"Journey of an Old Soul" process

Some of the papers I used in my most recent eco-dye batch didn't stand up to the simmering as well as others. They had some frayed edges, tears, and small holes. I chose one of them to do a seven-circuit labyrinth.

This is the paper as it emerged from the dyeing, with a few initial pencil lines.

I chose Bosch for a border with a Sprouts/Mooka/Hollis mash-up in the corners. I outlined the labyrinth with a thin border between the paths, adding some details throughout.

Next I added a bit of color, three gems and some spring green Icantoos, as well as a metal leaf sun - or  is it a moon? Then more tangling in areas of the lines dividing the pathways, some shading to the corner sections, and some shading in the labyrinth itself.

That part done, I affixed the paper to a cradled birch panel, deciding to leave the wood grain showing. I added a small brass nail just inside the corners of the paper and drew a dark brown line around the edge of the wood. I finished the sides with a strip of cork.

I didn't like it. I thought it made it look like particle board - not an effect I wanted! I removed the cork and painted the sides bronze. To finish, I added matte varnish with a sprinkling of gold flecks.

Here is "Journey of an Old Soul":

7-circuit labyrinth

During the decade-plus that I focused on mandalas, one thing I investigated was labyrinths. So, of course, one page in my Book had to be a labyrinth. I chose a 7-circuit one as they are simple to construct and way easier to skew to fit a space than the Chartres variety!

I had done two pages intended to be cling-wrap patterns, but this paper doesn't seem to like that idea at all! I had two rather unappealing pages so I decided to use them for subject matter I want to include.

This is the beginning wash with the penciled lines of a labyrinth.

I expanded the labyrinth design to fill a wider space, and to work with some of the lines in the wash. Then I outlined it in copper ink.

I drew the dividing lines of the labyrinth and tangled the background.

A few more details, and shading with various colors of pencil, and here is the finished page.

If you're interested in labyrinths I've done a couple of other posts about them here and here.

InkTober 2017 - part two

I'm a little late posting this. I was away from home for three weeks (more on that in a future post) and had prepared this so I could post while away. But... I forgot to put one image in!
I wasn't able to participate every day this year, but these are the ink drawings I did, and the InkTober prompts, for the second half of October.

Day 19 - 'Cloud'

Or in this case, three clouds. The 'stars' are gold ink.

Tangles: Printemps, plus stripes and dots.

Day 22 - 'Trail'

What better trail, or path, than the occasional labyrinth?

Tangles: Black Pearlz, Crescent Moon,
'Nzeppel, Printemps, Tipple

Day 23 - 'Juicy'
No, it's not gruesome. It's a pomegranate.

Tangles: Beadlines, Gingham, Tipple

Day 25 - 'Ship'
In this case a ghost ship, swamped by waves.

Tangles: Black Pearlz, Diva Dance, Ennies,
Lamar, Moowa, Opus, Phuds, Shattuck

Day 31 - 'Mask'
For Hallowe'en. Of course. I get it.

Tangles: Black Pearlz, Diva Dance, Gneiss,

Knightsbridge, Marasu, Paisley Boa, Pearlz

Labyrinths

If you follow the Diva's zentangle challenges you'll know that this week we're all doing labyrinths. I chose a classic 7-circuit labyrinth, and the zendala tile as it afforded me a little more space to work in. I hoped that by changing the tangle every circuit it would help avoid too much sameness and also too much jumble.

Tangles: Hibred, Knase, Lotus Pods, Pearlz, Zedbra, Zewm

I've been doing a bit of black-and-white on tan paper lately and wanted to try a labyrinth like that. I used Strircles and quickly realized that It wasn't going to work in the usual manner - the U-turns were going to be problematic. So I added black and a darker brown to my pens and tried to think a little more when I came to those U-turns. Nonetheless, it did get messed up and the two outer rings are independent of the rest of the it! Oh well. No mistakes. :P

Tangles: Black Pearlz, Pearlz, Strircles, Tipple

I'm not really thrilled with either of them, but they've given me an idea for another piece!

Even more fun than drawing a labyrinth is walking one. I used to live a few minutes walk from one in Saskatoon. Now I'd have to drive, but still, there are a few in the area. If you'd like to find a nearby labyrinth, check the Labyrinth Locator website here. I'm not sure how well it will work for you. Many more search criteria have been added since I last looked at it and it couldn't find any near me, although I know there are.

Sand Man, Sand Dancer, Sand Art

Peter Donnelly has three or four hours between tides to produce his artwork. He's based in Christchurch, New Zealand and his canvas is the sand at the beach. He's working down on the beach, of course, and doesn't have an arial perspective of the large images he's making, but he says he's always been able to picture things in his head.

Donnelly's work echoes the philosophy of the Tibetan Buddhist monks who create sand mandalas and demonstrate the impermanence of everything. He knows that it's all temporary and does it anyway. In one video he mentions that he has created 697 works in nine years. You'll see swirls, checkerboards, teardrops, spirals, words, human forms, labyrinths and more. Zentangle enthusiasts will recognize a kindred spirit who also works dark on light, taking the lines and patterns wherever the spirit moves him, albeit on a much larger scale!

Watch a 10 minute video of Peter Donnelly and his work here.

See some still photos and another video, and read a bit more here.

Labyrinths

I enjoy walking labyrinths. For one thing, they’re round and I’ve been creating mandalas for almost 15 years. Usually they’re in a natural environment, which is very pleasant. There is a labyrinth at the Devic Center where we held our all-day zentangle workshop and I think everyone took a stroll through it.

Walking the labyrinth at the Devic Center, October 16 2010.
(Photo courtesy of Patricia Pavey.)

Labyrinths have existed for over 4000 years in cultures as diverse as Viking, Hindu and Navajo. These patterns have been found in basket designs, on ancient coins and jewelry, and carved into cave walls. Many spiritual traditions from North American medicine wheels to Zen Buddhist have a form of walking meditation.  The Roman Catholic saint, Augustine, wrote “Solvitur ambulando” or “It can be solved by walking”.

There is a difference between a labyrinth and a maze. In a maze there are choices, wrong turns, and confusion. A labyrinth is focused; it has one path to the centre and the same path back out. Some see it as a method for problem-solving, a rebirth through meditation.

Thirty of the more than 80 Gothic cathedrals in Europe include a labyrinth. One of the simplest designs is the seven-circuit, or Cretan-style. One of the best-known is the 11-circuit labyrinth in the cathedral in Chartres, France. It is also called a “Road to Jerusalem”. The central rosette symbolizes that city and since most Europeans were unable to travel to the Holy Land they would use the labyrinth as a way of making a pilgrimage.

Walking the paths and turns of a labyrinth allows us to clear and calm the mind, to think more deeply. Some say that the many turns to left and right reinforce the integration of the hemispheres of the brain. As a tool for contemplation a labyrinth lets us access deeper places within ourselves through non-lineal thought processes. It is a sacred place, a spiritual form, and is open to all.

To see if there’s one near you check the world-wide labyrinth locator.