DRAWING FROM THE DAY
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness

Little and Big

10/26/2019

 
Here is the little:
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Done on a 2x2" white Bijou Tile, with graphite and a Micron 03 in black. Tangles are Trentwith and Dreamdex.
Another insanely busy week but blessed with absolutely gorgeous autumn foliage.  It has been spectacular around here for days now. 

Day 16 of Inktober was Trentwith, a tangle entirely new to me (it looks like art nouveau roses in the tile above) and day 17 was Dreamdex, also entirely new.  I didn't have much time so tried them out on a tiny Bijou tile and was quite interested in both tiles; I will try them again, for sure.  Next time I'll make both of them bigger.

I'm not going to get Inktober done in October, but I don't really care.  As usual, this project is enormous fun.
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Tangles: Day 12 was Floo, and Day 13 was Yincut. Done on a standard 3.5" tile with Micron 01 in black and graphite, along with some white chalk pencil.
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This is what happens when you free-hand circles! Wonky circles are the tangle Maryhill (day 15) and the rest is the tangle Arukas (day 14). Done on a standard tile with a Micron 01 in black and white chalk pencil with plenty of graphite as well.
10/29/19, Tuesday
Fast forward a coupe of days and I've finally gotten to sit down and do a few more tangles, below.
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Tangles are Sindoo and Diva Dance Rock n'Roll (days 18 & 19 of Inktober 2019). Graphite, General's Chalk Pencils, 03 Black Micron, Graphite, 10 White Gellyroll.
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Tangles are Antidots (not a favorite) and Batumber, days 20 and 21 of Inktober 2019. 03 Black Micron, graphite.
All I can say is, wow did it ever feel good to practice today.  It ain't the outcome, it's the experience that is so relaxing and that makes me so joyful.
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Late Night Tangles

10/19/2019

 
Oh boy!  New gray-toned paper to play with.
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On a new Zentangle® gray tile. I really enjoy working on toned paper. Bales (day 8) and Lola (day 9) for Inktober 2019. Gray tile, Micron 01 in black, graphite + white chalk pencil.
I'm beginning to think I do my easiest tangling late at night.  Both the previous work and the work below were done very late.  It was after midnight when I finished each of them.  I'm thinking that being tired slows down the critic in my head, plus at that time of day my goal is really relaxation, and I don't care much about what comes out of the pen.  The result is usually better than the more self-conscious efforts when I'm more alert.
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Days 10 and 11 of the Inktober 2019 project. Cubine in the background and Instaflux in the foreground. Microns 01 and 03 in black, plus General's Chalk Pencils; done on a gray tile.
I take note that in meditation, focusing on the current moment and not worrying about the "results" is prime.  And so is acknowledging that there is an inner critical voice; realizing that the voice is "just thoughts," and that thoughts are not the same as facts.  We do not have to believe or pay attention to thoughts that pass through our heads, and that goes for the critical voice as well.
It's difficult to have fun or to achieve concentration when your ego is engaged in what it thinks is a life-and-death struggle.
(W. Timothy Gallwey)

Pompy Rug and Fiber Arts Show 2019

10/16/2019

 
Two years ago I started hearing about this show, which is only run every other year.
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Because I was sick, I missed the 2017 show and was determined to get to this one.  I made it to Vermont today and am glad I did.  This show is held at the Pompanoosuc Mills home base in Vermont, a gigantic workshop building where their signature furniture is made and the location of their flagship showroom. 

Why a rug & fiber show there?  Because Ed O'Keeffe, the Showroom and Web Manager, is also a rug hooking artist.  Ed teamed up with Jennifer Davey, another rug hooking artist and a past president of the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild (GMRHG), to mount this show on an "off-year" from the big show that is put on biannually by GMRHG.  Because the Pompy showroom is simply immense, there is a lot of wall space.  It's the perfect place to hang rugs!  And hang they did--check out these wonderful pieces below.  Note that I did not get pictures of all the rugs, only about half of the ones on display.
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This is only a small portion of the floor space at the immense showroom. You can see 3 rugs hung on the walls in this space. It's spectacularly large, light and airy (two walls entirely of glass) and the perfect place to showcase not just their high-end furniture, but also hooked rugs.
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One of Ed O'Keeffe's rugs, titled Blue Desert. Ed is the manager of the Pompanoosuc Showroom, and also their Web Manager.
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I really fell in love with this rug, another design by Ed O'Keeffe titled M'Buti Graffiti.
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This is Betty LaWhite's rug, titled "Discovery #2." Wonderful colorist! She had two rugs in the show but I only got a picture of this one.
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"Simply Serene," a lovely rug by Biffie Gallant of Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild.
I should add here that all these rugs came from the talented members of the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild.  I'm thinking that Jennifer and Ed selected them from the Guild's bi-annual show and curated them for this display.
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"Planetoids" by Jennifer Davey.
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The fabulous "Toad Stool" by Jennifer Davey. An absolutely adorable footstool.
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"Shield from Illness and Evil" by Grace Collette. Charming indeed. This one made me smile.
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"Cross Words" by Susan Gault. The work that went into this! Ed told me that she normally hooks room-sized rugs. This was quite large, perhaps about 5' square.
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Eleanor by Barb Ackemann. Wow. Just, wow.
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"Mirror Mirror" by Nancy Thun. This one has to be seen to be believed. And even then it's unbelievable. Gorgeous.
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"The Muse," by Dana Psoinas, who never fails to astound me.
Another of Dana's astounding rugs, Red Riding Hood, was also on display here, but I have already dedicated an entire previous blog post to Dana. Her Red Riding Hood rug is so spectacular that an Australian rug maker did a blog post on it that's in-depth and quite good.  Don't miss it!  You can find it HERE.  And to see more of Dana's work, check my previous post about her HERE.

