Hi Everyone,
I haven't blogged since July!! I know it's been a while!! In September I lost a dear friend to cancer and my time for the months leading up to her death was filled helping with her care. It was a privilege and a blessing to help in whatever way I could as she was positive and tough and full of life until the very end. What helped me to be strong and positive and keep my sense of humor during this difficult time was a combination of the love and support from my husband and friends; the kisses, cuddles and sense of unbridled joy from my puppy Sophie; and the passion, pleasure, and love for tangling. Not to mention sharing this love for Zentangle with my students! The day after my friend died, I had a class to teach and between the physical exhaustion and emotional sadness of the past few months, as well as the loss, I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it. But, teaching the class was the best thing I could have done for myself. It was a reminder that filling yourself with that which gives you joy is one of the most powerful ways to keep a full heart, stay happy and healthy, and feed your passion for life!
Speaking of joy -- this fall season of Zentangle classes has been exceptional in so many ways. All the classes have been filled to overflowing (we had to open up double sessions for most of them). And the lovely group of women who have participated in these classes have been fun and warm and talented and wonderful! They have fallen in love with tangling and each, in their own way, have explored their creativity and taken pride in their accomplishments!
What follows are some pictures that capture the beautiful art created by students this fall. The first one is a photo of the amazing gems created by the students who helped launch my new class: "Zen, Gems, and Tangles...Oh Boy!" These gems were created with color pencils!!! Unbelievable, huh!!! I will add a couple of extra classes next year as I know many of you want to take this and I'm keeping the class size to 6 for this one.
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Artists: Suzy Musil, Robin Clark, Georgia Kinkella, Jeannine Kecheley,
Ann Essex-Bankston and Betsy Kosier (Names are not in order of art.) |
Then Robin Clark went home and created this gorgeous Xmas card using the colored pencil technique learned in class!
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| Artist: Robin Clark |
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| Renaissance Tiles Class - November, 2016 |
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| Zentangle 101 Class - October 2016 |
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| Artist: Anne Essex-Bankston ("Zentangle Inspired Art" Class.) |
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| Artist: Sandra Chamberlin ("Zentangle 101" Class) |
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| Artist: Celia Nase ("Tangling on Fabric" Class) |
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| Artist: Linn Rippi (Zentangle 101 class) |
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| Artist: Jill Elliot ("Advanced Zentangle" class.) |
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| Artist: Jill Elliot ("Zentangle Inmspired Art" class.) |
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| Artist: Caroline Konecry ("Advanced Zentangle" Class) |
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| Getting ready for the "Zentangle Inspired Art" class. |
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| What a beautiful job they did! ("Zentangle Inspired Art" Class) |
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| Just gorgeous! ("Zentangle Inspired Art" Class) |
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| Artist: Georgia Kinkella ("Sneakers with a Soul" class.) |
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| Artist: Suzy Musil ("Tangling on Fabric" class) |
And I could go on forever with pictures of amazing and wonderful folks who've shared these magical and joyful times with me! I wish I could have put a picture of every one who has taken the Zentangle journey with me on this blog!!
This month's tangle: MOOKA
MOOKA is an original created by the founder of Zentangle, Maria Thomas. It's a fun one and a bit different because the entire tangle component (called a "pod") is completed in one continuous stroke. The a look at the step out:
Rick and Maria posted this video of their pattern MOOKA, inspired by the art of Alphonse Maria Mucha (pronounced MOOKA). Watch it and enjoy! The possibilities with MOOKA, you will see, are limitless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-d2UdXAD7k
I love the organic nature of this tangle and tend to use it as Rick does. Here's a picture of a piece of art I recently created for my new "Zen Gems, and Tangles ... Oh Boy" class. Notice how I used MOOKA (it's between the gold and turquoise gem). Instead of turning inward, my two pods turn away from each other, And, I've filled the middle with different tangles and topped it off with Fescu.
My warmest wishes for a safe and wonderful holiday season. May the new year bring you and yours good health, an abundance of joy, and all your heart desires.
Happy tangling 😍
Audrey
