zendala with Sue Clark!

On Saturday, Sept 13 Sue Clark and I participated in the "Pastels on 5th" sidewalk chalk event, to help raise funds for Alternatives to Violence. After many hours of planning, designing, and practicing, we felt ready to draw our Zentangle-based Zendala!
   
Here are a few pics of the progress from start to finish. We worked on this for 7 hours, and had a lot of fun!

Zendala: Celtic Flow

Thanks so much for visiting! I just finished this Zendala which was started in Margaret Bremner's workshop at the Retreat to Paradise. She is so inspiring! This piece was started from a template made out of a folded paper snowflake and traced onto the drawing paper. Then I divided the various areas with Zentangle strings. This part of the process was fascinating because there are so many possibilities for the design. I hope you like it!

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!

Tile ensemble for exchange!

Getting ready to go to the Retreat to Paradise zentangle weekend! Many of us are participating in an exchange of the Zentangle ensemble tiles. This is the first ensemble set that I have done~ and it was so fun to do!

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!!