Despite these many photos, there were at least as many, if not more, rugs and wall hangings on display (and of course, the beautiful furniture everywhere as well).  If you are in the area, this show is well worth a visit. 

Details on how to get there and the duration of the show are on the postcard at the top of this post.  Enjoy!

Autumn Colorways

10/13/2019

 
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Tangles are Jalousie (around the border) and Zonked (in the center). MIcron 01 black on white paper. 3.5" square.
I did the above tile late last night just before sleep.  It's two of the Inktober 2019 days together, days 4 and 5.  I have quite a bit of catching up to do.

But of course this isn't a race.  After yesterday's spectacular foliage display, I decided that I wanted to shade the tile above in all the colors I had seen in the leaves on my trip.  And there were a LOT of colors.  I pulled out my General's Pastel Chalk pencils and set to work, with this result below.  The blue represents the intense blue sky behind the leaves.
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And here they are side by side:
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“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile."
― John Howard Bryant

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
― L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Patience Required

10/12/2019

 
Today we had late-afternoon sun after nearly a week of heavy clouds and some rain.  Amazing the difference sun can make.  I've been patiently waiting.  Our autumn foliage is beginning to glow and when sun shines through the leaves it is just exquisite.  I feel totally lucky to live amidst all this. 

Trees are truly extraordinary creatures.  May we never lose them.
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Here I've taken a half-done tile and finished it. Yes, Trinity was the tangle again and here it's done with some gold and white gellyrolls, micron 01 black, and General's Chalk Pencils.
 And here below is what may be my oldest hooked piece.  I am guessing I hooked this in the late 80s or early 90s.  It's disintegrating now--the foundation is disappearing and unfortunately it won't be worth saving.  Although I actually began hooking a rug in 1969 or 1970, I was unable to finish that first piece.  It was a round rug I was hooking with wool roving as opposed to wool strips.  Unfortunately, I  lost it in the chaos of moving repeatedly from place to place during that time.  I didn't try again for about 20 years.  I began again in the late 80s and think that may be when I made the piece below.  I hooked it in a 3-cut, my least-favorite style.  It's a wonder I kept hooking at all after that.

What's barely visible in this small photo is the disintegration in the lower left and right corners.  I'm wondering if it's moth damage (unlikely) or if the original pattern was on burlap (more likely).  Burlap was commonly used back in those days but now has been abandoned by most hookers; it's inexpensive and easy to hook through, but it was actually made to rot.  Think of the burlap that's routinely wrapped around the roots of young trees waiting to be planted--the intention is that when the tree goes into the ground, the burlap will disintegrate.  It's the same when it's used for a rug foundation.  Bad idea.

It was nice to see this piece after all this time--I gave it to a friend and she brought it over this week to see if I could repair it.  I can't, but it was good to get a photo and take a walk down memory lane.
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Hunter's Moon

10/9/2019

 
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Painted this full moon with Silver FineTec paint; the blue crescent is General's Chalk Pencil. I also used White Chalk Pencil and White Gellyroll on this Renaissance (= tan) Zendala. The primary tangle I used here was Hollis.
Next Sunday afternoon is the full moon, in the corner of the universe where I live.  It's supposed to be unusually large.  And orange.  I chose to ignore the orange for this Zendala tile, which I did for Hanny Nura's monthly celebratory Full Moon Mosaic.  If you google "Full Moon Mosaic" on Facebook or Instagram you'll see some amazing entries.
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Meanwhile, I've been asked to do a Zentangle® demo at a local organization and in thinking about which tangle to ask participants to do, I'm going to use this one, Fassett by Lynne Meade.  Which means I need to practice it myself, having only ever done it once or twice--and of course I'm falling in love with it.  This was my first try at it, done on a Renaissance Bijou tile (2" square).

Ten Minute Toodles

10/3/2019

 
...because this was all I had time to do.  (Nevertheless, I'm thinking it took me closer to 15 minutes)
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Tangle: Toodles (a variation of Toodles). Graphite, white chalk, Micron 01 on a Renaissance tile. Done for Inktober 2019, day 3.

Listening Is Where Love Begins

10/2/2019

 
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Tangles: Elegan and embedded letters.
"Listening is where love begins."
--Mr. Rogers

October/Inktober

10/1/2019

 
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I ran my original photo thru an iPhone app and got this. A lazy way of adding color. See details on the original photo below.
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For Day One of the Inktober Project (the tangle version), the prompt was Printemps. Tangles are: Printemps, Shattuck, and Flux. Micron 01 and 1, graphite, white gellyroll.
Ahhh, the start of October and cooler weather.  I hope.  It's also the start of the annual drawing event, Inktober.  There are many versions of this, and a few of them focus on tangling.  I used today's prompt (the tangle Printemps) as the string for this tangle, then put more Printemps inside it, along with Flux and Shattuck.  I like the result but I also ran in thru my iPhone app and the color version was very fun.

    ABOUT ME

     I'm a textile artist (traditional rug hooking, punch needle rug hooking, and other textile arts), a long-time meditator, a certified meditation teacher and coach, and focused on learning about the interplay of art, creativity, and mindfulness every day. 

    I am also a Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT 11) and a student of drawing and of the tarot.

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    Certified, 2021
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    Certified Zentangle® Teacher, 2013
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    Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
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  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness