April 01, 2024

Zentangle® – March 2024

April 01, 2024/ Gwen Morrison

The tile materials for the 31 tiles I selected from my March creations were more varied than usual. The thin cardboard rectangular tiles were the first I made. The unbleached color varies slightly – always warm. I like that this is reused cardboard mostly made from recycled paper/cardboard.

There were two tiles from index cards from my dad’s old office,

Four square tiles that were paperboard coasters,

Five square tiles that were colorful cardstock,

And nine tiles that were round paperboard coasters that were all started with the same string.

It was a good month for savoring tile creation…experiencing the Zen minutes they provided.

The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. “Zentangle” is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

March 03, 2024

Zentangle® – February 2024

March 03, 2024/ Gwen Morrison

February was a stressful month. The pile of tiles I selected these 29 from was finished before the death of my mother. At the end of March….I’ll look at what might be different about the before and after tiles. As I write this post, I am still in the stage of being preoccupied and cycling through various stages of grief; when I think I have reached level of acceptance, I find myself thinking ‘oh mom would enjoy hearing/seeing this’ before I consciously remind myself that she is gone; I am realizing that my subconscious is churning away and interfering with my ability to focus too.

The square tiles this month are made on the usual neon colored card stock. Most of the time I can make patterns on both sides of the tile…unless I use the thicker pens and the color bleeds through.

The rectangular tiles are a mix of recycled light weight cardboard from cat food boxes (light brown), the wider tiles that are textured stationery from my dad’s business over 30 years ago that I found in his office when we cleaned it out, and the pale yellow/green 3x5 cards are also from his office (he carried them in his shirt pocket for notes….and then stopped about 5 years ago).

The past few months have re-enforced my self-knowledge that making a Zentangle tile (or two or three…) every day helps me through stressful times.

February 25, 2024

Last from my Parents’ House

February 25, 2024/ Gwen Morrison

The last work trip I made to empty storage areas from my parents’ house before the sale is finalized at the end of the month, was mostly about how to donate, reuse, or trash what was left. I did notice that the Japanese quince was starting to bloom. My mother’s favorite color was orange when I was growing up; the color of the flowers is probably why the bush was purchased…why my mother cut the early blooms to bring indoors.

As I cleaned out the storage areas there were only a few items I decided I could reuse. One was a very large clip board (shown with a standard sized clipboard for comparison). There were two of them. I chose to take the one that had remnants of paint around the edges; one of my sisters took the other. I assume my mother used it when she was taking art classes at the local community college, but she doesn’t remember the large clip boards at all.

There were 4 pieces of Masonite in the pile of wood that we were putting at the curb for pickup (the city does curbside pickups on Friday in their area…but often the items are picked up by others and taken away before the city trucks come). The pieces were lighter in color than the clipboard; I decided they would work as Zentangle tiles…that could be hung together or separately.

Another find – covered with dust – were some vertical blinds. At first, we thought they might be from the window treatment in my dad’s old office – but the ones there are very different. I opted to take them to use as Zentangle tiles as well – probably using the smooth side rather than the textured. They have a hole in the top that makes them easy to hang from a nail (maybe a decorative one).

Now I have taken the moving blankets out of my car; they worked well for all my trips to Carrollton in January and the first weeks of February. The house and storage areas are empty. My parents’ house is ready for a new owner.

February 01, 2024

Zentangle® – January 2024

February 01, 2024/ Gwen Morrison

31 days in January – 31 Zentangle tiles selected from 74 created during the month. I split my time between Carrollton TX and home (Missouri) during the month…with plenty of quiet times sandwiched between roller coaster emotions. The islands of calm creating the tiles were little boosts to my emotional resilience. I created two series.

The first was made on pale yellow and green 3x5 index cards that were in unopened packages of my Dad’s office…found when we were cleaning it out. He used to carry a few cards in his shirt pocket for jotting down notes or making lists. I’m not sure when he stopped, but he has. So – I am using the cards for Zentangle tiles…and thinking of him!

The other series is made on round paper coasters. They all started with the same string (four lines intersecting in the center)…and then the variations begin!

And then there were the colorful square tiles.

I am enjoying looking at the mosaics…thinking back on the challenge of the past 3 months and acknowledging the positive impact of including Zentangle tiles in my daily routine.

January 29, 2024

Patterns in the Snow

January 29, 2024/ Gwen Morrison

A few days after photographing the snow activity around the patio, it was a little warmer (in the teens) and the sun was out. I ventured out at mid-morning to look around the yard and neighborhood. I noticed tracks in the snow. Squirrel?

My real objective was to walk patterns on the untracked snow of the tennis courts. It was my first attempt…and a learning experience.

I had chosen 2 simple patterns from my Zentangle experiences. The free form curves worked better than the “straight” lines.

The contrast between shadows and bright sunlight played havoc with my line of sight. The poles at the ends of the net worked well but the other corners were more nebulous.

Even though I tried to retrace each line at least twice, additional retracing would have made the lines more solid. Maybe wearing snowshoes would make that easier although I am not quite ready to make the purchase (yet).

