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I've used the title "Perseverence Furthers" once before, but it never more true than when I did this tangle:  Done for the Inktober Project 2019. Tangles are: Crescent Moon (day 27), Ratoon (day 26), Tripoli (day 25), Henna Drum, and Kuke (day 29). Micron 01 in black, graphite. It started out as a hot mess about 3 or 4 days ago. Instead of giving up on it, I kept leaving it and coming back to it, adding a few things here and there until today when I declared it finished. I wanted to keep it all black and white (color can hide a lot of mistakes) and I'm glad I did. I'm also glad I stuck with it. It's no work of genius but it's way, way better than when I started! "Try again. Fail again. Try better."
(Samuel Beckett) Here is the little:  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.  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.  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.  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.  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.  Oh boy! New gray-toned paper to play with.  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.  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)  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.  And here they are side by side:
“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 ...because this was all I had time to do. (Nevertheless, I'm thinking it took me closer to 15 minutes)  Tangle: Toodles (a variation of Toodles). Graphite, white chalk, Micron 01 on a Renaissance tile. Done for Inktober 2019, day 3.  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.  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.
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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. 
Certified, 2021
Certified Unified Mindfulness Coach Level I, 2024
Certified Zentangle® Teacher, 2013
Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
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