Sketchbook: Zentangles

doodles by jafabrit

I had a friend who asked me, "oh, have you tried zentangle, it's so cool", like it was some new craft or artform. So I checked it out and had to laugh. Just a fancy term for something most of my friends and I did back in school many many many moons ago (60's and 70's). I thought I would sit and do a few and WHAM! before I knew it four hours had passed. I think to myself, "uh huh, Zentangle is a good word for this kind of doodling, but I think I will probably continue to call them what I've always called them, doodles.

Links

Zentagle

Zentangle Love on flickr

I find embroidery to be particularly meditative in the same way. Maybe I should call it ZenBroidery

Copyright Info
I am coming across some people who are making the mistake in thinking that if a work of art/images or photographs on the internet don't have a copyright symbol on it it is fair game to copy or use. It is NOT!

"Copyright protection arises automatically once an original work of authorship is fixed in a tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed; e.g., written, filmed, recorded. It does not require that a copyright notice be placed on the work, that the work be published, or that the work be deposited or registered with the Copyright Office or any other body."
source

United States Copyright Office

Liar!Liar! Pants on Fire and Senile Delinquents

Graffiti Embroidery

Part of mr.gobblehead

long & short stitch, couching

5 colours

Liar, liar, pants on fire, stick your head inside a tire, turn it round and round and round, wait until you hit the ground.

OR

Liar, liar, pants on fire, hang you with a telephone wire.

OR

Liar, Liar, pants on fire! Wash em' out in bubble gum and put them in the dryer

Embroidery Flickr Set

HUM! This seems rather familiar, lol!
Love the bit where the grandson complains gran used to be quite happy until she took up crochet.



As a friend said
"I've often suspected "the crochet" as the root of many of society's ills. There's the proof!"

Drawing Links

30 minute pose at life drawing

How's this for foreshortening?

Figure Drawing Lab 

Human Anatomy

Video Drawing Tutorials at WonderHowTo

 

Thanks to

 Callithump for the shout out.

I just HAD to share this.

So Sweet.

birthday surprise @ Yahoo! Video

In the Garden of Delights

Found things in Garage Sales

Not sure if this is vintage , seems like a character doll from a children's book, but I LOVE his shoes. These lace up shoes(espadrilles) were very popular in the 70's.

Links

Bata Shoe Museum (check out the heels on these shoes-phew!)

Was given things from Garage Sales

Jafapal Karen found this Pure linen 50"x 70" crosstitch printed tablecloth in mint condition and gave it to me. Thanks Karen! It's beautiful to work on.

 Stitching Away

Mr. GobbleHead
Added the flower -Long and Short Stitch
French Knots and started working on Graffiti Style text-long & short stitch with 4 colours. It's quite tedious but I'm enjoying it.

and have been delighting in my garden

which seems to blossom with mad abandon.

Jafagirl Sticker Art In Taiwan

Kaohsiung Taiwan

The  quote below is on the face.

"I used to be indecisive,

 but now I'm not quite sure"

Tommy Cooper

Cirque Carnival in Yellow Springs

Cirque Carnival in Yellow Springs was fantastic! Watching people parade in their finery, parade their pets, the music, fire eaters, jugglers, firedancers, bellydancers, performers. It was MAGICAL! Major kudos to the Dayton Street Alliance team, specifically Corner Cone and Brother Bears, for pulling this event off.

Mr. and Mrs Brother Bear

You were ROCKIN'

and

so was jafalass Karen

on the right lighting up

Image source: Soul Fire Tribe Album

upcycled vinyl

"Spinlicious"

Will be selling a bunch of these spin paintings at the Cirque Carnival tonight. I love exploring all the  yummy colours after I've done them on my homemade spin art machine.

Upcycling vs Recycling

I hadn't really thought there was much of a difference between Upcycling and Recycling, but apparently there is.

Socializing at Life Drawing?

