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Maria's Mysaic

Maria's Mysaic

Maria writes:
 
Hi everyone.  Today’s blog is about “mysaics.”
 
We are all familiar with the word mosaic (in the world of Zentangle). It is a collection of tiles, created by a group of individuals, assembled into a grid for presentation purposes: to admire, to appreciate, to learn from.  But, what would you call a mosaic all made up of only one artist’s tiles?  Mysaic, of course!   
 
It occurred to me that I had never gathered up all (!) my tangles and appreciated the interplay and glow that only a mysaic can deliver.  
 
Well, for me, it was quite an effort to actually find all my tangles. They are sprinkled all over the house, stuck to walls, windows, cabinets, frames, clocks, knobs, book covers, floors, moldings, mirrors, desk blotters, lampshades, clothing, lightbulbs, furniture, shoes,  and well, you get the idea.   

Eventually, I decided to just use tiles.  So what you see here is a sampling of some of the tiles, and I think there may be a few of Rick's, Martha's and Molly’s here and there.  But certainly not even close to all my tiles.  And yet, it makes quite a mysaic, don’t you think?

Here's a flyover in a balloon that the gnomes use to get around our house. (Can you find two of them in the background?) They borrowed Rick's camera so you could see it from their perspective.

I can’t wait for you to see yours!   You might decide to have a grand gallery opening, invite your closest friends and family for wine and hors d’oeuvres and to show them what you have been doing for the last XX nights, weeks, months, years!  Or, maybe you decide to make it a permanent installation, once you have been exposed to your masterpiece.  


 
My favorite way to exhibit my tiles is to cover a large piece of 1/2 inch foam board with a beautiful, subtle colored fabric, and gently affix the tiles by sliding straight pins around them at an angle (do not pierce the tile paper).  This way you can rearrange or add to the mysaic at any time, as your collection morphs.  I have quite a few of these boards in frames, scattered about the house and studio.  I never tire of seeing the progression of years tangling, and the tiles that were the beginnings of this art form. 
 
Please feel free to take inspiration from any or any portion of a tile you see here. Always add your own wonderfulness to it.  

Have fun.

Be grateful.

Admire your own work.

Maria Thomas

71 comments

  • Maria—what a gift you have given us! Thank you so much! I just really appreciate how much of yourself you share with us. This is SO inspiring!

    Lynnette Jerome on

  • Wow – thank you for sharing yoursaic with us Maria! I feel so warmed by the sight of it – like a patchwork blanket of loving time spent with paper and pen. My imagine ran away with me, and I started to try to picture how big an area we might cover if every tangler in the world laid their tiles together with everyone else’s? I wonder what the size would be! Wowzers!

    Jem Miller on

  • Wow, wow,wow!!!!!!!!! Awesome!!!!!! I can’t even imagine how long it took you to do just that and you still have hundreds that you can’t see.

    lynette Marie christensen on

  • Mysaic add home is a wooden frame with squares and rectangles I normally use for photos, but I have my Zentangle creations in there. I’ve also framed the 12 days of Christmas and they’re on the wall. My next project is framing Inktober! I agree our work should be shown on our walls not hidden in notebooks and binders!

    Mary Illana Perrin CZT 32 on

  • Quite a spectacular display, all gorgeous

    Sue Bellefeuille on

  • Such a great way to continue appreciating our work. I’ll have to try this on my large craft table. Thanks for the idea!

    Leslie Hancock on

  • Wonderful idea, and wonderful new word! I’d love to do this sometime but we no longer have a large dining table, so probably the floor? And I would definitely have to pick and choose!

    Margaret Bremner on

  • Such a spectacular collection on your magnificent table! I could see covering a table with tiles, then placing a sheet of glass, cut to fit, on top. Tiles are meant to be looked at and appreciated, not tucked away in binders & drawers & little boxes. 😊 Thank you for your wonderful inspiration, Maria!

    Jan Brandt, CZT12 on

  • I recently found shadow box frames at Michaels that have a linen cover foam core. I have been framing and auditioning tiles for framing so I can hang them on the wall. Thanks for sharing your mysaic.

    Marty Greiner on

  • You continue to inspire me Mum!

    Molly on

  • These are absolutely magnificent. Mine are quite simple but yet I am proud of them because they represent my Zentangle Journey…I will need to do this on my table, sometime! Love it! <3

    Mary Stayner on

  • Hi

    I am an occupational therapist. I work with severely challenged adolescents. One of my students and I have been using the Zentangle method for approximately two years. I recently retested him and his scores for the visual motor component of a standardized assessment improved from significantly below normal limits to within normal limits. I put together all his tangles and now know that the term to describe the Mosaic I made is Mysaic! I wish I could share it with you.

    Susan Arnsten-Russell on

  • Very inspiring !

    Jackie on

  • Oh my, Maria! I love the view from above! This makes me almost “regret” sending my tiles out into the world – in cards, and letters to friends and family over the years. I’m “letting go” of much this year and my tiles and designs are among the pieces that keep “moving”. Thank you for sharing yours!

    Mary Ellen Ziegler czt33 on

  • Your joy and fun light up my world. Never not draw❤️❤️❤️

    Janice Undem on

  • What an inspiring collection!

    MKay B B Watson CZT17 on

  • Oh my! Incredible tiles! Thx for sharing.

    Lelia on

  • What a wonderfully motivating and inspiring mysaic to share. Thank you so much.

    Jo on

  • Wow! Beautiful mysaic, Maria! It does make me wonder where you keep all of these stored? Any great ideas? Mine are in several locations but I always dream of one place they can all be stored, easily looked at and accessed. Tall order, I know!😉

    Diane Lachance on

  • Maria, how those tiles must bring back memories to you. Place where you did them, or the company of fellow tanglers with you, or even the weather! What a journal, a diary of your progress through life. And as you said, just a part of it! Thank you for sharing with your tribe here.

    Ginger White CZT34 on

  • I just love this!!

    CLARA A BRUNK on

  • What a fantastic idea! I adore the concept of the “Mysaic”! I’m excited to gather all of mine! Thanks Maria!

    Brenda Campbell, CZT on

  • Maria…my grandmother made so many quilts in her lifetime, I immediately saw a beautiful quilt! She would have tried to figure out how to make these into fabric and quilt them, I’m sure! Thanks for sharing the “mysiac mysterium tremendum”.

    Susan on

  • Beautiful Idea. Recently my daughter had collected a pile of my tiles from around the house and it showed them to her I was going through them I I found tiles from 2010. So like you my tangles are all over the house and once in a while it’s nice to see a group of them together. Thanks for the new word. I am honored to be around your dick creati I apologize for any AutoCorrect‘s that are wrong in this message. I cannot see the message. The comment is black. vity

    Lisa Hoesing on

  • Oh my gosh! What a beautiful display. Maria Thomas, you have to be the most creative and inspirational person I have ever met! This makes me want to go find all my Zentangle art and create my very own Mysaic. Love seeing all your beautiful work! Thank you for being you!

    Brenda Shaver on

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