Week 9--Squirrel

If there's anything we can surmise from the art submissions this week is that we all have a love/hate relationship with squirrels. They're cute, furry little animals. They steal birdseed. They can be outright scary.
As we were putting together this post, this came in from the National Park Service:

Don't Mess with Texas
Squirrels!

Sarah sent in her sentiments from Michigan:

In Denmark, Ann drew this cute critter:

Freebird stitched a squirrel with beads and sent it from Arkansas:

And our official response:

Biker Squirrel from
New York

This weeks creations were done with humor and talent. Be sure to check out each artist's blog, as there is always something going on, and in many different media and directions. Let them know you saw them here while you offer kind words and encouragement. 

Until next time....

Saving Nuts for Winter

We love words that have several meanings and we especially crave those Internet searches that take us in crazy directions. Take for instance, this week's word: squirrel.

It's a noun, an animal. Everybody knows a squirrel when they see one, don't they?

Average Garden Variety Squirrel

When we travel to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we're always on the lookout for Kaibab squirrels to photograph. Those rascally rodents are elusive. And faaaaaast! Getting a photo of one is nearly impossible. This one is from the National Park Service:

Aberts squirrel with Pinecone
NPS/Public domain

Squirrel can be an adjective--you can be squirrelly, or unpredictable. Squirrel can be a verb--you can squirrel away some pennies for a rainy day, much like a squirrel hides acorns for winter.

Squirrels can be dinner, a thought that just has us running for the door. You can find squirrels at the zoo:

Squirrel Monkey

For whatever reason, these things remind us of Spongmonkeys, spokecritters for Quiznos, a sandwich shop. Go ahead, search for spongmonkeys and moon. It'll explain a lot. Maybe not very well, but it entered our family lexicon and sticks with us (how they ever sold sandwiches with these things is a matter of discussion for another day).

Spongmonkeys
(No "e" in the middle)

And last but not least, the most famous squirrel of all:

Watch Me while I pull a
Rabbit out of my Hat!

That should be just enough to get the ol' creative juices flowing! Are YOU feeling squirrelly yet?

Send us your squirrels--you're not limited to how many you throw at us!

Email them to: 1xeritas@gmail.com by 2PM Tuesday, July 14. Submissions will be posted on this blog shortly thereafter.

If you wish, you can include a link to your blog post. We love to see what everybody is doing!

Week 8--Flower of LIfe

The geometry of the Flower of Life can be tricky. Take the time to read the associated blog posts for some of these submissions and you'll see why!

When we asked Margaret Bremner if we could use one of her works to illustrate the design, she not only offered her permission, she got busy working on Bijou(x)--the name for an official two-inch Zentangle tile--and sent these in from Canada:

You can see more of her responses to the TwobyTwo on her blog.

Sarah was inspired by the concept of flowers and used a variety of materials to create her submissions:

What lovely colors and patterns!

Ann in Denmark was inspired by Margaret's work:

Freebird made this bead creation (and has gone back and done all of the themes):

Our official response created totally in Photoshop:

A big bravo to all of the artists who tackle the TwobyTwobyTuesday challenge! There has been great feedback coming in from the artists regarding the process and topics. Rather than find the teenie size limiting, the art has been liberating for some as it can be created quickly. We also thank the art appreciators who have stopped by to see what's going on. We have a voice; you offer us validation.

Be sure to check out the artists' websites as there are plenty more goodies where these came from!
Until next time....

The Secret to the Universe

Somewhere in a stack of design books, we found a very simple rendition of the "Flower of Life." We know you know what that is, but perhaps you didn't know it had a name. At it's most basic, it looks like this:

Fiore della Vita

It gets more complicated with each set of circles, all interlocking on centers. The more circles, the more "flowers." We've seen a battery of tutorials on how to draw it, and we've posted one here, that doesn't require a compass, whittled down to size for the TwobyTwo.
The geometric pattern has a long human history and in some faiths is considered sacred. We found this explanation a quick study and this one is a bit deeper, still just a tip of the iceberg of its religious and mathematical implications.
Can you spot the pattern in this image of silver Shi, the Chinese Guardian Lions?

