Zentangle.com – The Tireless Tangler

Artist Focus: May Wu

Last week, I was browsing one of our wonderful Zentangle® Facebook groups, and I came across an amazing piece of art! As I’ve been waiting for some artists for the focus, I thought I’d check out her Facebook page and this is what I found!

Incredible! Right?! This week we have another artist from Taiwan, CZT22, May Wu! She is in the city of Kaohsiung, and with respect to her, I’ll post the Mandarin first and then the English. I am thrilled to feature her here on The Tireless Tangler, and although this post is shorter than most, May is preparing to publish a book with her art included and we didn’t want to give away too much of her work! I’ll be excited to see it when it’s published as her art is stunning and I would love to learn her methodology!

Here is May in her own words.

有一天在書局閑逛的時候發現一個非常吸引人的圖片，當時正在尋找靈感為下一個珠寶設計圖而煩惱，圖片的內容不太符合邏輯但卻又獨特美麗，看似複雜卻也似乎不難，於是好奇的打開書本，這就是我第一次接觸到禪繞畫（zentangle)

身為一個珠寶鑒定師及設計者，對於真品或仿品，甚至於寶石尺寸的測量都必須小心且精確，也就是說畫設計圖是有壓力的。我必須說禪繞畫跟我的職業的思維完全是相反的，它不需工具，沒有對錯，沒有目的性，唯一相同的是專注於當下，當然對於沒有繪畫技巧的人都可以創作出一幅美麗優雅又獨特的畫這件事又更令我驚訝了！

2016年4月，我前往波士頓探訪親人，也在Providence 完成了一趟禪繞畫認證之旅，我親自探索了這個令人好奇又不可思議的繪畫世界，之後我成為了第22期的認證敎師（CZT22)，Rick及Maria是我的啓蒙老師.

現在我仍然從事於寶石的鑑定及設計的工作，但我對於能敎授大眾以簡單及放鬆的方式就能享受畫畫樂趣這件事讓我更有成就感。

我以寶石結合禪繞畫的ZIA創作方式，似乎受到了很多禪繞畫認證老師CZT及學生的歡迎，我也樂於把繪畫寶石的技巧敎授給他們，當大家完成一張閃熠寶石光芒的禪繞畫時，大家的臉龐也充滿了喜悅及滿足的光芒，這是一種美，襌繞畫讓大家享受了繪畫的樂趣，我也因敎授襌繞畫的關係把這些我喜歡的漂亮寶石介紹給大家。

每個人都有創造美的能力，禪繞畫誏我及學生們為這世界創造更多的美.

你們可以在FB打上 fb.me/maywuzentangle 或是Instagram 打上 @maywuzentangle 找到我

May Wu

Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

“May Wu ( Kaohsiung, Taiwan)

It was purely by coincidence that I discovered Zentangle. As a career jewelry designer, I was looking for inspirations in a bookstore when a book on Zentangle drew my attention; Simple yet elegant, illogical but beautiful, the illustrations opened a new world for me. I have never looked back since.

As a professional Jewelry Appraiser and Designer, I am always looking to be precise and accurate. The freedom that Zentangle gives me is liberating. I love how easy it is to express yourself through the art form and how accessible this art is to the masses. As long as one is focused on the moment, anyone can create a masterpiece.

Three years after the fateful discovery, I was certified in April 2016 in Providence, Rhode Island during CZT22. My passion has taken me across the oceans and I am forever appreciative of Rick and Maria for showing me the way.

Now, even though I am still a Jewelry Designer/Appraiser, I have found joy in introducing Zentangle to the public, and I teach and share my joy in my corner of the world, in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

I tend to bring my knowledge from Jewelry design into my artwork, and I apply the Zentangle method in ZIA along with the unique way I draw my gems. It is a style that defines me, and I really love to explore what I can create. The style reflects who I am and my professional training.

Everyone can create art, and Zentangle gives me a tool to do that together with my students. It is gratifying to see people brimming with joy and satisfaction from what they have created. I hope to bring more beauty into the world we live in, one Zentangle at a time.

