Passing the Zen On

The past few months have brought a temporary halt to hosting Zentangle classes in my home.  The last one I'd scheduled was on March 16th.  But that afternoon the county health director announced there were to be no nonessential gatherings of any size due to COVID19 concerns.  

I'd been excited to share the new Moonlight Gelly Roll pens with my student Trisha that night.  Such beautiful colors!  Since she was excited to draw with them, Trisha decided she should come by my house and take the pens home with her.

Trisha's enthusiasm for learning Zentangle art comes from years of feeling like her artistic instincts were suppressed.  She had been put into kindergarten at the age of 4 and while she was smart enough to keep up academically, her motor skills lagged a bit behind her older classmates.  Comparing her art to theirs made her feel like she wasn't good enough.  And she believed that throughout her life even though she wanted to create and express herself in art.  

When we met she loved every tangle we created together.  At the end of each session she left with a big smile on her face and her beautiful art pieces in her hands.  For the past three months she's been drawing new art and sending it to me.  She's used the classic black ink on white tile method and practiced shadowing with graphite.  She created this amazing 3D effect in her work with a Paradox monotangle.

Trisha's Paradox Monotangle

Keeping with the Paradox monotangle she took off with her Moonlight Gelly Rolls on a black tile to achieve this effect:

Trisha's Moonlight Paradox Tangle

Here's yet another tangle combination in which she added shadowing on all the edges of her circles, making them look like little pillows.  

Trisha's Open Circles

She then texted me and asked if I thought she should tangle inside the circles.  I encouraged her to experiment and practice.  She agreed and remarked, "You're right!  It's just a little piece of paper!"  Her artwork transformed completely!

Trisha's Transformed Art

Over the course of two weeks Trisha sent me 19 works of art that she had created on her own at home!  I asked her what motivates her to tangle so much.  She said "I just always feel the need to create and Zentangle gives me joy and relaxation."  

As a Zentangle instructor that made me feel so good to hear because I know I've done my job.  I've passed on the ability to access joy and relaxation when creating art.  Mission accomplished!  That's what Zentangle is all about.  And what a wonderful gift when a teacher receives inspiration and motivation from her student.  

Thanks Trisha!