If you have not been introduced to Zentangle yet, I would love for you to meet! Without further ado, Zentangle is the creative expression developed by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. The image above caught me eye and made me take a deep breath. This is Maria's blotter from her workspace, where she is a master calligrapher. I am sure there is a story behind this blotter. There is always a wonderful story. One day while working with them, I had the pleasure of sitting with Maria and Rick in their home studio for a photoshoot. If you know Zentangle you may know about their home. A story in and of itself, or many stories of a lifetime of unbelievable art, work, life and creativity. Their home studio is their workplace and their home, filled with incredible visual inspiration and quirky interesting artifacts. So, we were there in Whitinsville, Massachusetts and Maria was doing some freestyle writing for us to capture on video. While writing and chatting, Maria tipped her ink and it spilled on to the blotter. I immediately looked for something to clean with, while Maria sat me down and told me to watch it. "No, no, watch what it does", she said. So I did. In my amazement she continued to work with the ink spot and create the most amazing drawing from it. She created a Zentangle mixed with her free and whimsical flourishes. I was in heaven just watching her hands and seeing what came from her imagination to the blotter in mere seconds.
When they are not spreading wonder around the world in the form of Zentangle, Maria and her company Pendragon create beautiful invitations. They have been a colleague of our's for years. We have been lucky to watch little Zentangle grow into a worldwide phenomenon in a very short time. Please take a minute to visit their site and take in some of the amazing creativity. Their new blog is growing so quickly, no doubt every person nipped by the Zentangle bug around the world is waiting everyday for a new post. {Take a peek.}
Posts
