Getting Inspired!

Getting lots of inspiration from the current book I'm reading, "Daring Adventures in Paint" by Mati Rose McDonough. I have picked this book up and put it back down several times in the book store, and soooo glad I finally bought the book last week! Her colors and whimsical designs speak to me...

Mati Rose offers up in this book not only step by step instructions for creating artworks with beautiful, bold pictures, but she also shares her process for finding inspiration with lots of juicy pictures, narrative of her thoughts and great prompt questions that got me thinking... There is so much sage artist's wisdom in this book, that I keep having to stop myself from reading to head to Twitter and share snippets with my followers. You can read these excerpts @DietzArt; and follow her @MatiRose.

If you want to take a look inside Mati Rose's book, click HERE. To buy the book, just go to the Amazon link at the top of my blog page and click on the Amazon Bookstore. They have very helpful reader reviews there as well.

Happy Arting!  :) Tristina

The War of Art

     Just received in the mailbox today from Amazon (every Amazon box makes me feel like it's Christmas!) a paperback book called, The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield that I discovered while surfing for business and personal growth books a week or so ago.The sub-title is, Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles.

     The write-up on this book intrigued me because it addresses procrastination in the creative process head on...and I'm a procrastinator extrodinare!

The back cover states:

     "THE  WAR  OF  ART is an inspirational, funny, well-aimed kick in the pants guaranteed to galvanize every would-be artist, visionary, or entrepreneur. Bestselling author Steven Pressfield shows readers how to identify, defeat, and unlock the inner barriers to creativity."

     Looking for the proverbial AhHa moment or moments in reading this book that will propel me to the creative greatness I know that lurks inside me!

     P.S. Got off my duff on Wednesday and submitted 5 encaustic pieces of artwork and an artist statement to the Encaustic Works 2011 call for entries that ended...you guessed it, that night! Wish me luck!!!

     Happy reading and creating!  Tristina :)

Zany for Zentangles!

I'm hooked! After having read an article in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine last year about the meditative qualtiy of working small tiles of white paper with black ink in repetitive patterns - called Zentangles - I tried the technique and fell in lust...

To take my art to the next level, I bought from Amazon.com a Zentangle's Basics book by Suzanne McNeill and have played around with the patterns for the past several months; stealing a few minutes here and there to add to my picture blocks as I could. Here are some of examples of what I created:

Later, when I was well addicted to making Zentangles, I went again to Amazon to peruse other Zentangle books that might be available. To my delight, there were many, many more books and even including colored Zentangles! I immediately bought 8 more Zentangle books, some of which have not even been published yet, so I can get them as soon as they come out. Just looking at the book covers inspired me to make the tangles below:

Now I have begun to work bigger and cram more designs onto a larger page of my sketchbook. Here is one of my Zentangles in process:

Next stop...going to get my Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) training asap so I can share my entheusiasm for this relaxing and VERY satisfying artform (that anyone can do, "one stroke at a time") by presenting classes in the Miami / Fort Lauderdale / Boca Raton area. :-D

To find out more, go to Zentangle.com. FASCINATING!!!

Happy Reading and Drawing,  Tristina