Zen Tangling Brings my Doodles to a New Level

The other day I took a workshop in multi-media art (more on that later) when one of the artists mentioned she taught a course in zen tangling.  Now, I had never heard of this before, but when she showed us an example, I instantly recognized it as doodling and was entranced!  How beautiful!  When I got home I dug out my best line-art pen and reached for a small canvas to try out "zen tangling."   It was a relaxing process, and although it seemed to take forever to create, it is one of my favorite new pieces.  

Dripping Crayons Adds a Splash of Color

I've been wanting to try dripping crayons on a canvas for quite a while now, and lately, I've had so much creative energy!  With this holiday boutique coming up, it's been the impetus for me to get cracking and try some art projects that have been marinating in my brain.

I hunted down these crayons and tried to arrange them in a color order, though I'm not sure if it really matters. I used hot glue to attach them to the canvas and went to town with my heat gun. God I love that thing.  Gets red hot in seconds and dries and heats anything in its path immediately.  The wax had a mind of its own when it was dripping, but I managed to get it around the edge of the canvas so that every angle had something interesting on it.   I enjoyed making this canvas so much, I'm excited to try it again with a new set of crayons.

Forlorn Cat -- an collage in orange

Strangest thing.  I woke up this morning feeling like I had to create a collage with a cat as its centerpiece.  In orange. And I don't even really like cats.

I began with a small 4X4 canvas and gave it a background of orange and gold paints, layering with tissues and a receipt along the way.  The cat and butterfly were added toward the end, and finished off with my new India ink pen.  I call him "Forlorn Cat."