Well, I have survived the first week of Alexa’s freshman year. Despite hours wandering around kind of lost, I’ve gotten some things done:
- I did a painting from one of my photos this summer:
- Listened to 2 audiobooks: Pillars of the Earth & World Without End by Ken Follet. (A total of 86 hours) But I can paint & listen at the same time.
- Did a Zendala for an upcoming art exhibition:
The black background is a board I bought to mount it on. Should I mount it off center? If so, should I do a bit of mooka with yellow paint outside the Zendala or leave it as it? - Finally tackled a pre-strung tile.
- Walked 27.3 miles (half of what I was doing at the beach) and made it to level 11 in Pokemon Go
- Finished cleaning up from the graduation party and started decluttering. But, I can’t make myself do anything in Alexa’s room.
- Started keeping a journal again. Mostly of all of the cool things Alexa is doing at college.
- Rewatched all of the STARZ Outlander series. Why did they make Brianna a history major instead of an engineer? Makes me think they will not continue the series through all of the books 😦
- And did this week’s Diva challenge:
We were to start with a spill. I had no wine, coffee, or tea. I discovered that coke really didn’t work well. Balsamic vinegar was OK, but I didn’t like my tile smelling like a salad, so coke it was.
She’s coming home for the weekend. I can’t wait
Was that TMI? If so, apologies. I am still adjusting to life as an “empty-nester.”
Tangled Up In Art 
The mooka idea with the zendala sounds very interesting. I picture the zendala as being in the big open end of the mooka with two smaller mookas grouped at the base. Not sure about yellow being used. Love what you have now off center….sometimes simple and open is best!
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Your “daze” certainly allowed for days filled with accomplishment. “Doing” has always been the medicine I seek when the source of “daze” can be identified. Thanks for sharing your reality.
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It does get easier with time. But boy do we live for every call, text, snap chat etc.!!!!!😊
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Regarding stained tiles: Beware of any stain with sugar in it as the finished tile may draw ants. Suggest you display this beauty in the frig to lift your spirits in a new way.
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Love the off center mount. I can see Mooka coming from behind the tile…holding it like a jewel. Yellow the same as in the tile would work.
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I love the off center look of the piece. I can see yellow Mooka coming from behind and wrapping around the tile as tho holding a jewel. Another possibility might be the repetition of your Tipple/Orbs shapes flowing forward. It’s a beautiful tile no matter how you finish it. Empty nests are so lonely.
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I see beautiful work, all of them. I specially love the Zendala tile and the one with the prestrings, because they are so unusual , I love that very much.
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Keeping busy is the right approach. What about a ghosted Mooka with white colored pencil or pastel so it doesn’t distract from the star of the show? All wonderful tangles and the painting is lovely as well!
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Not TMI at all, enjoy your weekend.
I get what you mean about the smell, I used tea which smelled great but unfortunately has already gone.. Lovely work, all of it.
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Lovely week of work. The painting is cool! I hope you are not too lonely with Alexa gone!
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A great post! That off centered tile is gorgeous, I like the fact that it is off centered, but think I would try to add a little bit of tangling breaking out. I also LOVE your painting of the sea, very impressive. And the empty nest ….. as others said, you will get used to it and every call, mail or whatever sign of life is sooo welcome.
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Thanks. I am so grateful to be living in an age of instant messenger. I try to avoid texting her while she is in class and she usually responds within a few minutes. It helps.
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I had to leave my son’s door open for six months so I wouldn’t forget and think he was home! It does get easier but I can’t wait to see them when they do get home. At least we have our books and art!
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I don’t have the problem of forgetting that she is gone 🙂 Alexa made her mark around the house. I may not have been as messy, but I always had a radio playing. My mom said that even with 3 younger brothers, it got very quiet once I went away to schol.
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Lovely work. Those waves are absolutely stunning! I like the off center…maybe a little white pencil Mooka that fades off?
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Beautiful sea scene, such movement. Love the dimensionality of your spill tile, wonderful shading (of course!).
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You are absolutely taking the right approach by keeping busy! And your art is always stellar – i enjoy it from afar in Princeton, NJ , USA MATT (aka mattski1208 on zentangle).
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Small world. I lived in East Windsor for 7 years!
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Wow! It is a small world. I could use a good teacher/artist like you to further develop tangling skills but they are hard to find in NJ( at least in central NJ area). I have signed up for CZT TRAINING BUT THAT IS NOT UNTIL NEXT June. In the meantime, i continue to practice daily with as many books, challenges and online advice as i can find. I believe i even have one of your books on shading that i continue to refer back to. 😀
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When I signed up for CZT training, I had never been to a class and the only book I had read was Totally Tangled (because it was the only one that our library had.) You will love the training. Don’t worry about doing too much preparation. We will be fine, and then there will be a teacher in the central New Jersey area! Glad you find my book useful.
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