Monthly Archives: August 2013

Grand-Opening… Sparks Studio of Creative Arts

     

    I’d like to personally invite you to the grand-opening of my new Studio & Gallery space in Arlington, Texas. Sparks Studio of Creative Arts is my new home where I as well as other national teachers will be hosting innovative art classes and workshops. Enjoy creative paintings, mixed media, zentangle® and experimental art. View special multi-media gallery exhibitions by award-winning artists. Please join us in a celebration of creativity, friendship and exploration on Saturday, September 7th from 3:00 – 8:00pm.
 
Sparks Studio, 509 W. Main Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
open Wednesdays 10:00-3:00 or by appointment

      Every month in addition to classes there will be an Open Studio Day held every other Friday. Each Studio Day will include a ‘Focus Demo’ introducing you to a new creative technique or material. On the third Monday of each month the studio will be hosting Art Journal Day featuring a ‘Memory Demo’ to give you lots of ideas to use with your art journal and sketchbook pages.

     Visit SparksStudioArt.com for a listing of all classes and workshops.

                                         Featured artists September 7th 



Suzanne McNeill-Sparks, BS is dedicated to hands-on creativity. She constantly experiments with something new. Artist, designer, TV personality, author and workshop instructor, Suzanne has spent a lifetime inspiring and encouraging people to engage in artistic expression.



Paula Pillow, BS explores patterns, shapes and textures using water media and fibers. Line and color capture an element of the unexpected depicting a new way to view images.



Cindy Shepard, GG is an experimental artist with a focus on recycling, mixed media and jewelry. She has authored successful books and loves to share her love for recycling and whimsey. 

    Please come visit my new gallery, meet the featured artists and workshop instructors 6:00-8:00pm during the grand-opening held Fall Gallery Night September 7th. 

Art and Soul Workshops

Be Inspired! 

       Come Along and Be Inspired at Art and Soul Retreat.
It is right around the corner so don’t miss out. Check out over 100
classes being offered by 50 top teachers from September 30 to October 6,
2013 in Portland, OR. I hope to see you there!

Artist’s Treasure Necklace
Patinas for Brass, Copper & Iron! 
 
        Create beads, baubles, pendants and an art journal.. Add patina
to metals to ‘bloom’ overnight into rich colors… iron to rusty
orange, brass, bronze, and copper to verdigris. We’ll shape personal
‘amulets’ with molds, cutters, and basic tools. Some treasures are
durable resin-clay (better than polymer clay for this process). Other
‘relics’ are rolled and shaped metal and wire. Leave the class with a
collection of beads and baubles to string your own ‘Artist’s Treasure
Necklace’. You will be amazed at the process!

Silk Scarves 
Dyeing with Sharpie Markers
 
     Take home THREE fabulously beautiful silk scarves (often selling
for $100 or more each in boutique shops) with beautiful explosions of
color. The whole process of dyeing silk with Sharpie markers is
inspiring and fun. When the magic ingredient is added, it is exciting to
watch the colorful inks run, blend and bleed. Instead of working with
dye colors in separate messy pots, you can relax. Enjoy experimenting
with techniques – shibori, tie-dye, and free-form dyeing.

Zentangle 102
 
     “Anything is possible, one stroke at a time.”™ Zentangle® calms
the mind, helps reduce stress, and improve focus. Tangling is simple and
relaxing – really! Be inspired by the designs in this class. No
‘artistic’ talent is needed – beginners can take this class too. We’ll
learn NEW tangles and I’ll share the simple steps to drawing each one.
Explore variations on how to add shading and color with paints, pens,
and pencils. Don’t be left behind – Zentangle is a ‘must-have skill’. Be
inspired!

 

Zentangle® Art Gallery Show

2 Comments

     View a YouTube, create a fun and simple Zentangle Accordian booklet. This simple project is great to use as a tangle reference, display or greeting card. 

     I am always excited and admittedly a little anxious when I agree to produce new art work for a gallery show. In July I was feature artist at Giddens Gallery of Fine Art in Grapevine, Texas and in September my art will be featured at Sparks Studio Gallery in Arlington, Texas. It is thrilling to have over 200 people meandering thru the gallery, talking about art and learning about Zentangle through the ZIA I had done for the show. It’s a real blessing when people actually purchase your art, six of my pieces sold.
     Some of the success of the Zentangle Inspired Art for this show can be credited to the overwhelming inspiration I received from working with so many talented artists who submitted work for the book ‘The Beauty of Zentangle’.  This book will be available for purchase by late September, it can be pre-ordered from the Design Originals Website.
    
      While I do other styles of work on canvas I focused entirely on what I could do with Zentangle and color for this show. Using black acrylic ink to create shapes and designs was the beginning of most of my pieces. I then tangled in between selected areas and used Golden fluid acrylics to add the glorious color. It was a fun process, I was able to create 30 new pieces to hang in the gallery. 
                                                      
     More good news for Zentangle comes from across the ocean in the United Kingdom. Two popular craft magazines have nominated ‘The Joy of Zentangle’ for the Best New Craft Book 2013! You may cast your vote for ‘The Joy of Zentangle’ at the Craft Awards site.  
Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

           Zentangle #126


Nine Patch



The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc.  and is used with permission. Learn more at zentangle.com

Zentangle® Game

3 Comments

     View a YouTube – ‘Game of Zentangle®‘. You’ll love this presentation of how to challenge yourself with easy prompts for drawing Tangles.


     Here’s a YouTube on Zentangle® with a fun challenge for yourself. Often, when I am having trouble choosing which Tangle to put in which section, I pull out my ‘game’ and a pair of dice. I roll the dice and refer to the game. It is really helpful. The real challenge comes when I roll the exact same number twice – then I need to alter the assigned Tangle… larger, smaller, more lines, darker, lighter. This is the creative part.



     Hope you have fun with the Game of Zentangle. Follow this link to print out the tangle game sheet, make as many game sheets as you like. A great way to expand your repertoire of “go to” tangle patterns. Fun for one or for a group of tanglers.

Zentangle pattern, enjoy and create!!

                                Zentangle #125




Aerial Views

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc.  and is used with permission. Learn more at zentangle.com