Marriage and Rose-Colored Glasses

August 21, 2011 in art, drawing, Zentangle | Tags: , , | 3 comments

“One of the good things that come of a true marriage is, that there is one face on which changes come without your seeing them; or rather there is one face which you can still see the same, through all the shadows which years have gathered upon it.”  ~George MacDonald

Last week I had lunch with a business associate I hadn’t seen for several years.  The thing I noticed first was that he was clean-shaven where I had always seen him with a beard.  He told me it was mostly gray now and since he couldn’t bring himself to color it, off it went.  A little surprised, I realized that my husband’s beard is mostly white now.  When did that happen?  I’m sure it has been a gradual change over our 34 year marriage, but I just never saw it.

My husband has always seen me through rose-colored glasses.  For him, I am forever the sixteen year old girl he fell in love with so long ago.  Don’t get me wrong, he knows I am older and not nearly so slim as I once was, but somehow he sees past those changes.  I have several friends who enjoy long marriages and I can tell you, their husbands seem to have those same rose-colored lenses.  Pondering the phenomena of my husband’s gray beard, I realized that I must have a pair myself.  To me, he will always be the charming guy with the great sense of humor, sparkling eyes and wonderful smile who asked me out on a bet.

Our daughters always say we are silly for each other.  Now I think I understand what they mean by that statement.  They see the us as we are.  They’ve never known the young couple who fell in love, married and still shine with the help of those rose-colored glasses we wear only for each other.

A Scratch Back in Time

August 13, 2011 in art, drawing, Zentangle | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

“So, like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us.”  Gaston Bachelard

Usually, I hate those times when insomnia visits me.  I toss and turn in the futile effort to go back to sleep, then ultimately surrender and get out of bed.  Once up, the challenge is deciding what to do with myself.  Noise is a consideration since I don’t want to wake my hubby.  Putting on a load of laundry is always a safe bet.  Get the coffee brewing, check.  Now what?  This time I noticed some packages of Scratch Art I had purchased several weeks ago as I was wandering around my local Hobby Lobby.  I wasn’t feeling in the mood for regular Zentangle, but this might be interesting…and oh so quiet.  As I began to scratch away the velvety black to reveal the rainbow beneath, my mind went back to third grade.

My third grade teacher, Mrs. Hebert, was very young and I just loved her.  She was the first teacher who seemed equally concerned with our creative as well as academic growth.  She had gone to Hawaii for her honeymoon over the summer and she brought that trip into our classroom.  We spent weeks learning about poi, hula dancing, volcanoes, island life and making toilet paper leis.  Her bulletin boards were artistic and unique – inspiring for me.  I carried it all home and worked to make my bedroom walls look as wonderful as those boards.  Many family members got toilet paper leis as gifts.  She was the one who introduced all of us to the fun we could have with crayons, paper and toothpick.  First, we would get out our favorite colors – at least four or five.  Then we would color big blocks of each on our paper in random patterns.  Next, we colored over the whole thing with a black crayon.  I quickly learned it was best to get a good thick layer of crayon on the paper for this technique.  The goal was to have no color at all showing – no mean feat if you’ve ever tried it.  That took forever and chewed up quite a few black crayons.  Finally came the magic, carefully scratching away the black with our toothpick to reveal the color beneath.  The simplest line drawings became wondrous works of art when done this way.  At least in my third grade eyes.  I went through many boxes of crayons that year and was forever looking for more black ones.  It’s a good thing they didn’t make Scratch Art back then, I would have spent every penny of my allowance and had to resort to selling empty Coke bottles to support my scratch habit.  I just wish I had known about Zentangle back then, cause this is very 1970’s groovy.  My third grade self is pretty proud of this one.