We had someone storm out of the life drawing this week. She was upset because she felt she can't talk when she wants and she came to have fun and socialize, not have people get on her case about life drawing etiquette.  That there is the problem. Life Drawing is NOT FOR socializing. So for the novice's who are considering going to life drawing please do check out the link below. It could save you a lot of embarrassment.

Suite 101 Etiquette for Life Drawing Classes.

I wanted to experiment  this week, and break the form down into parts and lines. Trying to figure out what shapes I can see. Got embroidery on my mind as I was doing it and thinking of LINES.

Mr. Bean in Drawing Class



Seriously Though
Here is an excellent resource and one of my favourite links.
Figure Drawing Lab

Slow Art/Craft Movement

I've read several articles and manifestos and often they seem filled with do's and don'ts and their own biases and agendas. Some points they raise I agree with, others no,  but the one commonality is that I prefer taking my time.     

"Slow Art relates to creating art in a slow way. This practice is about being mindful of detail, valuing the history inherrent in re-usable materials, putting time into creating small items. The practice encourages the maker to be naturally meditative as they create. "Slow" ends up being a way of being. " Source: wiki

Of course that could mean I get left behind as others speed ahead . Oh well, somehow I feel in my bones it is worth it. 

I think these tips as to the benefits of going slow from zenhabits give a good explanation.

FINDS

Aldernon
New Garden Friend
cast iron

The rabbit has a charming face:
Its private life is a disgrace.

I really dare not name to you

The awful things that rabbits do.

- Anonymous

Art Stuff
Gearing up for the cirque carnival on Friday
and will have some goodies for sale

s

Such as skull pins and upcycled vinyl spin art. Will also have a $2 Buck Bin, as well as a few other items.

Meanwhile

Mr.GobbleHead is slowly coming along

Mixture of acrylic paint and embroidery (satin stitch) on tea stained linen.

Aprons: A whole new Meaning

When I was growing up the pinny,or apron, was a symbol of domesticity and drudgery. It took a new generation of women for me to slowly change that view. It's so intriguing to see how they have become so popular and a fashion statement of sorts.

Village Herb Shoppe in Yellow Springs

I just read this on the "who does she think she is" facebook page

"I would like to take the lowly apron, worn by common housewives and redefine it as the battle gear needed for the 21st century. Instead of the meek, demure, frilly half skirt speaking of scrubbed sinks and clean dishes, the apron should speak to world peace and sanity. Like chamber maid furies, we need to recycle, clean up, and restore. Strap on your aprons girls."

~~ Edith Vonnegut, Painter

YES!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

If you make aprons/pinnies please share your link and I will post here.

Meanwhile check out
Kitsch in the Kitchen 

Flirty Aprons

 Apron Goddesses-the history of aprons

Kind of puts my apron to shame.

  DANG, Pinny has a slang meaning. Wearing my pinny may have a whole new meaning.

Not Another One & Are You Man Enough to Knit

sorry I just can't help it

I figured out how many seconds it takes to capture the firework before it completely explodes and never quite know what to expect.
This is one of few photos that worked out and is my fave from July 4th in Yellow Springs.

Are you Man Enough to Knit
Had to share this from Fibre Alive.


Check out the famous Maori dance, Haka (Ka Mate) by the "All Blacks" Rugby Team on my blog, its awesome.


In Jafabrit's Studio
 my muse is being sluggish

Mr.GobbleHead

Part of the problem is that I don't have a pattern drawn out for the whole piece. I'm kind of approaching it like a Tilleke Shwarz, whose work to me is like the Basquiat of Embroidery. I find it very challenging.

   

Local Stuff
 Next week we will be at the Cirque Carnival (info listed on our jafagirl facebook page)

Woman to be Stoned to Death

i.d.

private collection

oil on wood, wire, mirror

Mother of Two faces being stoned to death.

Her children appeal for help to save their mother: Save Sakineh.

