Home again

It's snowing. It's beautiful. I am at home for the day. Ahhhhh.

Having spent the past several weeks on our winter vacation - which was WONDERFUL and WARM -  I am now back home. Actually, I have been home for a week and today is the first day that I have nothing on my schedule! It's a real catch-up-at-home day. (thus the 'ahhhhh)

My past few blogs have been all about zentangling  - it seemed a great way to put aside all my other art interests and really take a vacation. As I 'tangled' I could feel stress melt away. I escaped into another gentler world. I did not have to produce a great work of art. It was just fun.

On the four-plus hour plane ride home I did a few more tangles. I didn't have my paints with me - these are just done with ink and pencil.

Zentangling at 40,000 feet!

I can't promise that I will never post another zentangle, but I know I need to at least get into my studio soon!

Hope YOU are trying this out, too!

Zentangle - Part Three

Yeah, yeah, I know . . .I am going a little overboard with this Zentangle thing, but it really is fun!

Here is another simple tangle: It is a basic grid - every time a line crosses another line you round the corner and fill it in. I think it looks pretty ho-hum in this form.

But, if I use straight lines going different directions and add color, it becomes something entirely different!

This time I used curved lines instead of straight ones and changed the color . . .

Are you hooked, yet?

When you combine many different patterns, the variations are tooooo many to number.

Have fun! Let go! See how many different patterns you can combine! Think gift tags, note cards, small framed pictures . . .

Zentangle - Part Two

I don't normally post twice in one week, but this tangle 'stuff' is such fun - here is something to try.

You need to know that I love reading manuals and instructions. Yes, I am one of those who really do read the manual in a new car, read the directions to put things together and save all the manuals for reference later on.  Knowing that, you can imagine me pouring over the zentangle book and intensely viewing the instructional videos.

I have a sketch pad next to me and follow the step by step directions. Sometimes my finished drawing even looks like the picture! One of the things that I discovered is that some of the coolest looking patterns are sooo easy.

Try this: make a grid  - any size - with filled in small circles. Remember, they do NOT have to be PERFECT!

Then draw a curved line from the top circle to the one below it. Think of it as being on the "outside."

Add the next curved line on the 'inside."

Finish up the row - outside then inside . . .

Begin the second row as shown.

And then connect all the remaining rows.
Now turn your paper 90 degrees and begin again. Starting at the upper left corner . . .outside . . . and then inside.

Keep going and VOILA - you have completed the pattern! Cool, huh?

For extra challenge and satisfaction - try shading and a watercolor wash!

Of course, there will be more coming. This is too much fun to stop now! 

What's a Zentangle?

Several months ago I ran into this strange word - "Zentangle." Well, it seems that it is a word that some folks coined that really has to do with 'art doodling.' Remember all those doodles that you did on the side of a page when you are on the phone or supposedly listening to a lecture? You sort of zoned out when you should have been paying attention?

That drawing was a bit of a 'tangle' - the zoning out, I think, adds the 'zen.'

Having seen a few examples of zentangles, I decided to explore it further and discovered a whole new world of YouTube videos and other resources. Apparently, there are 100's of tangle patterns and lots of ways to draw and use them. They also say - get this - there are no mistakes in zentangle! If you mess up on a pattern, just go on and make it into something else. Anybody can do it! Now, that's encouraging, isn't it?

Most of the directions begin with white paper (or a tile) and black ink. I practiced a few patterns with an ink pen and a pencil for shading. And, yes, I found myself 'zoning out' as I was drawing!

  

However, I really missed color, so I tried using watercolor washes on the patterns.

  

Once you begin playing with single patterns, then you have to start using various patterns together!
Here's my first attempt. Obviously, I used different patterns from these two examples.

Lots of squiggles and repetitions - and some watercolor!

Since this little bit of tangle, I have been practicing lots of patterns - more on my next post. Don't want to spoil all the upcoming surprises. Give it a try - remember, you can't do it wrong!

Paint it again, Jo

Last July and August I posted about my process of painting the little boy on the dock with a crab. "The Escapee" See posts - 7/19/13 and 8/7/13.

