Friday Finale

A final installment for my exploration of rubber stamps and Zentangle - at least for the present! *G*  I have so many ideas and variations and concepts I want to share that I'm practically bursting with them all the time.  I'm trying to think of some way to get all of you other artists out there (yes, even those who won't own the title!) involved in expanding your boundaries, too.  Laura Harms' weekly challenges on her blog, I Am The Diva - CZT - are bringing so much joy and possibility into our lives.  I'd love to offer something that would be as positive and pleasant a growth experience as the challenges.  Any suggestions out there?  I'm loving the challenges but I wouldn't want to step on the fabulous Diva's lovely toes, particularly when she is doing such an amazing and wonderful job of dreaming up not only challenges, but the linky widget, the slide show, the samples, etc.  Anyone who doesn't know whereof I speak NEEDS to go check her out.  That's right.  Check her out right now.  You won't regret it!  Her own artwork is stellar and the challenges (and responses) absolutely ROCK.  Just wait until you check out the slideshows - wow!  That girl sure does a lot of work for us!

As for today's artwork, it seems the eggs have it!  This one also resulted in an egg-shaped image - the second in a row.  I'm not sure if I'\m channeling Easter due to Lent, or if my recent visit to the MOST EXCELLENT Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts may be subconsciously influencing me.  I can heartily recommend a visit to it; it was a definite highlight of my trip and well worth the delay in getting home (we spent over four hours there, rather than the two allotted for!).  Even then it was hard to tear away from the exhibits and get back in the car.  Have you ever been somewhere or near something that had an almost magnetic pull for you?  The artwork, materials, ages of adoration... something about the museum and its contents just spoke directly to my soul and no words nor language was needed nor desired.  It was a transcendental experience.

This image underwent a fair bit of a change from my early pencil work to determine the string.  Since I was working with an existing image it was important to me that the string belong with the image and not be in conflict with it.  At first it seemed like a maiden in a hood, then evolved into a head-covering rather like a classic madonna and the final version approximates an old-fashioned nun's wimple.  I have no idea why!  But I am quite content with the final artwork; it seems peaceful and cosmic and ageless - Zentangle does seem to have no limits!

Happy Friday!