Sometimes our tangles have stories or tales behind the pen strokes, and sometimes our pen strokes inspire stories or tales. When Maria posts a tile on the Zentangle Mosaic App she almost always shares with us some sort of creative narrative. Her words range from inspiring thoughts to fanciful tales. We thought we would share with you some of these parings in a blog series we are calling Maria’s Meanderings.
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From April 2026...
This tile has been sitting around the house for some time. I love the elegance of the ellish curves (a bit loopy... like moi). I feel like it’s trying to tell me something, something important. I finally decided to post it, but thought it might look nice with a mat. Then the mat looked a bit plain. So I added a few lines. The lines looked empty, so I added a few tangles. The tangles were wanting more so I added a bit of color. The color was flat so I added some shading. The shading seemed too choreographed, so I added some drama. The drama was... well, a bit dramatic. I was tempted to dump the mat altogether when the phone rang. I answered the phone and returned to the task at hand. I now think it’s perfect just the way it is. Methinks, sometimes you just have to walk away and come back with new eyes. Huh. And that was that.
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When the tangle ellish was introduced in 2018, it was another homage to Maria's lifelong love of letters and calligraphy. At its heart is a graceful cursive "L," wrapped in flowing lines that are layered and intertwined around one another.
The fun did not stop there. Inspired by the possibilities hidden within a single letter, Maria began exploring the same conception with the rest of the alphabet. This series, alphabellish, was shared on the Zentangle Mosaic App and transformed individual letters into tangled works of art.
There is something wonderfully satisfying about drawing ellish. Once you understand its rhythm and flow, you may find yourself unable to stop.
We invite you all to join in the #alphabellish fun. What letters can you weave and layer together? Share with us on the Zentangle Mosaic App and other social media sites.
Joanne Pattison on
Love this so much 💖 Thank you Maria 🙏🏼. 10 or so of my favorite bijou tiles ever were ones I did after following along with your ellishish
LissaCZT on
Sherie Falink on
anna wieseman on
Michaela Rosenberger on
sharon on
Brigitte on
Dione Greenberg on
Maria, elegant is the best description of your work. Thank you for all of the mindfulness, creativity, fun, peacefulness and healthfulness that you and Rick have brought forth to us over the years. Peace.
Shari on
Laurieann Jacobs on
💗 All so beautiful
Nancy CZT18 on
Estelle Goodnight on
Among the many benefits of Zentangling are the puns and wordplays … laughter is, after all, the best medicine. Perhaps that is one reason tangling is so therapeutic. Alphabellish is Zentomology at is finest, describing the process and making a fun new word. I find that teaching my young students to tangle using silly stories and laughter makes creativity easier. Humor is an integral part of the Zentangle Method. Alphabellish might even be a good way to teach cursive.
Ann Baum, CZT36 on
So much flow and loveliness!
Becky Ruiz Jenab on
Melanie Rothchild on
Marie, so lovely and loopy! Gorgeous.
Grace Foster on
JessicaLDykesCZT39 on
PJ on
Dillens Lisette on
Cathy W Ramsay on
Grit on