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.
--- + ---
Maria writes (August 2018) ...
I have a true dislike of the color orange. Never wear it, never have it in the house. This makes me feel just a tad bit guilty. As an artist, perhaps I should love all colors, to better interpret whatever needs interpreting. Green is just a whisper from orange in my color spectrum, where you might see a few bits sneak their way into my life, but only if they’re accompanying others, say in a tapestry or the like. So. . . when I sat to create this tile I grabbed for my brown Micron, only to have the first stroke on my tile be green. GREEN! I didn’t even know I had a green Micron! No, seriously! This was not going to be easy. Of course, I had to continue. This was not going to be easy. (I know I already said that. . . )
So onward I go into the great unknown: using tools not from my usual toolbox. The strokes appeared as if from another’s hand.
But something otherworldly made me rethink this journey. The lines themselves began to speak to me, daring me, (or were they encouraging me?) to trust them. And so it continued, lines moving together, like a slow dance, entranced in this meditation. Eventually, I introduced the brown, but soon returned to the newcomer.
As I held my tile out at arm’s length, turning it this way and that, it seduced me with its charm.
We could all stand to try something we know we will detest. Huh.
Ricky, take me for sushi!
--- + ---
Thank you to everyone who shared which Zentangle Project Pack inspired them most on the blog post Anything Project Pack is Possible...One Stroke at a Time. We have randomly selected three commenters to receive a Zentangle surprise.
Sue Leslie
Vreni Murphy
Zipporah Rosenblatt
Please send your snail mail address to info@zentangle.com.
Thanks for this lovely meander, Maria! Autumn’s upon us…bring on the Orange!
Jessica L Dykes on
Melissa, CZT6
Melissa W Cahn on
Maria, Love hearing about your color feelings and those of commenters. My favorite color changes but green remains my least favorite. I found I can tolerate it in tangles, maybe because no mistakes.
Carol Sheridan on
Michele Couture on
My favorite color is blue and I love it on the gray or tan tiles but especially on the white ones. The classic black and white with graphite is always my ‘go to’ when I don’t know what to do. I avoid the oranges, yellows and reds because they’re so bold, but lately I’ve noticed some of my tiles have those colors! How that happens I’m not sure except I suspect those rascally pens and pencils just pop into my hand all on their own. I truly believe my pens have a mind of their own as what I intended isn’t always what appears and that’s okay (sometimes it’s better). Thanks for your inspiration to step outside my box and be open to what happens.
Joyce Schieltz on
Maria, I too have some least favorite colors: yellow, orange & green. My favorites are: purple, silver, red, black & gray. It’s more than likely because I look awful in yellow, orange, green, oh, and beige & tan.
I wore out my purple crayons as a child, before others were half gone. Although I look best dressed in reds, blues & black. Our wonderful world is filled with color, and as I read through the comments, I see others with the same likes and others like what I don’t. Sure keeps things interesting!
I enjoyed your green & brown creation. Surprisingly so! Guess we all need to get out of our color box and explore.
Sharon Lynn Polk on
Forever more in color limbo,
Laura O.
P.S. Maria your tile is beautiful & the perfect colors💞
Laura Ordogne on
ildica boyd on
Deborah Lee on
Kathleen Wiktor on
Johnifer on
My favorite color is orange-red, or red-orange. It is an almost talismanic color for me that says “I am alive!” I think I must have gotten imprinted on it in my childhood. It was an accent color in the 70s, and the color of some flowers my mother grew and tiny mushrooms that would sometimes appear in our yard.
Valerie Hayes, CZT on
My favorite color is orange-red, or red-orange. It is an almost talismanic color for me that says “I am alive!” I think I must have gotten imprinted on it in my childhood. It was an accent color in the 70s, and the color of some flowers my mother grew and tiny mushrooms that would sometimes appear in our yard.
Valerie Hayes, CZT on
Great challenge and well persevered.
I love these meanderings 😃
ArjadLH - Elefantangle on
I love your title and your story! I have never been a fan of orange. Definitely not a choice to wear or use to decorate anything. The only time I use orange is pumpkins and other orange food. I must admit that as I have grown older, I have begun making acquaintances with some of those “distasteful “ colors, but only on paper. Not in clothes or decor. However, I have to admit that I have lived with orange in subtle ways. I live in Georgia – the Metro Atlanta area- where red clay is abundant. Red clay isn’t really red; it’s orange. My clothes and body, most often my bare feet, have been stained by that iron-rich rusty soil off and on throughout my whole life. My grandparents and my dad would always plant a summer garden. The plowing would always turn up a lot of red clay. Walking through the rows to pick the vegetables and watermelons gave ample opportunities to make contact with that Georgia red clay. The thing is, you can hardly get it out of clothes. It requires lots and lots of scrubbing to get the stains off of your feet. Somewhere along the way it is accepted as a part of life that blends into unconscious acceptance and sleeps quietly in the background until you slip and fall in the mud or decide to frolic in mud puddles after a rainstorm. Green on the other hand, is a completely different story. I have heard it said that Atlanta is one of the greenest cities in the United States. Trees and forests nurture my soul. I love visiting new places. One of the questions I ask myself while there is “ Could I live here?” The most important question is “Are there enough trees?” Green is a go to color for me. It brings encouragement and healing, peace and comfort. Nothing better than a walk in a forest. Lush leaves of flowers and plants of every kind. Grass and vines. The signs of life and living. Growing. That’s one of those things Zentangle does for me. Helps me live, heal and grow. So glad that you made this tile. It makes me so happy! Brings me a moment of comfort and peace. I want to hold it and snuggle it. Reminds me of being snuggled up in a warm blanket on a chilly day! Blessings!
Kathy Wright-Starr/StarrSongTangler on
Leslee Feiwus on
The orange Micron is lovely.. lol yes it is good to go out of our comfort zone…Enjoy! the sushi..
Linda Rios CZT#27 on
I pretty much like all colors, with the exception of most browns. For many years I’ve said my favorite color was purple. More recently I prefer to say the Rainbow. So tangling on tan tiles with brown pens isn’t someplace I readily go. Yet I admire the awesome tiles others have created in shades of brown.
I guess that’s what makes the World of Creativity so fascinating.
Maria Thanks for sharing your stories with us.
Blessings Christi Marie.
Christine M. Guymon on
Ah, color! Funny how our heart will adhere to a prescribed palette, only to have it upset at the most unique opportunity. I never had a liking for orange, until life-saving surgery in 1999. Now, it sneaks into so many of my creative endeavors.
Your mind’s eye will never lead you wrong.
Ginger White CZT34 on
Jan ~ SailAndBeJoyful ~ on
Susan Goodman on
Kathy McMurtry on
Meander … I was trying to decide on a Word of the Day! It’s perfect for teaching my students about ‘string theory’ in the Zentangle Method. I have 30 eager new students, ages 8 to 15, that I will inspire this morning with the idea of meandering. Thank you!
Ann Baum on
Anonymous on
Sushi often has orange “sprinkles” on top (no spoilers from readers, please 😁). You can conquer two detestables in one bite!
The green with the brown looks minty, prettier than standalone green IMO.
Fun post. Thanks for the meander.
Kendra Page on