It's a beautiful day for art!
For the next several days I will be posting about a few pieces of art, that I have made recently. I hope you enjoy the art of serenity.
Most of these have been in exhibition. An art exhibit is when you apply for a spot in an art show or gallery and you are selected.
This piece is one of many Arizona landscapes I have created. It is done with chalk and ink. The substrate was textured so it brought forth the hues.
This piece is one of several in a series called, The Crow Chronicles. It is a mixed media piece and is done on canvas. The top strip of crows comes off, to be used as is, or to fly to another piece in this series. Mixed media is when you use multiple ways in which to create and tell a story. On this piece I used acrylic, chalk, oil pastel, and collage. It has several layers of paint on it. When I paint and add lots of layers, something in evidently shows up. I step back to look, and I let it sit for a day or two, in my view. This way helps me to decide if it is finished or not.
Enjoy the art all around you!
Instead of saying I can't draw or paint. Or I'm not creative or artistic, instead say why not give it a go?
These are listed as suggestions; however, they sure do work for me and a lot of other people.
- Locate a quiet, uninterrupted spot in your house or outside.
- Gather a piece of paper, a pen, and markers, (only if you have them, no need to buy anything), use what you have.
- Get comfortable and on your paper start by touching your paper and your pen. Be grateful for the tools you have.
- Close your eyes and take a couple of deep inhales and blow it out with soothing exhales.
- You can also light a candle or incense, (optional).
- Put your paper down on a surface and begin scribbling on your paper.
- Next, close your eyes and draw using your dominant hand.
- Keeping your eyes closed, draw using your non-dominant hand.
- Open your eyes and see what you created. Add color to your piece and hang it up.
- You are an artist!
Ta da da- well ya have to start somewhere. This is one of the first Zentangle® tiles I completed. I was so proud. Since then, I have hundreds more. Tiles are 3 1/2" x 3 1/2", just the right size for someone stepping into this art method. Maybe, you remember in school when you had a large piece of paper in front of you and you were to write or draw---the size was so overwhelming, it made me just shut down.
The first tiles you do are small, with the use of a Micron 01 black pen, a pencil, and a blending stump. It's all about breaking the tangles down, which are called step outs. Small steps lead to grand achievements. The pencil and blending stump are used for the shading. Which in my opinion really makes the design stand out.
I promise, if you can write your name, you can tangle. Stay tuned for more tomorrow.
I have a tendency to go all in when I'm passionate about something. It's all or nothing thinking. But this time it was for something positive in my life.
I began attending lots of Zentangle® events and soon began networking with other creatives. I then spread by wings and began attending online events and other types of art events.
Soon, I was creating journals, and collages. I experimented with acrylics, and watercolors. Then I discovered oil pastels, and paint markers. And the list goes on.
It took me a few years to call myself an artist but now I fully embrace that title. My artworks come from a very intuitive and soulful place. When I'm creating, I'm not in my head, I tend to go into the mystic, or into my artist soul. It's such a wonderful place to be.
I have learned so much about myself through my art.
I now exhibit, and sell my art. I also teach classes online and in person. I cater to women who are willing to jump forward and use expressive arts to discover what's next and to have fun.
Creative play is the greatest thing you can do for your soul.
I believe everyone is creative, in some way.
To the perfectionist out there, I like to say, "it's just paint and paper".
In my next few posts, I will be looking back and sharing my artwork.
And one day at a time it was. The biggest challenge I had was filling in the space of time that came from retiring. Yes, I now know it would have been nice to explore this before I retired.
One of the things I did do after I retired was substitute teach in the art department in the school where I was an assistant principal, before I retired. Oh my, I was amazed at all the teachers and how they were able to engage all students into their creativity. I saw students, that I knew who struggled in more academic classes, thrive in these art classes. I began to watch them closely, and oftentimes I would sit down next to a student and ask them to show me how they did a technique or why they used a certain color. I then began to do art with them. That was the beginning of finding a new joy in my life.
Soon after, I went into a Michael's store and picked up a book on the art method, Zentangle®. I browsed through it and thought, hmmm maybe I'll try this. I took it home and began playing around with tangling and before I knew it, I was hooked. From there I became a Certified Zentangle® Teacher and started doing what I know how to do-teach. And teach I did.
The final part of this series will be tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
