Charlotte Carpentier, CZT

CZT Family Tree
We always say that the Zentangle Method attracts really awesome people. We have had the pleasure of working with wonderful Certified Zentangle Teachers (CZT) all over the world and we are excited to share these wonderful people with the entire Zentangle Community. Through our series, CZT Family Tree, we will introduce individual CZTs.

Today, we are excited to introduce Charlotte Carpentier

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Name: Charlotte “CharKat” Carpentier

CZT#: 14 

Hometown: Originally – Tombstone, Arizona, Currently – Temecula, California

Favorite tangle: Fengle (have it as a tattoo from LONG before I started tangling)

Favorite place to tangle: In airports and on airplanes…it means I am going someplace!

How I use the Zentangle Method in my life: I medically retired from the Army in 2012. I have chronic pain from herniated disks and bad knees, PTSD, and have suffered from debilitating depression my whole life. As a consequence, I also suffer from insomnia. Because I practice the Zentangle Method whenever I start a tile, it has become a meditation for me to get to sleep. When I am trying to wind down my brain to sleep, I go through the process in my head, step by step, and I am generally asleep before I finish the strokes of my first tangle. Because I am sleeping better, and have such a wonderful outlet for my art, my depression has been in remission for several years now. Only occasionally do I have what I call “black moments” (they used to be “black months”…reduced to “black days”…and now only moments.) I am also able to better regulate my pain tolerance without medication by regularly practicing, and have employed stretching methods from my Kinesiology degree that I teach in all my classes.

My favorite story or memory about teaching the Zentangle Method is: Through my experiences as a CZT, I have learned what a wonderful sense of community we have as CZTs. Sharing with my fellow CZTs has given me a purpose. I feel like I am part of something larger than myself, and that has given me hope in some darker times.

If I’m not tangling, you will find me...: At a rock concert…or traveling…or traveling to a rock concert.

Find me on the Zentangle Mosaic App: CharKatTangles

Website/Blog: www.charkatscreativeinsanity.com

Welcome CZT 26!

New friends, new location, new year . . . so much was new and exciting at this, our twenty-sixth (we still pinch ourselves when we say that!) Certified Zentangle Teacher training seminar.

In this blog post we'll let the pictures do the talking as we share a hint of the fun and creativity we shared with our new friends within the grandeur of our new venue.

First, welcome the Class of 26!

110 people from 17 countries! We added Argentina, Columbia and Russia so people can now find CZTs in 38 countries!

This seminar was held in the Providence Biltmore. This hotel was built for a Zentangle event because wherever you looked, there were tangles. In the lobby:

. . . or on the ceilings and walls of the ballroom where we had our classes . . .

And when Rick went out for a walk at lunch it was as if there were wonderful vibes showering our event:

Classes were held in that top room on the left. It's such a beautiful ballroom with all rounded corners . . . just like our tiles!

Maria, Rick (who was taking the pictures), Molly and Martha all led classes:

and the layout was perfect:

Many students shared their Zentangle inspired art they had brought:

. . . and enjoyed taking pictures of each other:

 
Meals were awesome . . .

complete with flaming deserts!

Most importantly, life-long friendships were formed and creativity abounded in numerous mosaics of Zentangle tiles:

(We'd show more, but we don't want to spoil ALL the surprises!)

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All of us at Zentangle HQ are SO grateful for all who traveled from near and far to make this experience all that it could be.

Thank you!

For all who are about to come or who are considering attending, we look forward to meeting you and working with you.

Until next time . . .

Rick and Maria

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Upcoming seminars:

April 23-26, 2017

June 18-21, 2017

June 25-28, 2017

Doing the Dishes ... Again.

Rick writes:
In 2007, we started BLOG Zentangle and began our enjoyable series of conversations within our Zentangle community.

In reading through these blog posts with their insightful comments, we decided to bring a few of them to your attention from time to time. It is easy, for me anyway, to sometimes think of old information as stale information. But these insights and conversations are anything BUT stale!

We invite you to enjoy this blog post that we dished out in 2015...

                     Begin previous post . . .                  

It is always fun (for me, anyway) to find new homes for my Zentangle tiles. I like them gathered around us in and about the house, not safely tucked away in a book or drawer. They seem to take on a function, a reminder of all good things. I like to just stick them on the walls with architectural putty (also called blue tack or white tack). I use this silly putty-esque feeling semi-sticky mounting stuff all the time, to keep dishes from sliding, to keep pictures hanging straight. I also use it to stick tiles right on the wall, be it plaster, wood or wallpaper. Some days I stick tiles to the corners of framed art or mirrors or wedge them between mandolin strings, the tines of an especially exotic fork. With  Zendala tiles, I love to use the putty to stick them to . . .

. . . dishes!

What a fun way to spend a quiet Saturday afternoon, wandering the aisles of no-name antique shops, second-hand bazaars and the like.

I even like to buy ones that have nicks and chips, because I know how they can be rescued by the mighty pen, wielded in Zentangle fashion, adorning it with tangles and . . . zen.

And, whilst you are out and about in these shops, you can also look for the tiny and wonderful miniature easels, to "pedestal" your new found work of art in a more regal fashion. If the plate is of the plain variety, old and yellowing or crackled ever so, you might add a border tangle around where the plate dips into the center.

A pre-strung plate! Use a Sakura® IDentiPen™ or even better, Sakura Microperm™. You can add perfs all around, then maybe an aura around them. This creates a classic border the likes of which you normally see on the edge of a gilt frame. The easels, you can also find online. (They are not as easily found as orphaned china.)

And, I was able to give one of the tiles a "hand." All us old artists, were certain to have been given these wooden "structures" to practice drawing (wooden?) hands.

You may have some great ideas of your own for presenting your tiles about your house. Tell us about them in your comments.

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R&M