Total Pageviews

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Find Your Zen

OK, let me preface this post by saying I am hugely intimidated by Zentangle.  I actually participated in a Zentangle ATC swap over at Swap-bot and when I received the ATC's from my partner, I wanted to hunt her down and take mine back and apologize all over the place. I think it's b-cus of my anal growing up period.
Here, maybe this will help you understand me a bit better
One morning when I was eating my eggs in my highchair, my mother locked herself out of the house,  It was winter.  She bent down and called through the mail slot, "Sweetie Pie, come and open the door for Mommy!"  The way she told the story (over and over and over again, like it was something wonderful) I looked at her and I looked at my eggs and I looked at her a few times.  She then called out (likely getting colder by the minute) "Sweetie Pie, throw your eggs on the floor, it doesn't matter and come let Mommy in!"  And I looked at her and looked at my eggs and looked back at her.  EVENTUALLY, apparently,  I squished my little girl form underneath the table of the highchair and scooted down, without spilling a drop of eggs and went and let her in.
ANAL
And we all know where it came from, right?
Anyways, I struggle to doodle.  and I struggle even more to show my doodling to anyone.
BUT, thanks to the Poobahs, I have been gently knudged (read: shoved) out of my comfort zone more than once in the almost-two years they have been posting challenges.  And #97 is
ZENTANGLE
So, at a loss about what to do, I decided to do my age:  57.  Then it occurred to me, "Heinz 57" then I found a vintage picture of a building in NYC which which stood in the location at East 23rd Street and 5th Avenue where the Flatiron building now stands.  Then I had to embellish it a bit, but that's just the way it is. So it's not quite just ZENTANGLE, but I did do SOME.
And who knows, maybe I will try a bit more when no one is looking.

But I'll never admit it.
The Order of the Opus Gluei has been delighting the masses for almost two years now,
this is their 97th challenge.  Is that cool or what?
What's that you say?  You haven't checked them out?
Well, I'm certainly not going to nag you.  I'm not your mother after all.
C'mon, throw your damn eggs on the floor and go for it!
If you don't,  it's your loss.

10 comments:

  1. I LOVE this. Heinz is a major resident in this house. Ketchup MUST be Heinz. It was one of the conditions of our marriage. I agreed to it. Anyway, I LOVE that you are so dedicated to OPUS GLUEI that you put your inhibitions aside and made this wonderful piece. It's great. Thanks so much for being such a wonderful friend. And for playing with us too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Electra, I LOVE YA! You make me laugh, you make me sentimental, and you make me laugh and cry at the same time. I cannot believe you are at all inhibited by anything artistic, you've inspired ME so many times with your collages and digital art (digi scares me somehow). I really like what you did with the challenge, how clever to use the Heinz 57 as inspiration! Your tangles are grand, and I mean that. Oh, now we have to have a zentangle ATC swap and you have to play along!

    Thank you for supporting us, tooting the horn to get people to stop by, and participating with us - you're the best!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, and if I'd have been in that highchair - it would have been flipped over, eggs everywhere on me, pets, the floor, door, and curtains. (I must be the anti-anal child, I was always a little slob - still be my friend? LOL)

    I was more anal in worrying that everyone was happy and at peace than neatness...

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are too funny, as long as your over 40 you can do whatever you want.
    Doodling is relaxing and supposedly meditational. I'm older than you (not saying) but, it took wayyyyyy too long to shake that thought of what will people think? it is so liberating to shake that thought. should have done it years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, this is a totally great idea. I've never tried Zentangles either. It is intimidating. I think your Zen is really cool!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well this turned out fabulously! I too suffer from analdom. I know that is not a word and being anal you must also know how it pains me not to remove it and replace it with a REAL word. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ha! Love your story about the eggs! What you can do with images is mind-boggling to me! Just as anal as you, I won't be throwing anything on the floor...but I will go check out the the Order of the Opus Gluie thingy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You so funny!!
    You leave me smiling!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is wonderful! I love the "Zen" quality of doodling (Zentangle is well named) and this has great humor and design. Super work Electra!

    ReplyDelete
  10. If it wasn't for OG I'd still be making black and white cards with one layer, no embellishments, no ribbon......... and if it wasn't for you I'd still be scared of anything that wasn't a card. Aren't we all good for eachother? Comfort zones are so very dull after a while.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your visit. I really appreciate it!