I had begun with a watercolor underpainting and then played with my pastels. I set it aside because I knew there was something wrong with it and felt stuck. I finally figured out what it was and finished the painting in time for an art show in August.

Well, Fall quickly slipped by and suddenly I was feeling pressure to come up with an idea for my 2014 banner.

For the past several years I've been displaying crabs - some holding various flags, some cartoon-like holding a mug of beer or hanging lanterns in the trees. A friend of mine has nick-named my crabs "Mikey" - I think that's because we display our banners in St Michaels. Every year she asks me, "What is Mikey going to be doing this year?" (If you really are interested you can look at older posts - 5/13/11, 2/27/12, 2/6/13 - but, that seems like a lot of work, doesn't it?)

Back to 2014 - all the banner artwork needs to be 18x18 square format. I was trying to get some 'crabby' ideas and then thought of 'The Escapee." I decided to repaint it in the required size.

It is challenging for me to re-paint something . . . and to change the shape from vertical to square. But, what the heck . . . it was worth a try. I finished this up at the end of December and it is ready to go to the judging the first week of February.

As it turns out - it was fun doing it again. I feel like I really know this little boy now.

Look for "Don't Let 'Im Get Away" (yes, I changed the title) hanging on a pole along Talbot Street sometime in April.

Thought for a New Year

Last September a friend asked me to think about something... she wanted to give her husband a special gift for Christmas. Her husband, Howard, was very fond of a certain reading - would I consider painting something to illustrate it? They were taking a trip for a few weeks and we could talk about it more when they returned.

I asked Susan to send me the reading before they left so I could ponder it...

"Let us see to it that we so hold our cups as that their overflowing may not run to waste, but may drop into other cups, the cups of those that have not so much as we have. 

                                                                                The Shepherd Psalm

                                                                                 

Now, here is a challenge for me. I have not done anything like this before. But, I do love the challenge and I know that is how I learn...so I began to do some sketches. I had different people hold cups and took pictures from several angles. We used different size cups - some with handles, some without. I went on line and looked at a LOT of images from coffee cups to begging bowls.

I finally figured out that I needed to use the words of the Psalm along with images - so, how would I do that? I do not have a talent for calligraphy...  Did you know that you can put watercolor paper through your printer??? Yes! That works.

I worked on spacing the phrases in different ways - I knew I did not want all the words together.

So, in October when Susan got back from their trip, she and I began emailing sketches back and forth. How many cups? How to position them? What colors? She gave me artistic license... and it was finished. I gave it to her to be framed.

Now, the funny thing about all this is that in the mean time (while we were being so sneaky secretive about all this) Howard is sharing the psalm with various groups - House Church, our cathedral congregation....and probably others that we didn't even know about. The psalm kept popping up. Susan and I worked very hard biting our tongues, giving each other knowing looks...working at not giving away the surprise.

Christmas morning Howard opened his gift ... of course, he loved it. Who couldn't treasure such a gift of love?  Thanks Susan, for letting me share in your present.

Sorry, it's not the best photo, but the sentiments of the psalm are a wonderful way to begin 2014. Happy New Year!

The second day of Christmas

You all know the saying, "It feels like the day after Christmas." Well, today I am working on changing that feeling of 'slump-ness' to one of joy.

No, I am NOT rushing out to capture the bargains offered in every store - not that kind of joy. I'm working on snuggling in to that warm, cozy feeling of having connected with family and friends. I am still listening to Christmas music and anticipating seeing more family this coming weekend on the 4th day of Christmas.

We will have guests for New Years on the 7th and 8th days of Christmas - we do not expect swans a-swimming or maids a-milking this year.

I do expect to carry this warm Christmas spirit with me and treasure this season. And on that note, I post our Christmas card on this 2nd day of Christmas.

I painted this watercolor a few years ago when I was experimenting with painting trees using a natural sponge. Dipping the damp sponge in a puddle of color and dapping it on the paper was lots of fun and I think creates a great tree!

May we all carry the spirit of this season through the year - not just until we get to those 12 drummers drumming!