RESPITE.

It's been so long since I've done anything creative or artistic that I've almost forgotten how.  Since there is a vast and growing list of "new-house chores" to do here, I rarely allow myself to do much besides basic knitting.  This can't continue, but at the moment, it's what's happening.

However a friend recently persuaded me to go with her to Kripalu for a weekend workshop on Zentangle®, focused on working with strings.  It was fabulous and here are some of my tangles (plus a few photos of the class "mosaics," (mosaics = other people's tangles put together on a table, revealing how people who hear the same instructions produce such different art--great fun!).

Here were the two "warm-up" tiles I did:

Tangles: Crescent Moon, Printemps, Hollibaugh,

Tangles: Pokeroot, Zenith, Hurry

And then we really began to play in earnest.

Tangles: Pokeleaf and Senna.

An as-yet-unfinished tile using a coffee stain for a string. The main tangle here so far is N'Zepple. I'll be working on this one more.

Tangle: Courant. You'll see this again in mirrored form below--I played with it using my iPhone software.

Here was the class "mosaic" of our Courant Tangle tile. If you study these, you'll note how everyone does Courant differently. And yet look at the result when these tiles are combined into a mosaic. And of course, they can be turned in different ways for different effects. Mine is in there somewhere, but I've no idea where.

This is my own tile only. I played with it on my iPhone to get this result.

...and then I played with it some more on the iPhone...

​We took a walk on the grounds.

...so lovely.

and then we headed back to tangling

This was patterned after a wonderful Dutch button that a fan had given Maria.

And here is a portion of the class mosaic of the Dutch button mandala. It's worth a closer look to see just how each person worked with the same instructions--but look at the marvelous variety!

When I got home, I played with my own tile using an iPhone app, and here's what I did with the Dutch Button Mandala, using just my own tile:

First I did this.

Next, I played with just that image and produced this on my iPhone.

Meanwhile, back at Kripalu, we were all still tangling.  We used some of the triangular tiles next, using colored Microns.

Hmmm. Here were my three triangular tiles, but I'm missing a solo photo of the one on the right.

I mirrored the first triangular tile on my iPhone for fun.

Here are the class mosaics on the triangle tiles.  Hugely interesting and fun.

​and on and on we went...

The main tangle here is Waybop, with some Crescent Moon and some Perfs.

Here is the Waybop Mosaic, once again showing the intriguing variations.

Tangles: Locar, Perfs, and Aquafleur.

Getting away from my new house for a weekend was a much-needed respite.  Left to my own devices, I have an "I gotta get the next item on the punch list done and checked off NOW" mentality that I'm all-too-aware is preventing me from getting to do anything artistic.  It was wonderful to go to Kripalu and spend an entire weekend tangling.

This is my third Kripalu Zentangle workshop, and each of them has been extraordinarily good.  Quiet, quality time with Rick, Maria, Molly & Martha...lots of time to tangle, silence, a gorgeous place for walks, excellent food, and of course, all that original and inventive, compassionate, humorous teaching.  If you ever have a chance to attend, DO.

Definition of the word "Respite":  a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.

​What a gift.