Conall


This is the first time I participate in Zendala Dare #114. Actually it is the first time I created a zendala – so very exciting and challenging for me. I am still tending towards having already an idea for the whole result- but it is getting better to free my mind by every tangle I do. So before I started I took a deep breath and reminded “ one stroke at a time“. And I just started from the middle and tangled one stroke at a time towards the border – listening to Antonín Dvořáks violineconzert with Anne-Sophie Mutter und die Berliner Philharmoniker, simply fantastic. When I finished my Zendala, I was not completly pleased in the first time, I was a little unhappy with using „Bales“ in the end. But after a little break I felt fine with my first zendala including Bales! So I started colouring, I love colouring, and for me coloured Zendalas have a special charm and effect.

So thank you Erin for your wonderfull template for my first Zendala! And I am looking forward to the next ones.

Mandala161

template created by Erin Koetz Olson, CZT®

„Stones and Ceremony“

When I read this challenge on Monday evening just bevor going to bed, I was so excited that I actually couldn’t sleep! Since I was on a very special sculpting-workshop in Denmark with a small group of really lovely and inspiring people, I am so fascinated by stones and there magical power. The workshop happened at a place with a high energy level and we were sculpturing cosmograms. Because it is really difficult for me to describe this concept of earth healing an geomancy  in own words in English here a small extract from Marko Pogačnik’s website:

GEOPUNCTURE CIRCLES is an art-of-life project based upon the experience of lithopuncture and the knowledge of the universal language called “language of the cosmograms”.

Lithopuncture is a method of ecological healing, through which positioning of stones on acupuncture points of the given landscape is combined with the language of cosmograms and the holistic awareness of the Earth as an autonomous and multidimensional microcosm.

Language of cosmograms is an effort to develop such a language that can be perceived not just by humans but also by other beings that do not have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Language of cosmograms is a pictorial language, sometimes a form of body language and always an energy emanating language.

When I read Paula Bramante’s statement:

I love Zentangle because it has nothing to do with verbal language. I also love it, paradoxically, because it has given me another language, a visual language, that allows me to communicate feelings and concepts long hidden since childhood.

the first thought that crossed my mind – I wanted to be at an energy place and give some of that zentangle language to that „stone-personalities“ that are part of the energetic network of the vitalities of landscape.

I decided to make a day off (one of the great benefits beeing my own chef) and going on a excursion. My destination: Noer, a bay at the baltic sea, which is a very energetic place for me. So I packed my bag with my pens, I found three pens that should work on stones, some tea and blanket. Of course I had a companion, Anny my lovely Retriever.

So here my trip starts on an awsome sunny autmn day!

Noer_collage1

Mostly I have to ferry across the Northsea and Balticsea canal in order to get somewhere, I really love it! When other people have cars coming from left or right while standing at the crossroads I have hudge containerships crossing. So when we arrived at the sea, we searched for a place with good energy and settled down with all the equipment. Anny and I went on the search for stones to build our cairn. We had quite a lot choice of stones here.

Noer_collage2

Now I could start tangling the stones at this wonderful place, it was so meditative. The sea gave us an atmospheric sound and the dune grasses where softly bowing in the calm wind. Since it was during the week, we where all by ourselfes with the nature. Anny fell asleep on my leg, while I was tangling.

Noer_collage3

Almost 3 hours I stayed at this place, tangling, drinking tea, staring at the sea and building my tangle-cairn! I was so pleased with that place and my time spending here.

So here is my Diva Challenge #241 tangle-cairn:

cairn

Thank you Diva Challenge #241  and Paula Bramante for that challenge that brought me and Anny such an fantastic and inspiring day!

„Stones and Ceremony“

When I read this challenge on Monday evening just bevor going to bed, I was so excited that I actually couldn’t sleep! Since I was on a very special sculpting-workshop in Denmark with a small group of really lovely and inspiring people, I am so fascinated by stones and there magical power. The workshop happened at a place with a high energy level and we were sculpturing cosmograms. Because it is really difficult for me to describe this concept of earth healing an geomancy  in own words in English here a small extract from Marko Pogačnik’s website:

GEOPUNCTURE CIRCLES is an art-of-life project based upon the experience of lithopuncture and the knowledge of the universal language called “language of the cosmograms”.

Lithopuncture is a method of ecological healing, through which positioning of stones on acupuncture points of the given landscape is combined with the language of cosmograms and the holistic awareness of the Earth as an autonomous and multidimensional microcosm.

Language of cosmograms is an effort to develop such a language that can be perceived not just by humans but also by other beings that do not have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Language of cosmograms is a pictorial language, sometimes a form of body language and always an energy emanating language.

When I read Paula Bramante’s statement:

I love Zentangle because it has nothing to do with verbal language. I also love it, paradoxically, because it has given me another language, a visual language, that allows me to communicate feelings and concepts long hidden since childhood.

the first thought that crossed my mind – I wanted to be at an energy place and give some of that zentangle language to that „stone-personalities“ that are part of the energetic network of the vitalities of landscape.

I decided to make a day off (one of the great benefits beeing my own chef) and going on a excursion. My destination: Noer, a bay at the baltic sea, which is a very energetic place for me. So I packed my bag with my pens, I found three pens that should work on stones, some tea and blanket. Of course I had a companion, Anny my lovely Retriever.

