THIS is BIG!

I shall get this ball rolling by putting in my inchies for the week. At EIM, the word is "BIG." Putting "BIG" on an inchie is like saying "JUMBO shrimp," but needless to say, there were plenty of choices.

I had a tough time whittling it down to four this time around. We have a tree big enough to drive through, the Crab Nebula or an example of a supernova (the best of my ideas for working on the Big Bang Theory--the physics, not the television show), Cheech and Chong's album and a certain young lady who grew up to be a REALLY BIG deal and who recently celebrated a REALLY BIG birthday.

Last week's IAST was a tribute to the Queen's 90th birthday. I didn't get mine in on time, but I did it!

"90" as String by Adele Bruno

MA-XIII
With a Wiggle

I got in the groove for this week's. I'm not sure I got the instructions quite, but I'm pleased with the result. Especially with help from Margaret Bremner's tutorial on "Echoism." It's a must-read, I think, for getting into that pattern. Thank you, Margaret!

No Quibbling

The Diva was looking for Stripes this week. I'm sure I could have played it straight(er), but I didn't. What a surprise, huh?!

I've been trying to work the pattern, "Wud" as it falls into what I want to do for the current TwobyTwo. The first one is more in line than the second, where it looks more like fingerprints.
But, that's okay. Might be cause for investigation into a different idea...you never know where you might end up, right?

I am grateful for the women that put these challenges out there for all of us to tackle and for all of you who stop by, if even for just a moment. I particularly like when you leave a comment or two. Encouragement is truly welcome, as is practical critique that may help me improve or move into yet uncharted territory.

And I encourage you to follow some of the links to the various posts.
Especially to the TwobyTwo!

I Hope to See

A poem as lovely as a tree.
With many apologies to Joyce Kilmer, I begin with this week's inchie challenge:

And move swiftly to the TwobyTwo.
Not my most inspired, but it's my house, if you could see the house for all the yews and mulberry trees. It's banana yellow (ugh) with brown asphalt shingles (hmm...ugh). The stem walls and the front walk are natural slate in beautiful shades of aqua, green, tan and brown. The original owner was a stonemason and his artistry is visible on this side, the front side, of the house. It's firmly attached to the forty year-old double-wide mobile home that we're slowly renovating.

Ranch
House

The skies are NOT cloudy today, but the clouds were easier to draw than the palm trees behind the house. The palm trees are home to a multitude of cactus wrens. Somebody told me cactus wrens, our state bird, are endangered. You would not know it from my house.

That was a toughie. Next week's is decidedly easier, at least we think it is. Please consider a crack at "Wood" for the upcoming TwobyTwo and spread the word to like-minded artists. There's even a Zentangle angle for tangly people everywhere!

I finish up by posting this week's stab at the Diva challenge. The object was to create a spring string and work it. Earth Day is coming up and the Diva's kids call Mother Earth "Amanda." I had a concept in mind of a ribbon of Earth unraveling and Zentangle is by definition non-objective, so there was some resistance in the force.
I guess.
Regardless, I give you, "The Care and Feeding of Amanda:"

That's what I have to offer thus far this week. It has just been one thing after another.

In better news, my daughter and her beau are once-again an item. Oh, the drama! I guess those potholders really worked. I had a lot of positive feedback on those and gladly share the company information here. Love those guys (and girls!)

Thank you for visiting and your encouragement. Have a brilliant day!

Tagh, You're It!

Oh, these Zentangle jokes are just coming at ya, aren't they?
If you just think I forgot how to spell, which is highly unlikely considering my highly-functioning OCD or a comfortable reliance on spell-check, then start here. There isn't much on how-to-do "Tagh," considering it's an "official" Zentangle tangle. In fact, while trying to find out what a Tagh is, I mostly found WHERE Tagh is. here or here.
Cool stuff that was good for many minutes lost in the weird wide spidey web, but failing to help my goal-oriented brain from drawing seed-like pods of "Tagh" for last week's String Thing.
Sigh.
I sat down to draw. And draw. And draw some more.
And toss out a bunch of drawings.
Eventually I settled on a couple worthy of the light of day. And submitted one to the keeper of the IAST before the official deadline passed.

I also practiced "Chillon," which I never use as it seems unfinished or something. But here, it looks like quilting and I like that.

This week's IAST:

I have blown through a few Diva "globes" while waiting in waiting rooms for appointments. The charge this week was to create grids in the round and I've been meaning to do something a little Op-Art, so now is the time! In Zentanglish the pattern is called Knightsbridge, perhaps in reference to marble castle floors? The only things missing are the heraldic banners on the wall.