You can find me on [ @maywuzentangle ] or [ fb.me/maywuzentangle]. I am working on a book which will detail my methodology and feature some of my best works, so stay tuned!”

There are several more focus posts coming up and they are all so awesome I can’t believe I get to write about them! Make sure you check back often or follow me here and subscribe to my newsletter. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Links are in the sidebar or at the bottom of this post on your mobile device!

Diva Challenge 356

Art, Diva challenge, Zentangle Method

Welcome back to thetirelesstangler.com! Before we start the challenge tiles I’m excited to let you know about the new Artist Focus out tomorrow on Taiwan’s May Wu! She is amazing and I can’t wait to share some of her art with you all!

The Diva Challenge this week was to use our name as a String! How much fun! If you’d like to join the Diva Challenge each week, you can find Diva, Laura Harms, here on her blog at iamthedivaczt.com. Of course, my crazy perfectionist streak was alive and well so I took 2 tries this week. While I’m not really pleased with either, I did find a few good things to like on each tile. Here they are! Can you tell which one I took at night!? 😂

Diva Challenge Tile 353 – Heart Zendala

Art, Diva challenge, Zentangle Method

Hello and welcome back to the weekly Diva Challenge! This week is the last of the February heart strings and we were challenged to use a heart string on a zendala tile. I didn’t have one, so I cut one from a stiff A4 envelope. Since I have been working with celtic Knots a lot lately, it didn’t surprise me that a heart shaped celtic knot appeared as my string!

Here’s my Challenge Tile 353! Happy Tangling!

It’s a String Thing Challenge 231 with Eni Oken’s Blue Sky

Art, Eni Oken's Art Club, It's a String Thing, TanglePatterns.com, Zentangle Method

I’m finally caught up enough to do the It’s a String Thing challenge this week! Luckily, Eni Oken released a new Blue Sun video lesson the day after the challenge came out and they dovetailed perfectly! Here’s the string with inspiration from the Olympics. The 3 tangles were Golven ( G for gold), Sand Swirl (S for silver) and Barney ( B for Bronze). I’m not sure my tile kept the idea of the Olympics or not but the string was perfect for the Blue Sun lesson from Eni Oken! I used a Bristol vellum tile and a mixture colored pencil and Sakura Pigma Micron and Sakura gelly roll Moonlights. It’s another great lesson for Art Club!

I haven’t been very plugged into Facebook lately, mostly due to behind the scenes work on a new Freeform Celtic Knot Tutorial. It’s almost ready and will include a free pdf with extra Knot configurations! I’m pretty excited to teach it as it has quickly turned very zenful to draw for me. Be sure to check back soon!

Diva Challenge 351 AND Kitchen Table Tangles with Rick and Maria

Art, Diva challenge, Zentangle Method

Diva Challenge 351 came very late this week. I should have been inspired by the Olympics but I lost focus when trying to tangle the rings! It became more about weaving the rings and not the Olympic games. I eventually got it but I didn’t feel it represented games, instead it became about the result. Bad tangling karma, yet it happens!

Here’s my finished (finally!) tile.

I love the Kitchen Table Tangles video series published via YouTube by Zentangle ® founders Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas! I always finish in a better mood than I started and I always gain a different perspective on whatever tangle or technique they present. They usually stay with the basic tangles but then help you to see it in a completely different way. This video is called Wholly Hollibaugh and talks about a new way to tangle the Zentangle ® Original pattern, Hollibaugh. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

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Journey into Art

Art, Eni Oken's Art Club, It's a String Thing, Pattern-collections, Zentangle Method

When I began this post, I had a completely different direction in mind, but the more I wrote, the more it morphed into what it is. I want to share with you something encouraging to me. In the Facebook groups centering around the Zentangle® Art form, there is always a pivotal moment when new artists finally start to post their art publicly that requires a courageous first step to overcome the fear of artistic rejection. Art is intensely personal and this type of rejection can hurt the soul. This is a much discussed topic and comes up over and over in these groups. I’ve been in Eni Oken’s Art Club about 5 months. I’ve been posting about Art Club here on thetirelesstangler.com for awhile and this weekend, when I posted my latest lesson art on Facebook in the Art Club dedicated group, it occurred to me to compare my first published tiles and the ones A.E. (After Eni) 😁 The next few images are my art from a year ago right after I started blogging. This was about 3 months after I began drawing in hopes of doing something productive to break depression.