The tennis courts are an optimal surface to walk patterns in the snow – flat and with ‘posts’ for orientation.

The snow was a good depth…2-3 inches.
It was cold enough (teens) that there had been no melting.

After I finished on the tennis courts I walked along the path a bit – made arches away from tracks made by others. Some had melted through to the asphalt. On the bridge over the channel into the ponds, there had been more traffic and the snow had fallen between the planks.

My winter gear kept me warm enough (down filled coat with hood, tube scarf over my head under the hood, mask, snow pants, hiking boots with wool socks, battery powered heat in my gloves). But I was ready to head indoors!

January 01, 2024

Zentangle® – December 2023

January 01, 2024/ Gwen Morrison

Happy New Year 2024!

31 days in December –31 Zentangle tiles selected from the 75 created during the month. I was in Carrollton for the whole month so these were made in the quiet times during, sometimes intense, elder care; their create were welcomed islands of calm. I found myself reverting to ‘thickets’ again and again!

I left my scanner at home so the images were created with photos made with my phone…not as tidy as the scanned images of prior months but it was the best I could do when it came time to do this post!

December 03, 2023

Zentangle® – November 2023

December 03, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

30 days in November – 30 Zentangle tiles. All except one of the tiles I selected this month were from my ‘thicket series’ – which started with a branching double string that created many smaller spaces (a ‘thicket’) with various ways of filling the string.

8 of the tiles were made while my parent was in the hospital…a way to fill the time and regain some calm with the focused activity of creating a tile.

November 01, 2023

Zentangle® – October 2023

November 01, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

31 days in October – 31 Zentangle tiles. In the first few days of October, I made a variety of tiles…most of them with a botanical vibe.

Then I started a project to make no-frame tiles that started with a rift in the center. A pair of tiles was made using the same ‘fill’ pattern – in the rift and then outside the rift. The part that was left after the fill pattern was completed, started with a Neurographica™ inspired string and then the spaces created by the string were filled wiith curves; I quickly settled into the same type of curvy pattern to fill the string…and that is where the colored pens were used too. I enjoyed the bright cardstock colors too.

I may pick another project for November or revert to more diverse types of tiles….not sure yet.

October 01, 2023

Zentangle® – September 2023

October 01, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

30 tiles for September. Most of the tiles this were made after I read about Neurographica™ and started making strings for Zentangle tiles with that technique (at first using the ‘penny pushing’ idea). I’ve opted to show the tiles in roughly the order I produced them….without rounding at first.

Then I started making a dark circle at the intersections rather than rounding…and making a pattern in the spaces open to the edge to make a frame.

I progressed to filling in the center too…using color (sometimes). Making these tiles was very ‘Zen’ but they became almost too dense!

Here was one tile that I made with the 8 wedge strategy from August (adding to that ‘set’).

September 03, 2023

Zentangle® – August 2023

September 03, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

85 square Zentangle tiles…picking 31 for this post representing August 2023. I decided to challenge myself to use black ink (i.e. no colored inks) in August. I did enjoy colorful cardstock tiles though.

Another challenge to myself was to use a mono-pattern (i.e. “Crescent Moon”)providing some variety with different ‘threads’. 11 of the 31 tiles are that pattern.

Last but not least – I started with a string of 8 wedges and then filled in the edges in varying ways. I made 6 tiles with that strategy!

I realized that using only black ink when I travel makes packing trivial…so I might make tiles that way any time I am away from home ---- but I am looking forward to colored inks in September!

August 31, 2023

Ten Little Celebrations – August 2023

August 31, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

Hot summer…plenty to celebrate indoors and out!

Kohlrabi. I rediscovered how much I like kohlrabi after a big one came with my first CSA delivery (more on that later). A quarter was a serving in stir fries and salads. Celebrating another great veggie!

High protein brownies. Wow! 15 grams of protein in a good tasting brownie…worth celebrating. I’ll use this recipe again and again.

**Neon cardstock and new pens**. My version of celebrating the start of the school year (fall) - new Zentangle supplies!

Rainy days. The rains that came broke the high heat…I celebrated and enjoyed an indoors day. It was great to be able to turn off the sprinkler system for about a week!

Brooklyn Duo. Celebrated finding Brooklyn Duo on YouTube – music that enhances every day!

**Dickerson Park Zoo**. Enjoyed our first walk around before the heat of the day got overwhelming…celebrated that it is local to us!

**Indigo Bunting**. Indigo buntings successfully nested in a bird box near Lake Springfield Boathouse. Celebrating seeing a parent arrive with a caterpillar for the nestlings!

**OSU Botanical Garden**. A morning walkabout in a botanical garden. Celebrating and appreciating it after attending a funeral the previous day.

Finishing mowing the whole yard. The morning was cool enough that I managed to mow the whole yard rather than splitting it into a 2-morning effort. I celebrated when it was done!

Hummingbird moth. Finding a snowberry clearwing (hummingbird moth) on my pumpkin vine was a pleasant surprise…celebrating the jewel-like insect almost hidden in the green leaves.

