Remembrance Day....

Trying to stay in the Zen

Maddening times call for appropriate measures to stay calm. Time to practice my Zentangle.

I've been toying with using words as the center points of the tangles. I'm not overly pleased with the results (seems a bit preachy), but it's a work in progress. I've dubbed some of these (in my mind) as part of my personal guerrilla art Public Service Announcement collection. Each one has a little sticker on the back that reads: "this original piece of Guerrilla Art is yours to keep, pass on, or leave here. Enjoy..."

Check out the entire collection, to date, click through to my Flickr feed,  here

Zentangle - Diva Challenge #30

Following Tinkered Art's blog, I tried out the newest Diva Challenge, to tangle my initials.  I'm not so sure one could recognize my initials  if you don't know what they are, but I had fun doing the project!

Zentangle, Redux!

Today I took another class with Suzanne Wilke, a local Certified Zentangle Teacher and an inventive artist.  Learned a few new patterns and visited with some really nice gals.  What a great way to spend part of the day!
  To see the few pix I took, click here.

Obsession, or just a hobby?

In March, I discovered a new "thang" on which to waste my time -- Zentangle!  Oh, I can just hear you now:  "What is a Zentangle? I thought the same thing.  According to the creators' website:
"Zentangle is an easy to learn method of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is a fascinating new art form that is fun and relaxing. It increases focus and creativity. Zentangle provides artistic satisfaction and an increased sense of personal well being. We believe that life is an art form and that Zentangle is an elegant metaphor for deliberate artistry in life."

Sounds interesting, eh?  I thought so, too.  So I decided to check it out further, and I took a class with the wonderful Suzanne Wilka, CZT, a local Certified Zentangle Teacher.  After a couple of hours with Suzanne, and the other gals in the class, I am hooked! 

Check out Suzanne's terrific website
If you want to see some photos I took of the class and the tangles we produced, go to my SmugMug gallery

And so for the past couple of months, I have been stretching my wings and doing some tangles.  I think I'm getting better and having the right tools really makes a difference!  It is a lot of mindless fun, even though I don't know what the heck to do with all the tiles I have created.

I've put some of the tangles I like best that I have done up on my Flickr page , so click through if you want to take a look!

Beasts and Blooms in Anza Borrego

For a nice little weekend jaunt, we take to the road and land in Borrego Springs.  Wildflowers are just busting out and the weather was marvelous.


You can see my shots on Smug Mug

Ramona Hawk Watch photos

Today I'm trying out a new way to let my fan (that's you!) know I have a new set of photos posted. If you like this method, you can sign up to "follow my blog", and when I post a new announcement, you'll be notified.

So, here goes:

Saturday, Hot Shot and I were all set up to go out to the Ramona Grassland Reserve, along with my long-time buddy, Pado, so see the Hawk Watch 2010. This is a joint effort between the Reserve and Wildlife Research. "You will observe the wild raptors and learn the life-histories of these hawks and eagles and the significance of the Ramona Grassland ecosystem to the raptors’ survival from WRI Biologists. There will be demonstrations of hawk banding and tracking eagles with transmitters. This free, educational program is open to the public and rewarding for all ages."

However, because of the rain, Pado opted out. Hot Shot and I decided to give it a go anyway, and are we glad we did! They sometimes get as many as 500 (!!!) people at a time out there for the talk. With the rain and threat of rain, there were only about 125 or so. We never could have gotten so close to the birds with a greater crowd.

To see my shots, go to  my Smug Mug site


And for some even better pix, go to Hot Shot's site at  Hot Shot's pix


For more information on the Ramona Grassland Reserve, check out this link:  http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks/openspace/Ramona_Grasslands.html


For more information on Hawk Watch 2010, go to: www.wildlife-research.org/
(be patient, it takes FOREVER for the link to load)