Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Art Opening Reception: A dream realized


I am the featured artist for September at the Amazing Grace Bakery & Café in Duluth, MN. Displaying my artwork in a gallery was a dream of mine long before I had any artwork to display. My dream has now manifested in a glorious way and I am so very pleased to write that the art opening reception will be held on Friday, September 13, 2013 at the Amazing Grace Bakery & Café, 394 Lake Avenue, Duluth from 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM. Live music from award-winning Greg Herriges will begin at 8 PM.
Refreshments will be served.
 
About the Art
Thumbprints on Ladders
Patterns have fascinated me since childhood. Doodled designs filled the margins of 
notebooks from grade school through law school and followed me right into the courtroom. Inwardly, I yearned to be an artist; outwardly, the world seemed to say: “What you draw is not art.” I believed that voice for a long time. And then, in November 2011, three years after I left the practice of law to live more creatively, an acquaintance introduced me to
z e n t a n g l e®.
 

Dragon Tails Jigsaw Puzzle
 The z e n t a n g l e® method of pattern drawing, created by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, uses a 3.5 x 3.5 inch paper tile and a .01 Sakura micron pen to create intricate, beautiful, non-representational art. For me,
z e n t a n g l e® gave me a method by which I was able to take my love of pattern and express it in an organized way. Simply put, it gave me permission to say:
I AM an Artist.

What I love about the z e n t a n g l e® method is its inherent freedom.z e n t a n g l e® has shown me how to look at a seemingly complex pattern, deconstruct it into its essential components and recreate it―freehand, using pen and paper. In z e n t a n g l e® there is no erasing―there are no mistakes. This non-critical, let’s-see-what-happens-next way of drawing allows me to practice sidelining the analytical, judgmental attorney side of me and gives my artist permission to explore and discover new ways of doing things in the world. It is a mind-set I seek to create in every moment, not just when I put pen to paper.

Printemps Mosaic
This exploratory what-else-can-I-create perspective has lead me to use graphic design as an artistic tool to create new patterns using my original artwork as in the jigsaw puzzle Dragon Tails, and the framed pieces Thumbprints on Ladders and Printemps Mosaic.

The infinite possible patterns I have yet to discover excite me. May the patterns I have assembled here delight and inspire you to live knowing all things are possible.

The z e n t a n g l e® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted.
 z e n t a n g l e® is a registered trademark of z e n t a n g l e, inc. Learn more at www.zentangle.com.