I was a beginner. It’s not awful, but as if I were in middle school! Though the kids could probably outdraw me! Move forward about 7 months March – May, 2017 still just before I added Art Club. At this time, I purchased the Zentangle ® Primer, volume 1. Everything changed for me with that book. I finally understood the point of Zentangle isn’t the art but the meditative state you reach with pattern practice of each unhurried stroke. Beautiful art is simply a wonderful by-product I started this blog a year ago after being fundamentally changed by The Zentangle ® Method, created and nurtured by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Find the answers you are seeking at Zentangle.com! (I sound like I drank the kool-aid…and perhaps I have!) My point is, I began posting my art in a public blog, not in our caring, safe online groups! This is why my tagline is “Creativity takes Courage” by Henri Matisse. It took so much courage for me to take that step and post my very crude beginning art. It will be a year and a half since I picked up my yellowed sketch book from 1976. Then I did what many of us did, used TanglePatterns.com and Pinterest.com and pattern-collections.com shamelessly for their wonderful free resources and practiced (and practiced and…), finally discovering the peace and mental and physical Zen in the drawing of these “tangles”.

I LOVE Jody Genovese’s lovely Patience Tangle! Find the step-out in the menu above. I bought Eni’s ebook Shading Fearlessly just before doing the above. Big difference!

I see great improvement! I’m pretty happy with my progress. Honestly, I should have done this comparison long ago because I’m really encouraged! Here are some of my better tries since joining Art Club and here’s where I am learning be brave and say “I’m an artist!” The picture captions tell which of Eni’s lessons I was working on while drawing each piece of art (I can’t believe I just called them art!).

Crazydetailaquafleur — Shading Tiny Details/crazy detail aqua fleur

Let me just say Eni Oken has no idea I’m doing this post, I am simply passionate about Art Club and it’s my blog! I’m allowed to gush if I want! I think her lessons have greatly changed my artistic understanding and growth!

Tangled Words and Shading Fearlessly (this was Adele’s best of show at It’s a String Thing the week her blog hit 1 million views! I was beyond honored! When I look at this though, I am worrying about how the word is scrunched and doesn’t have enough contrast to be clearly read. Self doubt is a sickness! 😗)

Tangled Words, Dream Big (this is my favorite made for my son)

My message to myself and to all who read this is not to worry about being perfect, best or comparing your work! Trust the process! Stop worrying about perfection and the level of others’s art. This is impossible but we are works in progress as well! Adele Bruno says she’s a reformed perfectionist and I love that description! I’m attending perfectionists’ anonymous right now in an attempt to get help! Thanks Adele! I frequently get meaningful bits of personal growth from your blog Tickledtotangle.com! The Zentangle ® Primer volume 1 changed the game for me. It’s described as CZT training in a beautiful book! I agree completely (but my dream is still to be a CZT myself. Physical barriers and financial obligations may not allow that dream but this book is a great substitute!) Honestly, I wish I’d bought the primer first but when the pennies count we do what we must. There are hundreds of amazing books out there, but if I did it again the primer would be my first purchase (after the new sketchpad and Pigma Micron of course!). Look at what practice, a few basic supplies, and some zen can do in a year and a half! I wonder how relaxed and satisfied I’ll be in another year? To quote little Bijou, “breathe, slow down, gratitude and appreciation!” Smart Snail! (Bijou’s fan-page is found at Zentangle.com!)

If anyone is interested in sharing your art progressions please email me at Thetirelesstangler@gmail.com. I’d love to post them here. I’m proof you can be an artist, even when you don’t believe it yourself! Thank you for your visit and check back soon for the new Artist Focus!