Amnesty International

Human Rights Watch

Muslims against Stoning

International Committee Against Stoning

Iran Human Rights Organization

Ugly Flower Found a Home

Art Box

I was ready to just plonk my ugly flower in town somewhere but jafapal Nancy insisted it go in the Art Box. Three people walked by as we were putting it in and said, "that is one ugly flower" LOL!

YEP!

Located on Corry Street

Yellow Springs, Ohio

View Art Box in a larger map

Vintage Corner

I couldn't resist this vintage pyrex carafe in the local Village Herb Shoppe, just HAD to bring it home.

Links

Pyrex Love

Etsy Vintage Pyrex

Serendipity & Phenomenology

I just LOVE it. I have lived in the USA in various states and in all those years I never met another Corrine until I came to the very groovy  Yellow Springs, Ohio, AND dang wouldn't you know it there are I believe five of us LOL! Well it was another Corinne that helped this Corrine to find Mr. Plato a wheelchair(Story on Virgil's Blog.)

PHENOMENOLOGY

I learned a new word today. It was in an article by Sara McGuyer at Sundayed provocative weekend reading. In it is a quote by Shephard Fairey "“The FIRST AIM OF PHENOMENOLOGY is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment." I also liked how Sara talks about the heightened sense of awareness of one's environment after noticing some knit graffiti. 

 Took this at Gaunt Park in Yellow Springs July 4th. I love how it looks like a sea creature in the sky capturing another one.

Painted Utility Poles

Downtown Rincon, Puerto Rico

From a distance I thought the pole might have knit graffiti on it, but it was one of MANY poles in the area that was painted exactly the same way. I was told it was to help drivers, and I can tell you it certainly did on the small roads with no lighting and lots of foilage. I also just liked seeing these colourful poles.  Love the mini mural too.

I love the idea of painted utility poles, and have toyed with the idea of doing one for a while now. Pine Island Chamber of Commerce sponsored a pole painting contest. BUT, wow, check out these poles in Whitefield Maine, they are fabulous, Kudos to Natasha Mayers.  Pole at the left is from Natasha's Page.

Surprise Package

I got a parcel with two packs of YUMMY Biscotti from Imperial Cookies, know not who sent them, but I suspect and am saying THANK YOU. The biz/postcard photograph is by Gale Zucker who spent a day here photographing the Jafagirls, so there must be some connection.

Puttering around on a Happy Independence Day

Photo by Jafabrit 2009

and so far mine has been spent spent working on art (as usual),  reading mags and preparing food for tonight. One of my fave mags  Juxtapoz magazine has a great interview  with the godfather of street art Richard Hambleton.  I liked his comment in that "creating a movement called "street art" is more complex than being an academic" and that he would "prefer to be artistically creative than academic."

Image source from Juxtapoz Magazine (can't see who took the photo?)

A lot of what he said resonated, especially in regards to painting with  with black and white, using the term street art, and explaining that there is no method to his creativity.

Sometimes things just don't work out.

Okay, I had FUN doing it, but not so crazy with the results. Oh well, will plonk it somewhere in town mixed with the flowers.

AND

okay I admit it, I like some garden gnomes and this one is a vintage ceramic one I picked up in a junk shop in Jersey

stencil graffiti

I thought I would just whip up a stencil in an hour. Yea, right. Three hours later I was still working out the kinks. So here it is, an original stencil by Jafabrit.

Test One in Keiths Alley

and I realized that I had to refine it a bit more, as well as make it larger.

Links

About Stencil Graffiti

 Stencil Artists

Blek le Rat  Interview and Website

Banksy

Having struggled with such a simple flower stencil my mind boggles looking at some of the one's Rat, Banksy and others have done.

Gargoyles

I loves em'

Seeing them, like this one at Notre Dame University, Indiana

OR

Painting them

Based on one from Notre Dame de Paris

"beast guardian"

Oil on wood

Links

Huge Gargoyle Archive

About Gargoyles

Gargoyles,Grotesques & Angels on flickr