To Tangle, Tangle, Tangled, Have Tangled

I like the word tangle. I am specifically often fond of words that seem to have the power to conjure images in the mind that look like the word sounds. Vertices is a lovely word that instantly sweeps you to the top of a group of towering...triangles? But then one has to wonder if these words really do sound  like they look, or do we project our own mental images from years of exposure to knowing what these words mean? For instance, would someone learning English as a second language have the benefit of the mental images to which some English words lend themselves? Language is irresistibly fascinating.

Back to "tangle". In the verb form, "to twist together into a confused mass". It summons up visions of windblown hair, snarled necklaces, knotted, intertwined tree branches.

"O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive" - Sir Walter Scott
"I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions" - James Michener
"We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view - tangled up in blue." Bob Dylan

Now tangle has a new meaning for me. It is the verb form of the new art form noun known as Zentangle. Zentangle was created by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts and defined on their website: http://www.zentangle.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=30, 

"Our Zentangle method is a way of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns"

One aspect I love about Zentangle, is the tangled, complex look many of the patterns have, but, when broken down into steps, are simple lines and geometric shapes that can be easily untangled. Untangling is always so satisfying.

So, I'm going to post some of my tangles here. I've recently tangled the lampshade that hangs over my desk and I tangled a tiny pumpkin last fall. Tangling on objects is fun. I also have branched out from traditional Zentangles (3 1/2" X 3 1/2" tiles of art paper that consist of only Zentangle patterns) to ZIA - Zentangle Inspired Art. It still seems a little odd to me that something so new has a lingo all its own already...but I've become so familiar with Rick and Maria, their website and blog, and so many other Zentangle artists and their blogs, that they (and their lingo) all feel like old friends to me. I feel part of a community, albeit an online one. It is one of my sincerest wishes to attend one of their CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) Seminars. They hold them in Rhode Island and they are three days in length. There is one scheduled for August and one for September of this year. September in Rhode Island....then maybe a fall folliage jaunt northward. Wouldn't that be grand? sigh....

More another day. All this uploading is tedious.

(((hugs to everyone who reads this))), and I'd feel so validated if you left a comment. I promise not to go all Sally Field on you...

"You like me!  *sob*  You really like me!"

Really...I won't....not where you can see anyway...

Monograms

I have a love affair with monograms. With letters, actually. I love lettering as an artform - have for many years. My darling niece, Karen Lynn, gave me the push I needed on my Lettering Journey many years ago when she gifted me with a marvelous calligraphy book. It teaches all the basic calligraphy strokes and even included a pen with three different size nibs and several vials of ink. What fun. Thank you, Karen.

I've been learning a bit lately about illuminated letters and decorated versals. These are the beautiful large letters that you find in old books - the first letter of the first word on the page...like this...

I've been trying my hand at creating a decorated alphabet using some zentangle patterns as the decoration. So far I've made a K, a G, and a C.

Did I say I really love monograms? These would qualify as versals...while these...

...are really just zentangled letters. I'm having lots of fun, and have to have a way to get rid of all the stuff I make...so there is probably a Decorated Versal of your monogram in your future!