Digging into the Archives

I just printed new business cards for myself listing my blog address, etsy address and e-mail.  On my card I also listed the artistic things I like to dabble in.  I've been pondering this list for a few days now and have decided to go back into my photo archives and share with you some of my other artistic endeavors.

One of my other hobbies is knitting.  I'm not that great at it and have only made scarves and hats.  My favorite one, that I made two years ago, was for my niece Lainey.  At the time I made it for her she was only six months old so I needed to make it "bitty".  And since my brother went to Virginia Tech what other color was I going to make it than maroon and orange?

And then when I was finished trimming down the HUGE pom-pom I made for the top...

I stitched the pom-pom on and... PEFECTO!

No eraser in zentangles

Definition taken from
http://www.zentangle.com/about-theory.php 
"There is no eraser in life and there is no eraser in Zentangle. However, in Zentangle (and in life), you discover that even if you make what seems to be a mistake, you can then build on that event as a new pattern and go in unexpected and exciting new directions."


I am in love with creating zentangles.  The "flower" was supposed to resemble the sun but that didn't happen.  But as with the definition above, there was no eraser to go back and "redraw" it but I built on it to create a new pattern...

 I have been admiring other zendoodles on http://www.flickr.com/ and there are some that resemble the shape of a turtle, or a dolphin, or mushrooms.  I find myself wanting to have a mushroom patch of my own so the title of my #4 zentangle is All Mushrooms Aren't Ugly...

For my fifth one I had a very fague idea of the "ice cream cone" and the "flower ribbon behind the cone" because I was in a very juvenile girlie girl mode.  I didn't know how anything else was going to turn out.  When I ended up drawing the "grid pattern with the dots" it looked like the floor of the ice cream parlor, hence the name Ice Cream Parlor...

Zentangles have opened yet another creative outlet for me plus they have shown me a meditative side that I never knew I had.

As you are reading this pick up a black pen and just start doodling, you may be surprised at what transpires onto paper.

Another new endeavor

ZENTANGLES

A zentangle is an easy to learn method of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns.

"Zentangle is an artistic meditation that supports relaxation, focus and inspiration and can be a wonderful daily ritual.  Zentangles philosophy, symbolism and metaphor is elegant and profound.  There is so much to discover about life and one's self through this simple act".  Taken from www.zentangle.com  And if you want to read more about this art please visit this website, it is wonderful!

I have always doodled but now someone has actually come up with a name for it... what do you know I've been creating zentangles or zendoodles!  (I wish I could find the one I did in high school, 24 years ago).  The one I did in high school was drawn with a #2 pencil.  Now-a-days people use micron pens, sharpies, etc. and the result is simply stunning. 

I was inspired to try this a few days ago when I was cleaning up my Flickr profile (and deciding if I want to continue with Flickr for another year).  I decided to look up zentangle to see what exactly other people's artwork looked like.  It was then that I rummaged through all of my papers and found an old sketch book.  I sat down and designs started flowing. 

This was my first attempt ever and I LOVE how it turned out.

I actually started a second one before I finished my first one because I was inspired again.  I have been listening to The Shack by William P. Young on CD and if you haven't read it or heard of it I encourage everyone to pick up a copy.  Anyway, I was truly in a meditative state while drawing this zentangle and reflecting on the words from this book...

What a beautiful expression of art and myself.

Left brained vs. right brained

After listening to this wonderful new podcast I found on itunes I have decided that I am both left and right brained.  I am heavily into quilting right now and I found this podcast called The Scientific Quilter.  I have only listened to one of her shows so far but it was right up my alley.  She talked about the number pi and had numerous ideas on how to make quilts using the number pi.  I have my own story on pi which I'll share with you later.

Right-brained people are creative...

Left-brained people are analytical...

I have always felt like a right-brained person trying to fit into a left-brained society.  I have since come to realize that I am two sides of the same coin.

In high school I loved art class.  I couldn't wait to see what the next assignment was going to be and then start creating whatever came to mind.  This was 1987 when computers were just starting to make their way into a few classrooms.  My art teacher wanted to delve into this whole new world of computer art but I didn't.  (I would much rather hold a paintbrush in my hand and smell the acrylic paint waft through the air). One of our assignments was to cut a picture out of a magazine, draw a small scale grid on it, then draw a much larger grid on a larger piece of white paper then paint each individual square according to the smaller picture.  This assignment was not simply to enlarge the picture but to get a sense of how pixels in a computer work.  Our finished work was supposed to look like a mosaic which most of them did.  I can't remember if I did a slice of chocolate cake or corn on the cob with a big pat of butter melting over the top of it.  I think I had the cake and my friend had the corn.  Anyway, they turned out wonderful and I was very pleased with mine... if only I could find it now.

Also in school I loved math, especially algebra and the quadratic equation.  I liked working with numbers.  In college when I worked in a video store I memorized all the numbers of the corresponding videos (they were five digits each).  Later in life I decided I wanted to learn the number pi (3.14159).  I challenged myself to learn the first 50 digits; I can recite about 30 so far.  This may be bordering on obsessive compulsive too but that's for another blog entry.  I like numbers.  I currently work in a bank and numbers are my thing.

Then on the other hand, or the other side of the brain as it were, I love to paint, sew, draw, bead... you name it.  If it's creative I've either tried it or will sometime in the future (again another blog entry for a list of things I still want try).  I used to struggle with labeling myself as left or right brianed but now I'm embracing the fact that I'm both.

Happy Mother's Day

I LOVE being a mother and even though I have a part time job at a bank I consider myself a stay-at-home mom.  Joshua, who is 3 1/2 years old, and Jacob, who is 18 months old, are the loves of my life.  I love teaching them new things and watching them grow into little boys every day.  Joshua absorbs everything like a sponge!  And Jacob is constantly exploring his new world.  Joshua asks lots of questions about everything (which I never mind answering) and Jacob is trying to figure out how to work his tongue so he can use "big boy words". 

I continually give thanks to God for blessing me with two beautiful children.  I just love to look at Jacob while he is asleep in my arms and to think that with God's help (and my husband's) we created this ever-so-precious human being.  From the little vein on the side of his head to his little toes... my body made this.  Amazing.

And in honor of Mother's Day I would like to tell you a little bit about my mother.  My brother and I grew up in a very loving home, my childhood was wonderful.  I didn't think my mother worked outside the home because she was always there to take care of us.  Later in life I learned that she did have a job but she worked her schedule so that she could be home with us before and after school.  I NEVER came home to an empty house, never.  And for that I am SO grateful.

My mom was and still is an art teacher for the Newport News Parks and Recreation here in Va.  She loves her job and she loves to share her creative talent with other people.  As a child I thought all mother's had 2,000 tubes of paint and 500 paint brushes and bins and bins of fabric.  Not so.  I was the lucky one to have a mom like that.  Even though I had no interest in learning how to use a sewing machine my mom was always there to show me if I ever got the urge to learn.  Knitting?  Not a problem... my mom had needles and needles ready to go when I asked her a few years ago if she knew how to knit and would teach me.

I believe we continue to grow closer and closer every year and I also believe that our love of art continues to bond us together.  We love to go to arts and craft shows together and mind you we do have somewhat different tastes but that's what makes it all the more fun!  During these craft shows we find each other saying "Oh you could do that!" then we each take mental notes of that item.  We love to brainstorm together and ALWAYS come up with great ideas.

And for all of these fun experiences I've had with my mom I say "Thanks mom for all that you've done and all that you continue to do".

   (As a side note my parents will celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary next month).