Wednesday, June 10, 2015

From Sea to Shining Sea

I had a tough time wrapping my head around the latest Diva Challenge. Just getting started seemed so ridiculously tiring. It might be the humidity, it might be the long and varied laundry list of to-dos. 
I needed some mental centering. I needed to focus on the can-dos. I needed to get my head screwed on right. Count my blessings. Pray. 
So, I did what I do when I need meditation and clarity: I sewed. It's all very methodical and the hum of the machine is reassuring. It's productive, too, an added bonus. I felt good about what I accomplished there so I could move along...and back to the drawing board.
I've seen some of the other responses and I know this is true-to-myself off-base. I started with beads, for the theme was Beads of Courage, but there the similarities depart. 

From the Mountains to the Sea
I think what I was trying to convey is that no matter who we are or where we are, we are connected because we are human. The beads on a string became birds on phone lines. I was going to have one "bird" singled out, but that did not support my claim, that we are not alone. Our challenges are divided by our numbers and our joys are multiplied. 
All that in a four-inch square? Huh!
I'm keeping up my zinchies! I rely on them to try out some new patterns along the way. I need to go back and identify these. Mostly done on a waffle box scabbied from the recycling bin. 



The oddball there is a pattern I call, "Confetti." I have used this doodle for years. I must do a larger work with it as it has a unique attribute--it creates its own shading. Has anyone seen this elsewhere as a tangle/pattern, if so please advise?! It morphed into buildings in the Diva art. 
The last four are for this week's IAST, which reminds me of a Piet Mondrian, if he would have ever used curved lines. It's much more abstract and minimalist than the representational piece I did above.

Neurons
Thanks for stopping by and for all your kindnesses. I can't wait to see what you all have been doing. It feels good creating, doesn't it? 

7 comments:

  1. I'm not sure which tangle is "confetti". Is it the one with the little boxes? I appreciate the philosophy you expressed and represented in your Diva Challenge tile. It is paraphrased in a Swedish proverb: "Shared joys are twice the joy. Shared sorrows are half the sorrow." That really resonated for me. Very nice work.

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    1. Thank you very much, Suzanne. I found this quote and it resonates with my thoughts: "Sorrows when shared are less burdensome, though joys divided are increased" -- Josiah Gilbert Holland.
      And yeah, those little boxes. I told you I have an twisted relationship with them. Have a brilliant day! c

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  2. I'm surprised that everyone doesn't get a bit philosophical when tangling, for me it's part of the process. And you're right, creating something, anything, is a positive experience. It amazes me when people don't want to.

    I like your Mondrian homage and the beads tile is very nicely drawn, with a good variety of patterns.

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    1. Very much appreciated, Margaret! Glad you liked my art enough to comment. Have a brilliant day! c

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  3. Wonderful post! I like your Diva-Challenge tile very much!

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  4. I like your post and the phone line :-)

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  5. Love your works in this post. Your Challenge Tile is wonderfully designed and drawn, and your Neurons Tile is a terrific design. Love the idea that you used Waffle Box material for your Zinchies. So resourceful. Love it.

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