Language and Art: The Lonely Road by Charlie

I am honored to share the first of what will become many posts highlighting the art and creative writing of fifth grade students who attend Northern Lights Elementary School in Superior, Wisconsin. Please see my introduction to this series, Language and Art, posted June 4, 2014 to learn how this project began.

Language and Art

Words and pictures. Each one provides a way to express our innermost feelings and outermost observations, but in very different ways. The analytical, linear, logical left brain uses language to navigate and describe life. The creative, imaginative, intuitive right brain, having no language at its disposal, uses art. Both writing and art are equally important because both sides of the brain have important things to tell us. For me, I grasped onto both words and pictures as a means to describe my world at an early age and continue to explore both forms of expression.

Northern Lights Elementary School 5th Grade Class mosaic #1!

In February, I had the honor of sharing my experience in both writing and art with 80 fifth graders at Northern Lights Elementary School (NLES) in Superior, Wisconsin. Teacher Julie Tersteeg asked me to speak to the fifth grade class about my educational journey, with a focus on the importance of learning to write well, and to share my love of the Zentangle (R) method of pattern drawing with the fifth grade class. The students had already been using the zentangle method of pattern drawing in class, so this artistic outlet was not new to them.

Class mosaic #2 created on February 26, 2014!

On February 26, I journeyed to NLES and in one hour I talked and talked and then drew and drew, first with 40 students and then with 40 more. The students were polite, asked interesting questions, and drew beautiful tangles (artwork created using the zentangle method).






Collaborative art!



 

 

Before I left, inside recess had begun and I was thrilled to see students practicing the patterns we had drawn together in class. (The temperature was below the -20 degree threshold for outside recess.)

 

Creativity in action during inside recess.

After my visit, fifth grade teachers Julie Tersteeg, Stacy Burfield, Kathleen Beiswenger, and Stephanie Gillman asked their students to use artwork created using the zentangle method as a creative writing prompt, resulting in 80 imaginative, delightful, and, in some cases, profound short stories with accompanying artwork.


 

I am excited to share their creativity with you, here, in the posts that follow over the next week. I hope you enjoy reading their stories and appreciate the students' art as much as I did.

Note: I have received teacher and parental permission to post all stories and artwork shared here

and in the posts that follow. To learn more about the Zentangle method of pattern drawing and find a certified teacher near you, visit http://www.zentangle.com/ To learn about my journey to and through Zentangle, read more here.

Merry and Bright!

z e n t a n g l e (R) inspired art for each of the 12 days of Christmas!

May your holidays be filled with hugs, laughter, and love!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Esther

 

 

Ahhhh!

Fields 'n Farms

Flurries

Kings 'n Castles

Petals

Poke Root

Seedlings

Showers

Snow Balls

Streams

Whirlwind

Zinger Zendala

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.

A shining example of spirit within

Each of us is an indomitable spirit wrapped in a unique human package with the power to inspire, amaze, and transcend that humanity at any given moment. Charlotte and Jonathan, who sang together on Britain's Got Talent in 2012, exemplify the power of that spirit to move all of us to greater heights. Thank you Charlotte and Jonathan for sharing your beautiful gifts with the world.

 

Beautiful and Amazing Lake Superior

I LOVE this Lake! It is ever-changing, powerful, and beautiful and I can't seem to get enough of it. End March will be our one year anniversary here in Duluth. We moved from Gladstone, Michigan on Lake Michigan's Little Bay de Noc in March 2012. Little Bay de Noc froze over providing much habitat for excited fisherman. Here is a photo of the ice shacks on Little Bay de Noc toward the end of the season, March 2012, when the ice was already melting.


Ice fisherman shacks on Little Bay de Noc, Gladstone, MI, March 2012.

When we moved to Duluth, I couldn't imagine this portion of Lake Superior freezing solid because the wave action is so consistent and the lake area is much larger than on the bay in Michigan. Although the lake hasn't frozen solid, I am continually amazed that it freezes and thaws and freezes sometimes all within a 24 hour period. Yesterday, I took these two photos of Lake Superior when the waves were strong and the water was churned up with sediment turning it a chocolaty brown.

An incoming wave on Lake Superior, Duluth, MN, Feb. 7, 2013 . . .

Crash!

Today, the Lake is white with chunked ice and so beautiful. Gently rolling waves undulate the surface ice in a mesmerizing rhythm that made me question just what I was seeing. This photo is of the same rocks as shown above, one day later.

Frozen beauty. Lake Superior, Duluth, MN, Feb. 8, 2013.

 The lake's ever-changing face reminds me that nothing stays the same for long and life's gift is to notice every moment before it changes and flees forever.

A celebration of humanity

Humans are incredible. This symphonic/choral flash mob is amazing to watch unfold. Here is the text that accompanied the Youtube video:

Published on May 31, 2012

On the 130th anniversary of the founding of Banco Sabadell we wanted to pay homage to our city by means of the campaign "Som Sabadell" (We are Sabadell) . This is the flashmob that we arranged as a final culmination with the participation of 100 people from the Vallès Symphony Orchestra, the Lieder, Amics de l'Òpera and Coral Belles Arts choirs.

Inspirational and beautiful and a celebration of all that is good in the human spirit. Enjoy.