So here my trip starts on an awsome sunny autmn day!

Noer_collage1

Mostly I have to ferry across the Northsea and Balticsea canal in order to get somewhere, I really love it! When other people have cars coming from left or right while standing at the crossroads I have hudge containerships crossing. So when we arrived at the sea, we searched for a place with good energy and settled down with all the equipment. Anny and I went on the search for stones to build our cairn. We had quite a lot choice of stones here.

Noer_collage2

Now I could start tangling the stones at this wonderful place, it was so meditative. The sea gave us an atmospheric sound and the dune grasses where softly bowing in the calm wind. Since it was during the week, we where all by ourselfes with the nature. Anny fell asleep on my leg, while I was tangling.

Noer_collage3

Almost 3 hours I stayed at this place, tangling, drinking tea, staring at the sea and building my tangle-cairn! I was so pleased with that place and my time spending here.

So here is my Diva Challenge #241 tangle-cairn:

cairn

Thank you Diva Challenge #241  and Paula Bramante for that challenge that brought me and Anny such an fantastic and inspiring day!

Birthday Leaves …
…for Artoo!

I really love autumn! It is one of my favorite season, at least if it is a sunny autumn without everyday rain. The falling leaves remind me how important und good it is just to let go and I see the changableness of things. For me it is a good time for reflection. I enjoy walking through the woods with all that colorful leaves. Well, the thing with those leaves is, I can’t find my dog between all that leaves. Golden dog on a golden background.

The morning when I ambled through our garden I collected three different leaves that inspired me.

One leaf from our wine. The leaves are so colorful and have such a beautiful outline. The symbolism of wine refers on one hand to frugality and on the other hand on nourishing power. This might be seen as the source of achievement-orientated society. But also in opposite of this self-discipline, drinking wine might  lead someone to let oneself go. So maybe the wine plant will show us the happy medium.

Pattern: Auraknot, Pendrills

One of my favorite trees is black elder, we have quite a lot in our garden. In the nordic european culture the elder is vitally important. A German fairy tale describes the elder as an intermediary between heaven, earth and netherworld. The elder protects the light of the humans soul and offers people living around the elder a secure sanctuary. So cutting down an elder tree was temporary forbidden in North-Europe. The elder loves being close to human and for that reason it grows very close to the houses. It has mellow smelling flower in the springtime, where you can make syrup from and in Autumn it has beautiful black berries which can be cooked to healthful juice.

Pattern: Cruffle, Nipa, Hibred, Hurry, Cool ‚Sista, Tipple

A symbol for eternalness is the oak tree. When I drive home I am passing through a beautiful small but long alley of old an young oaks. I really enjoy that part of my way and I am grateful to be able to live that way. The oak ist a powerful tree for this people who want to bring higher ideals into the world. The oak tree supports the strength of purpose and constancy for respectable worth. So here is my oak tile

Pattern: Aquafleur, Rixty (Variation)

So now I stopp writing about this beautiful season an go for a walk in my favourite wood on this sunny day with my dog Anny.

„Munchin Play“

This week the challenge is based on Molly Hollibough’s tangle Munchin, which she demonstrates in a video on a black tile.
So far I haven’t tangled on black tiles. One simple reason, I don’t have a black zentangle® tool set; the other reason, if I have to decided on instinct I would decide on the white or renaissance tiles. So I had to smile when I read about the diva’s confession not being a hudge fan of black tiles.

But in order to say something adequate to the black tiles and tangling with a „white“ gelly pen I have to try it. Here in Germany, especially in the countryside, it is not easy to get the original tiles and sakura pens, so I had to improvise with black cardbox paper and another gelly pen-brand.

Now after tangling white (and  gold) on black with a gelly pen, here my résumé: I really thought it would be much more difficult to draw with a gelly pen fine strokes but it really worked good. nevertheless I am actually not a fan of this kind of pen. Certainly I can’t say anything about the black tiles since I didn’t use the originals. But so far my gut instinct was right and still – if I have the decision – I would use white or renaissance tiles. But maybe some day I will like black tiles just as well, because I won’t stop tangling on black tiles. And some day there might be a „wow-effect“.

 

„UMT – Tri-bee by Beate Winkler, CZT“

I already follow the Weekly Diva Challenge for a while and now it is the first time I take part. So here is my first „Weekly Diva Challenge“-tile. I had so much fun with Tri-bee. When I finished my tile, I was so pleased. Tri-bee made me think of my dahlia in the garden, which I really love because they are so joyful.

After I finished my tile and before I went to sleep, I had suddenly a picture in my mind – Tri-bee with an auraknot in the background. Well, I tried to ignore that picture, because one of the things I appreciate on the Zentangle®- Methode is not to have preconceived ideas or expectations of the final result. But now with this idea in my mind I was lost – I had to realize it.

So I did! And certainly it didn’t work out, I wasn’t pleased with that outcome at all. It just didn’t look like what I had in mind.

I guess it was really important for me to make that experience! „Only“ knowing about something  is too theoretical for me, I have to sense it in praxis. Happy with that new awareness I draw another tile without pictures in my mind and without expectations, just one stroke at a time and I got rewarded with another tile I am really happy with!

Thank you challenge # 238 for this experience and awerness:)

Experience is ever life’s mistress. Johann Wolfgang Goethe