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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

A Feast for the Eyes!

Martha Writes:

 I love to cook. From early on in my childhood I was drawn to the kitchen- not so much a hunger to eat but a hunger to create. I felt comfort in the process of preparing food to share with others. I was lucky enough to meet a chef who wanted to teach me and I spent the summer of my 15th year learning to use a knife - to chop an onion, to mince garlic, to peel and dice a carrot, some celery. It was all about practice and passion. He taught me to have respect for my tools and inspired a confidence in my abilities as a “creator” of food that I have never forgotten. I learned that even the most complicated recipes started with the same fundamental ingredients that I had just prepared and that was all I needed to go forth and create!

Recently, I began prepping a meal for a gathering of friends. I set out my old cutting board, my favorite blade in hand, and began to chop. This recipe is one that I have made dozens of times. My ingredients, carefully selected and washed, are similar to the last time but always some variation becomes necessary. Hmm, I’m out of this but that would be a great substitute! As it often is, I am alone in my kitchen, my territory, and I quickly get into a quiet rhythm of peeling, dicing, mincing, chopping, and squeezing all the while getting lost in my chore. (sound familiar?) At last, these seemingly simple tasks spawns a glorious, nourishing dish for all to enjoy.

 I am not sure why it was this specific day that the thought occurred to me. This process, this repetitive task, is so much like Zentangle! When we first learn the method, we practice our crescent moon, our hollibaugh and printemps. We learn that only the best tools should be used for this future masterpiece. We learn that we are artists and that it feels amazing when someone appreciates you and your artistic ability. Then confidence ensues and we get a bit daring- a dash of dingbatz, a pinch of sparkle, a dollop of diva dance and before you know it you have a completely unplanned treasure for the eyes!

With only a few basic ingredients (tangles) we have all the tools we need to create the most comforting feast for the eyes. Yes, there are days when we feel courageous or have a bit more time but both have boundless enjoyment for all to share. So, what’s your favorite Zentangle Recipe? Do you like simple, fundamental ingredients, or are you more adventurous and willing to take risks? Like all good recipes, Zentangle is meant to be shared. We would love to hear your favorite tangle combinations- inspiring us all to try something new.


 Bon Appetangle! 

16 comments:

Pat Mathes said...

Wonderful analogy!

Cris said...

lovely analogy. When I teach, I often use food and cooking to explain things. I tell them that shading is like the salt in their food - a little will spice it up, but dump the whole shaker and it ruins the dish. Love having another helpful way to explain things. Thanks.

ria matheussen said...

Before my retirement, I was a cooking teacher and I loved to cook, now I prefer to draw(LOL) but I like to experiment in cooking but also in Zentangleart: I love to combine Zentanglepatterns with watercolours, I'm fond of these Reticula and Fragments, I like the unexpected results of travelingtiles, new patterns, new tiles, new challenges...keeps the mind young!
Some patterns are easy to draw and some are difficult. I didn't like Tripoli at first instance but I exercised a lot and now Tripoli has become one of my favorites and easy to combine with other patterns.
There are now CZT in all continents of the world. Wouldn't it be nice to create a tile with a pattern of every contintent???
Warm regards from Belgium
Ria Matheussen

Jo Quincey said...

Brilliant, Martha!
A passion for creating can take many forms and the process is what grounds us and comforts our souls. The results of our creations can be just for us to enjoy...the flavours and colours and tastes and textures or we can choose to share them with others.
So often it is the most simple ingredients that create the most inspiring and wonderful dishes and it is the same, I find, with Zentangle.
Less is so often more.
A wonderful blogspot article.��

Barb Mayo said...

I love the comparison, Martha. I do the same in cooking my familiar recipes ("what about this instead?"), and realize I'm doing it in my tangling ("I know this is supposed to be this way, but what if I put in Mooka instead?").

Sharon Jerkovic said...

What a great analogy! I never thought about making that comparison..Fantastic! ..and your Zentangle is pretty!😀

CZT Aishwarya Darbha said...

Tipples and orbs are my perfect fillers..... Anytime, I feel there's something missing in a tile, i start doing tipple, sometimes even color the random ones. Mooka n tipple combination are my favorite and second favourite is flux and tipple.

ForgetmenotTangles said...

This is great. No matter what the art is it's about the process. Lovely reminder to be daring and share. Thanks guys!

Unknown said...

What a great post, Martha! Thank you! It's no secret that I am currently picking a massive crop of Printemps and I'm putting them to use in just about any recipe that I can concoct! Hee, hee, hee ... :-) ... it's a bumper harvest this year, let me tell you! At this rate it may continue to yield through until Christmas ... :-o ... LOL!!

Inge F. said...

I don´t like cooking but I like homemade food. My Mum didn´t let me touch her oven so when I was 24 and got married my hubby and I both were unable to do our own cooking. In the end I did´t want to starve so started to do what had to be done. People say I am a good cook. Maybe I am a creative cook, always try to find something my guests and family might love. On the other hand I see how much time it takes to prepare a good meal and I´d prefer to do Zantangle instead. Since I had this accident in my kitchen that ended up in a broken right hand 4 years ago my love for kitchen work has minimized and turned into resignation 4 months ago when I had a fire in my kitchen! Renovating all the disaster took my time I wanted to spend on Zentange. Martha, if I could eat my tiles, I wouldn´t return to my kitchen...

www.musterspiele.de

brenda shaver shahin said...

Martha, your post is quite inspiring. I often think of how many things have changed in my life since I found Zentangle. It's interesting how almost everything I do or create now comes down to the same simple philosophy...appreciation, simple ingredients, great tools, one step at a time, gratitude etc. I look at life so differently now than before I found the Zentangle method. I used to think of it as being complicated and difficult. But breaking it all down into those basic steps makes tasks much more enjoyable, whether I am cooking, sewing, making jewellery, tangling or teaching Zentangle, its all about one step at a time focusing on the task at hand and appreciating the opportunity that I have been given. Thank you for your beautiful post.

Kathy Young said...

Entangle is the spice in my life every day. The ingredients change but the simple recipe is the same. Appreciate, border, string, tangle, shade, appreciate. Breath. :)

gobarb26 said...

I have always liked to cook. My mother was not a good cook so my sister and I both became very good cooks. I may use a recipe to start out but It ends up being my own creation! Just like Zentangle, I may start out with some basic tangles but then I might go completely off track and draw or color something totally different than what I thought I was going to do. I definitely get the analogy! Now, I wish I could get my sister interested in learning the Zentangle method but alas, she would rather cook... ;-)
Barb B. CZT

ToujoursSoleil said...

A beautiful, thoughtful post!

Anonymous said...

I like to combine tangles or embellishments that have common elements, most recently b'tweed and tipz, or shattuck or crescent moon with auras elsewhere on the tile, or tipple combined with tangles embellished with perfs, etc. This gives me harmonious tiles with infinite variety using very few basic "ingredients" - wonderful!

Top 100 videos said...

Very amazing post