Diva Challenge #334

Art, Diva challenge, prismacolor soft- core colored pencils, Watercolor, Zentangle Method

The Diva was back in action this week using one my favorite tangles, N’Zeppel. Diva, Laura Harms at Iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com, was back live on Twitch Monday morning and I was lucky enough to finally catch her broadcast. Laura is great and relaxed on the feed, adding coffee and her playlist as she tangles. I enjoyed it and she inspired me to try something I never wanted to do, namely, color black the small areas between the stones (in my case). I like the way the webbed area looks, so I’ve never filled it before. For the colored stones, done with Prismacolor Premier pencils, i liked the black to emphasize the depth between. Check out the link to the Diva’s site and find links to the pattern step-out as well as a great video by Molly Hollibaugh, CZT and daughter of Maria Thomas. Molly’s a great artist and I love the video. (I highly recommend everyone try out one of the many videos out there done by Rick Roberts, Maria Thomas, founders of the Zentangle ® Method, or one with Molly. They have a way of teaching that is second to none, If you want to truly experience a Zentangle experience, check out their videos. A few can be found on YouTube. Look for Kitchen Table Tangles. These are great videos.)

Sorry, I digress! Here’s my diva challenge tile for #334. There’s an extra at the bottom because I’d already done one from Molly’s video the day before the Diva’s challenge and I LOVE N’Zeppel!

This includes the patterns Pixioze, and Eni Oken’s twisted ropes.

Thank you for stopping by! See you all next week.

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Embedded Letters and Eni Oken’s Art Club

Art, Zentangle Method

It’s been quiet….too quiet. I haven’t posted for a couple of months. Last year, between July 4th and August 14th, I lost 3 dear people to suicide. All I’ve done since is to keep getting out of bed every day and to hold my little boy close. I’d like to say it’s gotten easier but really the pain is as fresh as a year ago. I’ve taken a couple of months to get my emotional health sorted out and taken a break to spend time with my grandson who is struggling with the same losses. The good news is that I feel I’m fighting through it and I hope to blog some without stressing myself with a lot of work. Thanks for your support and understanding.

I’m particularly grateful for Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, founders of the Zentangle® Method, and their video series called “Kitchen Table Tangles” (KTT) on the Zentangle ® Mosaic App via YouTube. They took a new look at several classic tangles and I found mine took on a new life! The most recent video was about embedded letters. Basically to camouflage the drawn letters with simple tangles and embellishments making them blend into the art piece. I incorporated Eni Oken’s 3D Mooka into many of mine (I will talk about Eni in a moment) and I’m addicted to drawing them! Here are some of my attempts.

And last I used a simple S curve embellished with Eni Oken’s 3D Mooka.

I recently joined Eni Oken’s Art Club. Eni is a CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) and artist with 30 years of experience. She has many ebooks and videos for purchase that incorporate the Zentangle ® Method with her art techniques. If you are searching for Zentangle art on Pinterest, you have certainly seen her art. I started with her book 3D Tangles, Shading Fearlessly, added 2 more and then she added Art Club! Art Club allows you access to her newest book or video, plus every new lesson that she releases from that point on, for a reasonable monthly fee. I love it! I’m addicted to her lessons! I’ve spent many happy hours practicing these techniques and I’ll be focusing on my journey with art club as we move forward. If you’re interested in Eni Oken’s Art Club, start here on Eni’s website.

It is good to finally be back to writing! Now that school has started I have more time for art exploration! Come back soon for the step out to my new pattern: Marito!

My Story Hits the Internet

About me, disability, Health Hurdles, living with the death of a child, Zentangle Method

I could never have imagined that my story would interest anyone but me and perhaps my family. About a month ago I submitted 2 patterns for assessment by Linda Farmer at tanglepatterns.com (you’ll find the link in my menu). When submitting a pattern, Linda asks for you to write a blurb about yourself in case they decide to publish your patterns. I’d like to say they published my patterns but it can take time for that to happen. Linda emailed me back and asked to use my story on her site and yesterday I saw a mail from her saying they’d published my story. The wonderful responses and heartfelt messages have really been a balm today as I prepare for my Sean’s funeral tomorrow. I’ve been deeply moved by the outpouring of support for me and my family and I’m more grateful than I can express. Here’s the story link if anyone is interested.

Cyndee’s Zentangle Story