Finding Grace

August 10, 2011 in art, Diva Challenge, drawing, Tranquility, Zentangle | Tags: , , | 2 comments

“As in nature, as in art, so in grace; it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones, their luster.” Thomas Guthrie

I have often referred to my use of Zentangle as a favorite tool to manage stress and work my way through assorted life challenges.  That has never been more true as I wrestled with a problem over the past couple of weeks.  Sometimes, we find ourselves on the wrong side of shabby treatment by someone we consider a friend.  These situations offer ways for us to shine along with lots of places to exhibit just how childish an adult can become.  I was at one of these crossroads and needed to find a resolution that would allow me to feel good about my own conduct.  I hold myself to some pretty high standards, so for the most part, I am able to rise above these situations and act graciously.  Not so this time.  My inner child really wanted to throw a humdinger of a tantrum in protest of the injustice.

I started the Diva Challenge early this week.  The paradox of straight line string with curvy tangles and curvy strings with straight line tangles turned out to be a lot of fun.  I had one of each done by Tuesday morning.  By the end of the day Tuesday, I had been on the phone for eight hours straight and found myself with a huge new, rushed project on my plate that I have no idea how I will manage.  And then came the call that put the cherry on that stress sundae, confirmation that I had a relationship in the ditch and headed for the bayou.  Trying to shed the problems of the day, I sat in my favorite chair to relax and realized that just wasn’t going to happen.  What to do?? What to do??  What to do?? I thought about starting a new tile, but just couldn’t find it in me.  Then I spied the tiles I had “completed” earlier.  Without really thinking, I picked up my pen and kept going.  Very slowly and very deliberately, stroke by stroke.  As my mind finally quieted, the path was clear and precise for me.  Not easy, but the right thing to do.  I took a look at the tile and realized I had thrown the Diva Challenge out the window, but that’s okay.   Friendships are too valuable to squander and worth the sacrifice.  There’s always another tile.

Inspiration in Limitations

August 7, 2011 in art, drawing, Zentangle | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

“There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder” Ronald Reagan

Limitations have been on my mind a little since I barreled right into one of my own this weekend.  A few years ago, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  I have learned to manage it and I rarely have a really bad flare-up anymore, especially since I began Zentangle.  But, I got careless, let a few things slide and got a wake up call from my body on Saturday.

Feeling much better, I took some time today to watch the movie Soul Surfer with my granddaughter.  This young woman, Bethany Hamilton, loses her arm in a shark attack, yet goes on to become a pro surfer.  Amazingly, she was back in the water only a few weeks after the attack.  Her determination and spirit proved to be more powerful than the loss of her arm.  She found a way to overcome the limitation and achieve her dream.  By the same token, I see my eleven year old granddaughter captivated by this story, when her own is pretty inspiring.  Within two weeks of emergency brain surgery for what should have been a fatal head injury, she was back at school, adamantly refusing home schooling suggested by the psychologist in the hospital.  About half of her skull was replaced with titanium and an unforseen effect of the brain injury was a hypersensitivity to sound.  Few environments are noisier than a middle school classroom. Each day, you could see the toll it took on her physically. Worried about how it was affecting her, I voiced my concern.  The answer she gave was: “Kacki, I can’t make the world shut up just because the noise bothers me.” Soon she found a way around it.  Ear plugs.  She slowly acclimated herself to the noise with them – first both, then one, then none.  Once again, an incredibly determined little girl with the heart of a lion finding a way to overcome a limitation.

When you take the time to look at people who amaze and inspire, there is often a limitation that provided the catalyst for moving beyond those limits to something much better than they would have accomplished before.  I know that is true with interior design.  So often, many of the most amazing interiors are born from the very real limits of budget, space, time, resource, etc.  The limits that form the basis of Zentangle serve the same purpose.  Each tile is small, 3.5″ square.  You draw a border and a string, then tangle in the spaces using a black pen. There are no erasers.  These limits are the power of Zentangle.  The average person isn’t intimidated by that tiny tile.  It takes away the pressure to be creative.  But as each person grows with the art form, the limits get pushed aside and creativity begins to grow.  Soon, the person who “can’t draw a straight line” is producing very beautiful artwork.  Limitations give us a goal to strive for and ultimately an obstacle to overcome with our own brand of creativity, intelligence and imagination.

