GEL 2011

We've been busy with our Zentangle presentation at the GEL conference in NYC. We had such a great time we forgot to take pictures until the last minute.

Here's a shot of folks checking out their mosaic at the end of our workshop.

We mounted everyone's tiles for viewing at a get together afterward. We used pins on canvas covered foamcore.

We were one of three morning breakout sessions. The other two were juggling and theater improv. Attendees were encouraged to pick a session that was outside their comfort zone. So we had lots of people attend who otherwise would not have chosen "drawing." This turned out to be a great suggestion because we love presenting Zentangle to people who think they aren't artists or who reluctantly attend. The experience was wonderful for us and our attendees.

While we were around town we grabbed a few tangle sightings. Here's a great aura:

Some W2 from our hotel lobby:

And this view of the elevator light is a good new tangle inspiration:

More later . . .

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William Morris #19

Challenge #19 from Laura Harms, CZT is "More Morris - Create a tile or Zentangle Inspired piece using the William Morris technique of light over dark."

Maria offers,

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Thoughts

Last night we realized there is an unspoken aspect of Zentangle that has naturally flourished among tanglers worldwide . . . an absence of contests! We've not noticed any competitions and contests with their accompanying winners and losers, bests and worsts. That makes sense, because Zentangle is none of that.

Zentangle is comfort, inspiration, gratitude, self-confidence, happiness, sharing, encouragement, satisfaction and empowerment. How cool is that!

Thank you all for reflecting Zentangle's empowerment of process and beauty of result in such wonderfully individual and uplifting ways.

Here's a peak at some fun we're having with white pens, black paper and new tangleations:

More later!

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Oo, Oo - Gotta Share!

Molly just stopped by and showed us this . . .

Thought you might enjoy it, too.

Off now to add it to Laura Harms' Egg Challenge!

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Elegance

Elegance of Sychronicities
We just added a link to our blogroll ("ScrawlEncompassing" to your right) for Jane Dickinson, CZT. As I was doing that, Maria, who was sitting across from me on our porch, said, "You have to look at this!"

It was (cue soundtrack from Twilight Zone) the same image I was viewing at that moment! We were appreciating how, with just some shading where the lines were close together, Jane had created an image that looked like someone poking their fingers into it from the other side.

Jane had created this for Laura Harms' 15 Minutes of Fame challenge. Which brings us to another "elegance," the . . .

Elegance of Limits
Jane writes about her Zentangle creation above,

For weeks and weeks I have enjoyed the energy and eye candy over at Laura Harms’s blog I am the Diva. She is issuing a weekly challenge that has struck a very creative chord in many Zentangle® enthusiasts. The weekly slide shows Laura assembles are such a treat to sit back and absorb; so much fun to see the variety submitted on the same subject.

So here is it, Challenge #17 and I have decided to join. I chose this round in part because the requirement is to spend only 15 minutes drawing a Zentangle.

I chose a single pattern for simplicity and time. My first version of Knightsbridge was simple enough to allow me to fill in all the squares in the allotted time. In this, my second attempt, I wanted to use the lines to further suggest shape and also allow myself time to shade. Once I had the lines drawn I realized I would *never* have enough time to color in all those little polygons! So out came the pencil for shading and I called it finished.

Given the limit of time, Jane created something that might not have otherwise have taken form. We think that is part of Zentangle's (and life's) magic . . . the elegance and inspiration of limits of tile area, of a Zentangle string, and of time.


Elegance of Synchronicity P.S.
We just received this email:

Two years ago I met a lovely artsy crafty lady. Her energy and enthusiasm learning new things started me on my own path. We shared ideas and encouraged each other while spending hours in our local park enjoying the outside and each other as our dogs played.

A year ago our paths diverged and, although there were the occasional phone calls and email in the beginning it soon tapered off. It had been over six months since we last communicated. When I discovered Zentangle, I thought of her and how much she would enjoy it and planned to contact her soon.  Before that, I wrote to you thanking you and you kindly posted my email on your site newsletter.  And, because this is not a coincidental universe (!) my friend saw the email and knew right away that it was me!  She called immediately; shared the news that she had found Zentangle at the same time I did!  We chatted for nearly an hour!  We will meet again in two weeks at the local stamping shop that hosts a Zentangle group!

Thanks again for reuniting me with a long lost friend!

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Eggz

Challenge #18 from Laura Harms, CZT, is EGGZZZZellent!

Maria writes:

Zeggtangle (is that Zentangle with a cold???   bad yolk...)

In anticipation of all that Spring brings, here are a few eggcellent eggzamples of what one can do with a bit of zenthusiasm . . .  (OK, I promise, no more bad jokes.)

The first is my entry in the Diva's challenge #18.  I wanted the egg to appear and disappear at the same time . . . just for fun. The background of the egg shape is done in the Wm Morris style we showed on our blog a few weeks ago. By blackening in the background, then going back in with a white Sakura Gelly Roll pen . . . just filling in with delightful little deliberate dots of white to lighten the heaviness of the black, but really, because it's so much fun to do.

 These real eggs were done a few years back by Molly, Jean Moroski, CZT, and me. We used Microns, but you must be careful not to smudge them as they take a while to dry (unlike the same pen on paper).

We feel honored to have received this beautiful Easter Card in the mail yesterday from Mickey and Howard Weitsen, both CZTs from beautiful New Orleans. (Mickey drew the egg.) Thanks guys for sending this. 

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Quilted N'Zeppel

We received this quilted interpretation of n'zeppel recently.

Julia wrote in her accompanying note,

Just thought I’d take a moment and tell you how much I have enjoyed Tangling!!! I am a quilter by trade and had to turn a zentangle into a quilt. Attached you will find the photo. I took fabric scraps and made hourglass blocks, then adhered them to Duponi silk and then stitched the grid and the tangle. I can’t wait to make another next month – I plan to create one each month for a year.

Thanks for hours of entertainment!

Beautiful work, Julia! A great interpretation of n'zeppel! Thank you for sending that.

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