The EIM word for the week is fish. It wasn't that long ago that I was playing with fish for the 2x2, so I only did one. Tuesday was National Grilled Cheese Sandwich day and what goes with that better than tomato soup and...?

Go Fish!

I've been feeling well; therapy is allowing me greater range of motion. I can drive, which is a plus considering how far to the doctor's office. (Honestly, anywhere from here is far). The doctors prognosis is good, making me happy.

My physician asked about the sketching journal I carry with me everywhere and I was able to share with her the joy of Zentangle and other artful pursuits that allow me to be focused, and as a result feel less pain, for a time. I like non-medical (and non-medicinal) interventions and that I have something to show for the time spent. She saw the value in it and wants to share the concept with her patients, one in particular suffering from immobilizing depression.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, I wrote a thesis paper on behavioral management of depression. You know the NIKE ads? "Just do it." Well, my thesis was essentially: "Just do SOMETHING." In that regard, artistic endeavors are at their very least mindful distractions and can become conduits to therapy and recovery.

My daughter is finding that making potholders is just the right amount of distraction to work on a broken heart. It pains me to see her so disconnected, but there are glimpses of happiness when she shows me her new work.

And one of our own is having challenges. She wants to take control of her circumstances and infuse her life, particularly an upcoming birthday, with more artful joy. She put the call out to obtain some supplies to make that happen and she was able to happily inform me that a patron has graciously stepped forward in answer. That doesn't mean there couldn't be more happy in her Happy Birthday. Pop on over and say so.

Tag you're it!

Multi-Fassetted

Okay, that's not really a word, but it's not really a misspelling, either!
In the Zentangle language, Fassett is an interesting tangle, or pattern, that looks complicated but easily creates a dramatic look. Laura Harms, the diva behind the Diva Challenge, chose the tangle created by Lynn Mead this week for tangly people the world over to concentrate on.
I've used it before, but it falls into the "I HATE TRIANGLES" category. I gave myself permission to not start with a grid this time, but to let the pattern grow organically to fit it's little section.
Much happiness ensued!

My official response to
Diva 262
Fassett Top Left
While Waiting for my
Physical Therapist

New Addition to the
Bar Coaster
Collection

Fassetted Gemstone
Staedler Watercolor and
Spectrum Noir Oil Pencils

At EIM, Trillian asked for "Grandmother" inchies. I've been trying to do four, and I collected these four images:

We have the painting that Grandma Moses did for the United States Postal Service in 1969 (an outrageous six-cent stamp!), "Arrangement in Grey and Black," (aka Whistler's Mother) detail, a granny square afghan that took me 13 years (!) to finish (a hobby taught to me by my Nanna) and Lemon Meringue pie (my Grandmom knew I loved them and could whip one up by scratch. She didn't stick around long enough to teach me that talent).

I did one more twinchie for "Orange,"

Four Inchies
Makes one
Twinchie

Something new I tried was Annette's Mosaik Challenge. It's a community effort to create the tiles, but she must put in a LOT of time putting together the designs. Be sure to check out what she did this month! She sent me this out of what I sent her:

Is That Cool or What?

If you're keeping tabs on my IAST, last week's is posted here. I suspect I'll get the instructions for this week's in time for my next therapy appointment. (All I'll say about that right now is the fine people at OSR are treating me well, if not a little sadistically).

I think that brings me up to date. Please honor and visit the various blog hosts and bestow praise where due. I graciously accept your comments and critiques. Thanks for visiting!

No Fooling!

April Fool's Day may have been practiced since Chaucer wrote his "Canterbury Tales" (the first evidence of any such thing according to Wikipedia and you know that must be right), but I try to shy away from all that.
Alas, the day is yet young.
There is a fine intersection between Ms. Bruno's "It's a String Thing" and our very own "Two by Two by Tuesday" art blog challenges this week. She said, "Citrus" and we said, "Orange."
Could there be this strange coincidence?!
[NB: we posted our topics for the whole year way back in November]
Well, I went just crazy for Citrus, as you can see in my last post. What I hadn't done was my official IAST artwork, which I present here:

No,
It doesn't say, "Sunkist"

I drew Citrus as the string and SQUEEZED in: a triangle pattern, Paradox, Phroz, N'Zeppel, Shattuck that got Hypnotized and Printemps with a little Tippling (going clockwise from bottom left), all nested in a triangular grid. 

Remember the advertisement that asked, "If doesn't say 'Sunkist' you don't know what you're getting?"

That pretty much sums that up, doesn't it? 

Now to go back and work on some "oranges." I'm thinking on collage this time...

Aren't you glad we didn't say, "Banana?"

Does that joke even translate from English into other languages?