Recognizing what’s important

August 3, 2011 in art, drawing, Tranquility, Zentangle | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

“Our greatest danger in life is in permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important.” Charles Hummel

Lately, it seems I spend a great deal of my work day putting out fires.  We all know the feeling.  You start out with a well-organized “to-do” list and before you can finish your morning e-mails, something crosses your path that MUST be done NOW.  The next thing you know, you have missed lunch, it’s 5 o’clock and you realize how little you really accomplished.  Even worse, you also realize that the fire burning up your day was little more than a smoke ring.  When this goes on long enough, the important things never get attention until they become the truly urgent.

This week has really brought this into focus for me.  I had several meetings and phone calls that were not urgent, but very important and vice-versa.  As I reflect on them, it becomes clear just how satisfying it can be to tend to the important.  Putting out that fire may offer a sense of heroism – after all, I saved the day.  Doing the important feeds my soul.  There is little stress in tending to the important and there is a bone-deep feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day. The trick in business sometimes is sorting out the two.

A note from my daughter made me think about this as it applies my personal life.  She was inviting me to attend a girls night out with her friends in a couple of weeks.  Her maid of honor is visiting from California.  Our Bride wants to gather all the girls together since many of her friends have never met this young woman who is so important to her.  I’m not a party person, it’s a weeknight, and why in the world would the girls want “Mom” there?  What is wrong with me?  None of that matters.  It is IMPORTANT to my daughter, SHE asked me to be there. That’s what I needed to understand, what is important to my daughter is important to me.

I have been reasonably consistent in setting aside time to tangle.  I have come to understand that it is important for my well-being.  It is a time of relaxation and intense focus.  Somehow the answers become clearer, creativity flourishes and the important is easy to identify.  Try it sometime.  Invest in the important.

 

Fungus or Fairy Ring?

July 31, 2011 in art, drawing, Tranquility, Zentangle | Tags: , , , , | 5 comments

“Fungus: any member of a kingdom of organisms (Fungi) that lack chlorophyll, leaves, true stems, and roots, reproduce by spores, and live as saprotrophs or parasites. The group includes moulds, mildews, rusts, yeasts, and mushrooms”  from World English Dictionary

“Fairy Ring:  a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. Fairy rings also occupy a prominent place in European folklore as the location of gateways into elfin kingdoms, or places where elves gather and dance. According to the folklore, a fairy ring appears when a fairy, pixie, or elf appears. It will disappear without trace in less than five days, but if an observer waits for the elf to return to the ring, he may be able to capture it. ” Wikipedia

We have had a lot of rain in the past few weeks where I live.  It has been welcome, as we were in a severe drought for several months.  The gardens and trees love the rain and our Louisiana landscape is once again green and vibrant.  One of the wonders of all this rain is the mushrooms that are popping up everywhere.  Driving around on a pretty Saturday morning, I was enchanted with the patches and rings of jaunty little caps.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason associated with their appearance, some quite large and elegant, other short and squatty.  I was a little disappointed that my yard wasn’t blessed.

Wonder leads to curiosity and I decided to do a little research.  The first thing I discovered – there is a fungus among us (sorry,  I couldn’t resist.)  Even further, they are closely related to mold.  Not good, since I am allergic.  I’m losing the magic here.  Further investigation yielded the information that these are also known as fairy rings in European folklore.  This is much better, I like this idea.  Magic rings springing up in the wake of fairies, pixies and elves. This morning I grabbed my camera and set out to capture a few photos before my enthusiastic neighbors fired up their lawnmowers.  As I strolled out of my house, I glanced over to the area between my house and my neighbors’ fence.  Oh my!  My yard WAS blessed!  As I was snapping away, I noticed a little friend.  Not a fairy, but still a cute little surprise.