We can honestly say that this blog adventure started with drawing some doodles and finding out about the Zentangle (R) method. From there, we found all sorts of tangly people on line and a very long story short, found the work of Margaret Bremner. Margaret did a study on the Flower of Life in mandala fashion, including this beautiful Zendala:

Flower of Life
by Margaret Bremner (c) 2013
Reproduced with Permission

For those who practice Zentangle, Margaret (whom you may know as the Enthusiastic Artist) offered a gentle reminder that there is an official Zentangle tile called, "Bijou" that just happens to be two-inches square! And, there's also an official tangle by Molly Hollibaugh called, "Fife," patterned after the Flower of Life. What a perfect combination for the TwobyTwobyTuesday challenge! (You can find a Certified Zentangle Teacher near you who can hook you up with materials).
And while we're talking about art-stuff, Sarah shared with us some yard sale finds:

You can never have enough gizmos, can you? These are Fiskars templates and can be found at a craft store near you.
And true to form, we found something way off-base for this challenge:

Flower of Life
Manga cover
 Fumi Yoshinaga

A lot of inspiration can be found that starts with one little circle. It just begs modern artistic interpretation, doesn't it? 
Show us your "Flowers;" send them to:
1xeritas@gmail.com by June 30, 2015 at 2PM Arizona time. Creations will post later that day.
Thank you in advance for participating and creating. Spread the word so more artists can try their hands at the TwobyTwobyTuesday art challenge.

Week 7--Amoeba

Zentangle figured prominently in the responses to this week's challenge of "Amoeba," and a few of the responses broke out in color!

First in from Sarah in Michigan, this interesting couple:

His and Hers Amoebas
by Sarah

Next, a warm welcome to Margaret, CZT from Canada! She was inspired to create not just un, not deux , but trois Bijoux, the perfect little Zentangle tiles:

Amoeba x Three
by Margaret

This offering came from Ann in Denmark:

Amoeba
by Ann

Freebird stitched her interpretation with happy coloured beads!

And our official responses:

Amoeba 001

Amoeba 002
by Cheryl

If there appear to be similarities between some of these teenie artworks, it's possible that the artists started with Amoeba on Tanglepatterns.com. Be sure to check it out and the blogs of the various artists presented here. Messages left here can be passed along to the individuals or the group at large and are greatly appreciated. Pass the word along so more can participate. And perhaps try the challenge yourself? 

Until next time....

Single Cell Science

You ever start on an internet search, wander down a rabbit hole and wonder how you got to where you are?
Oh, yeah! Happens all the time, right?!
Well, the investigation for "Amoeba" was like that.
When I was in high school and college, I studied a variety of sciences. In the field of biology, the science of life, you start with the simplest of organisms: amoeba, a single-cell organism.

Amoeba proteus

On the internet, you start with a simple search for life on Google or Wikipedia, right? Well, that's when things got really strange!
Originally the cell was named, "Proteus," after the Greek god of the sea, for it's shape-shifting capabilities.

Proteus
Woodcut by Jorg Breu
Book of Emblems by Andrea Alciato (1531)

There is a video game and even a Marvel Comic villan called "Proteus" plus an "Amoeba" lifestyle for the game "Endless Space," which looks really cool:

For the tanglers amongst us, there is a pattern called "Amoeba," by Linda Dawson, which you can see on the amazing resource, Tanglepatterns.com. But we think the farthest off-base we ended up was at "Amoeba Music" in Hollywood, in their famous, but previously unbeknownst to us, elevator:

Elevator
Amoeba Music

Hopefully the elevator will take us to where we wanted to go because we are far from home!
Ah, yes...this is where we started!

Ameba (sic)
Attributed to Alexander Soloviev
Ownership of image could not be confirmed

How do YOU define "Amoeba?" Seems to us that just about anything goes!

Send your amoebas to:
1xeritas@gmail.com by June 14, 2015 at 2PM Arizona time.  We know, that's a SUNDAY, this time. Creations will still post on Tuesday.
Thank you in advance for participating and creating. Spread the word so more artists can try their hands at the TwobyTwobyTuesday art challenge.

Week 6--Favorite Things

If you're like us, you've been humming (singing, dancing, twirling yourself silly) along to the tunes from "The Sound of Music." These are a few of the artist's "Favorite Things:"

From Zoe in Australia:

Zoe's Remote Control

Freebird made this bead composition:

God, Kids and Beads

Sarah naturally picked her best bud:

Teigr the (Hungry) Corgi

From Denmark, Ann sent this drawing of her favorites:

Ann's Favorite PastTimes

And, finally, our official response:

Brown Paper Package tied up
with String

The response to this blog have been incredibly positive and everyone is enjoying the teenie projects. Please take the time to visit the individual artist's blogs (links above or to the right), they are wonderous insights into the lives, talents and inspirations of a diverse group. Everybody has a story to tell. And pass the word along so more join in the fun!
Until next time....