Another Conversation

Maria struck up an online conversation with Cathleen Rehfeld, a professional fine artist who works primarily with oil paint. They decided to trade creations. We join this conversation after Cathleen receives Maria's piece.

Hello Maria!

Your beautiful bee came my way yesterday! I LOVE it!! I love everything about it, even the matting is beautiful. I must get to work on your piece of artwork.

I have to tell you, even though I haven't spent as much time as I would have liked with my Zentangles, it has already changed my sketching - my sense of composition of the whole is better.

I am glad you like her. I thought she was kinda cute.

Favor: would you be willing to write a sentence or two about how Zentangle has affected your life and art? I love what you said, especially since you are a professional artist......and can we publish it along with a few of your paintings and a link to all your sites..... we'd love to feature it on our blog. If you rather not, no problem.

Thanks. Best, Maria

oh of course! I love testimonials... : )

I'm not much of a writer though, here goes:

Zentangling has changed my sketching for the better - my sense of composition of the whole is improved. It increases my sensitivity to contrasts in a composition, and gives me tools to affect it. The idea of balance of light and dark for a composition for example, I never want to have exactly 1/2 dark and 1/2 light, more like thirds - 2/3, 1/3 light/dark or vice versa. And also the idea of things flowing into and out of other things, maybe a sense of direction in a sketch.

ooooh I don't know if that makes sense - so please paraphrase, add or subtract (or ask me to clarify) it to suit your needs!!

cathleen

I love the way you put it.....especially the part about 1/3 2/3 light and dark. I use sacred geometry and phi ratios in a lot of my pieces, but using that ratio for light and dark is brilliant. Thanks so much. I'll have to try it. I am basically self-taught, so everyone is my teacher. I love it that way. Can we send people to your website and blog? Thanks so much. M

Hi Maria,

Glad you are happy with the testimonial! It came from my heart!

Yes, please do send people my way! Thank you!

Cathleen

We are so familiar with the excitement and inspiration that Zentangle brings to people who believe they aren't artists or can't draw, that we overlook the benefits and insights that Zentangle can offer to established working artists. This conversation was a great reminder.

I [Rick] thought I had photographed the bee that Maria sent Cathleen. Alas, I did not. I'll ask Cathleen to send me a picture and then I'll add it to this blog.

Thanks, Cathleen, for letting us share this conversation.

We invite you to wander through Cathleen's online collection of creativity and beauty at her website and her blog.

P.S.
If you recently began following our blog, you may not understand our title for today's blog entry. You can read the first in our "conversation" series here that we had with a different person.


[Edited to add:]
Cathleen just sent a great picture.

Thanks Cathleen! We talk a bit more about this image on this blog entry.

Click image for larger view.

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