My fascination with the mushrooms seems to have emerged in my last few Zentangles, with a very distinctly mushroom looking tangle finding its way onto my tiles.  This is not unusual, as many tangles find their roots in nature and patterns we see around us.  Usually it is more deliberate and tanglers work to distill these patterns into the fewest possible strokes while capturing the spirit of the design.  Not so for these, they just sprouted up on my tiles.  Like a magic fairy ring.

Live Big

July 28, 2011 in art, Linda Allred, positive affirmations, Tranquility, Zentangle | Leave a comment

“Don’t live small. Live big.” Linda V. Allred

These words keep replaying in my mind as go about addressing the various challenges before me this week and plain old daily living.  I attended a workshop at The Red Shoes presented by Linda V. Allred on the power of the subconscious mind.  She is a great speaker with a passion for life and paying her own gifts forward through her work as a certified hypnotist and wellness coach for women.  A philosophy closely aligned with my own  decision to teach Zentangle.  She shared her story and her profound belief that we have a power within us to achieve so much more – proclaiming “Don’t live small.  Live big.”  Wow, such a simple statement, yet very profound.  I quickly jotted it down – not wanting to lose that thought.

I have been giving that short statement a lot of attention in the last few days.  How do I use that to be better?  Certainly, there is always room for improvement and growth. Linda also used the metaphor of driving through life with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake. For me lately, this has been a little niggle that hovers at the edges of my mind telling me things aren’t quite right, but I can’t define the issue. I believe happiness is a state of mind. Some people have a natural affinity for finding the positive in every situation and others have to work a bit harder and consciously choose to be happy.  Even as a young girl, I recognized the power of my thoughts and regularly used positive affirmations and visualization to achieve my goals.  Somehow, I misplaced those habits over the past several years.  It’s time to welcome back those old habits – they were good for me.  This time they will be added to my tangle time.  Hopefully, the positive thoughts will guide my pen as I continue on my tangled quest for tranquility.  Thanks, Linda, for the reminder to live big.

…of Weddings and Weeping Guitars

July 24, 2011 in art, drawing, Peter Frampton, Tranquility, Wedding, Zentangle | 1 comment

I’ve had an interesting week where my past, present and future have jostled around in my thoughts.  My daughter’s upcoming wedding has been at the forefront of my mind as we secured the florist and attempted to give him an idea of what our Bride wanted.  She isn’t as set as you might imagine  Her only hard rule is no red roses.  In fact, she left a very stunned florist as she stood up and announced she had to be back at work having never discussed the church or reception decorations.  “My mom can decide all that, I trust her completely.”  Wow, a lot of responsibility for a woman who isn’t really into all that stuff – but then, neither is our Bride.  This is one more way my girls are different.  Her sister loves all things associated with weddings.  If she ever gets tired of nursing, she could be happy planning weddings for a living.

One thing has been nagging at me as we begin to tackle the small details of this wedding.  I was asked to design the invitations and have most of this done, but nothing so far that was truly unique to the couple.  I had done the artwork for our oldest daughter’s wedding program and they were very specifically designed to fit her.  But, as I said, the girls are very different and nothing has come to mind for her.  Finally, I suggested a wedding logo made up their combined initials to be used on the favors and save the date cards.  Bride and Groom loved the idea and I was off and running.  Of course, the final result is Zentangle inspired.

Ah, but what of weeping guitars?  My husband and I relived our courtship days this weekend.  Would you believe it has been 35 years since Peter Frampton released his platinum album Frampton Comes Alive!  We purchased VIP tickets and drove over three hours in a terrible thunderstorm to attend his concert in Biloxi.  This was our first time to see him live and we were both blown away!  Peter Frampton performed for almost three hours, playing the entire original album and finishing with an incredible version of When My Guitar Gently Weeps that brought the audience to their feet.  What a way to finish the week!