August 13, 2023

Sales Tax Holiday

August 13, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

New supplies are still a treat – just as they were over 60 years ago when I was in elementary school. The list of supplies was not published in advance by the schools so there was a line to get into the store and pick up things once we had it. My mother always included us in the shopping…if there was a decision on color/style – we got to make it! What made the experience so memorable? Maybe it was the crowd. I can remember savoring the new supplies too – the pristine crayons, the packages of notebook paper, pencils to sharpen, a fabric covered looseleaf notebook.

I don’t think there were sales tax holidays 60 years ago. Perhaps they are what causes a crowd in the school supply area now since the supply lists are published online or available printed in the stores. When I was in the store there was a mother with two children shopping for supplies…it was before 8 AM on the first of day of the 3-day holiday. The store had organized the school supply area for a crowd…anticipating lots of shoppers to come. I was glad to make my purchases early.

August 01, 2023

Zentangle® – July 2023

August 01, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

31 days in July….31 tiles selected from the 56 I made during the month! I enjoyed the variety of colored pens, starting patterns with the indentions left by cans of cat food in the lightweight cardboard tiles cut from boxes, and experimenting with purple tiles. Enjoy the July 2023 mosaic!

July 02, 2023

Zentangle® – June 2023

July 02, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

30 tiles….selected from the ones created in June. Most of the square ones started as white pulpboard coasters; they are thick enough that both sides can be used. It was a good break from the light brown colored tiles cut from cat food box dividers!

15 of the tiles selected are rectangular. It is still my favorite size/shape. My set of gel pens and older ultra-fine-point Sharpies are beginning to sputter; I’ll do one more month with lots of color then maybe take a hiatus from color…designate August as a black and white ink month!

June 01, 2023

Zentangle® – May 2023

June 01, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

31 days in May – 31 tiles in the mosaic for the month. I had 53 tiles to choose from…and there were some tough choices to select only 31.

In recent months I have created rectangular tiles; in May there were also square ones although I prefer the rectangular shape. No matter the shape of the tile – the short segments of my day creating a Zentangle tile (or two or three) are islands of calm focus not impacted by whatever else is happening!

May 01, 2023

Zentangle® – April 2023

May 01, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

30 days in April…30 tiles selected for the mosaic below.

Almost half of them started out without a frame…just a simple a spiral string. Sometimes the string is highlighted and sometimes it almost disappears. It was fun fitting patterns into the string.

Creating a Zentangle tile or two (or three) has become part of my daily routine. It’s a good way to focus for a few minutes, be creative, and be pleased (or surprised) with the result. Sometimes I think there should be a big display of tiles where I can see them frequently but then I decide that the process of creating is the most important aspect…I’ll keep boxes of finished tiles but very few of them will ever get a second look!

April 02, 2023

Zentangle® – March 2023

April 02, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

31 days in March and 31 Zentangle tiles. The habit of making a tile (or several) every day is entrenched at this point. Seeing patterns in my environment or in the books I am reading…using them as prompts…often surprising myself (in a good way) at what emerges on the tiles. It feels good while I am creating each tile and then looking back at the month’s production. This month there were a few tiles that carried over from the ‘5 circles’ pattern from February…but ‘7 circles’ or ‘9 circles.’

I continued to prefer the rectangular tiles….and enjoyed a variety of patterns and colors (some new pens). I tended to use the paradox pattern in quite a few places. I spent the two hours it took to get my car serviced making Zentangle tiles…got so involved that I didn’t read the book I had on my phone at all!

There was only one square tile the whole month and I liked one side of it enough to select it as the 31st tile!

March 01, 2023

Zentangle® – February 2023

March 01, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

I opted to create most of the tiles in February using one pattern….which I call ‘5 circles.’ The idea is to make 5 circles (or ovals) on a framed tile….then proceed to aura in various ways….color the circles and some of the aura rounds…and finally add some highlighter.

I found myself enjoying the pattern so much that I had a lot of them to choose the 28 for the month. The amount of color allowed me to use up some pens I had since the CZT class in 2019 plus some that my sister had acquired during her teaching career. I discovered that having a pen low on ink to draw the circles and auras is not a bad thing; the amount of coloring overpowers the original drawing anyway!

Now I am ready for March….and more variety to the patterns I make!

February 01, 2023

Zentangle® – January 2023

February 01, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

I created 97 tiles in January…made some hard choices to select the 31 to feature in the blog post. The skew toward square tiles continued. I am enjoying new pens too. In addition, I found a great red gel pen in a draw with pencils and ballpoints in Carrollton…not sure where it came from but it was fun to use; red became the most frequent color for the month!

January 02, 2023

Zentangle® – December 2022

January 02, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

31 tiles selected from those made in December. There were not as many to choose from as usual. My week in Carrollton was so busy that I didn’t make as many tiles…and crocheting was competing for time (and had priority since I was working on a lacy white scarf I wanted to wear during the holidays).

Most tiles are square this month…and include experiments with a variety of pens.