Letting go…another life lesson from Zentangle

July 20, 2011 in art, control, design principles, drawing, letting go, Tranquility, Zentangle | Leave a comment

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” Henry Ellis

A large part of the magic that is Zentangle can be attributed to serendipity.  Each Zentangle is a little surprise when it’s done.  The outcome is not pre-determined.  In fact, my most beautiful works are those that have evolved naturally.  Where I relinquish my need to control myself and my environment.  As I spoke with a new Zentangle enthusiast after my class last night, I realized that though I have learned to let go of the outcome, I do maintain some levels of control.   He asked if I planned every tile because they all seemed to be very deliberate.  While I don’t ever see the end result, I do take light and dark, scale and harmony into consideration as I choose my tangles for a tile.  All those design principles pounded into my head at LSU have become a part of my DNA I suppose.  He explained that he was having a hard time with the string and I understood perfectly.  Sometimes the string can be a real challenge when starting a tile.  While you rarely see the string in a completed work, the string is what binds the individual parts into a pleasing whole.   My suggestion was to have his wife draw the string and he would work with whatever came.  Hmmm…an insightful moment courtesy of a student.

My CZT training was in February and at that time I purchased a set of ensemble tiles.  These are sets of 9 tiles that are pre-strung.  The intent is to create each tile independently and then re-assemble into a completed work.  I was struggling with strings at the time and this seemed a wonderful idea.  So why have I avoided working with this set for so long?  I only completed my first set this week.  As I spoke with my student, I realized that completing this ensemble had been an exercise in letting go for me.  Embracing the intent of the set, I shuffled and completed each tile randomly – never checking to see how they might look together as a completed “tile.”  I couldn’t judge what tangle might look nice next to another or if I had too much or not enough contrast.  The only bit of control was in my decision to only use each tangle one time for the set.  Yet there it was, a wonderful compilation when I was done.  Maybe I should let my husband draw my next string.

Teacher as student and the Diva Challenge

July 16, 2011 in art, Diva Challenge, drawing, Tranquility, Zentangle | 2 comments

“Joint undertakings stand a better chance when they benefit both sides.” Euripedes

It has been a busy week for me.  In addition to all my regular personal and professional obligations, I had the pleasure of teaching the first of a two-part workshop series at the Red Shoes.  It was a large class of very interesting and talented people.  The time passed quickly for me and the group posed many questions that made me think about my own work in a new way.  The teacher and the student traded places a few times that evening.  My own “lessons learned” were hovering around the fringes of my thoughts as I worked on this week’s Diva Challenge and influenced the final tiles in some subtle ways.  This week’s challenge is to use your initials as the string.  I ended up doing several and may have resolved the issue of my “chop’ in the process.  A “chop” is the distinctive initials/signature at the bottom of a piece of artwork.  I have gone through several iterations with none really hitting the mark for me.  I haven’t worked out all the details, but it’s certainly better than anything I’ve used before.

There is a special moment in a Zentangle class when everyone places their finished tiles together to form a mosaic.  The room becomes quiet as everyone studies each tile and realizes their own is every bit as wonderful as all the others.  I think of it as a mirror of sorts.  Each person in that class gets the very same materials and instructions.  All do the same tangles.  Yet the tiles are each different, unique and beautiful in their own right,  just like each student.  I have also realized that the Diva Challenge is much like that moment in class, but shared virtually among caring friends.  We all start at the same place, but make the journey our own.  We learn from each other and grow better with each challenge shared.

Thanks are in order this week for several people.  My youngest daughter helped out as my assistant for the class – I could not have managed nearly so well without her.  The staff at the Red Shoes, especially Wendy and her husband for getting everything ready and helping me tear it all down.  And to Sue Jacobs for sharing the link to some wonderful Zentangle inspired letters.  Finally to my students, for the opportunity to share my passion with you and learn from you.  It was truly my pleasure.