This is a copy of the Newberry News article and photo that appeared in their paper on 2/20/1913. One correction is it was my Grandfather who was one of the founding father's.
Zentangle Class Draws Local Interest
Penny Nantell of Newberry took her talent and art supplies to the Erickson Center Saturday, February 16 to share the art form called Zen tangle with 10 interested ladies. Her display at last fall's Curtis Aglow Christmas Bazaar inspired a request for some instruction, and the Newberry artist was happy to oblige.
"I've been doing art since I was a kid. I've always drawn and painted," she told her students. She has been hooked on "tangling" since reading about it in a magazine last summer and taking a class from the U.P's only certified Zentangle instructor in October. "It's basically constructive doodling," she concedes. Student Sandy Haynes called it super doodling, "like when you're waiting at the doctor's office." Nantell.proclaims she tangles every day, often on business cards. "You're not out much if you ruin a business card."
The structured doodling, traditionally applied to a 3.5- inch square of paper called a tile, proceeds with repetitions of simple strokes-a dot, a dash, an "s", a circle and a crescent and requires a level of focus said to provide certain benefits. "It's a form of meditation. You can zone right out. You get so
into it that the world around you just goes away," Nantell claims. She. says it relieves the chronic
pain in her hands . Debbie Moore of Manistique has been using Zentangle in her work with youth. "They take to it like fish to water," she says. " It helps in starting conversation. It's an ice-breaker; it gets the flow going." Other members of the class found the task very relaxing. Zentangle was founded (and franchised) by a former monk who created Native American flutes and a professional calligrapher in Rhode Island. ;There are dozens of books on the subject, including Yoga for the.
Brain, Zen Spiration and, of course, The Book of Zen tangle. Websites offer challenges and ideas; tanglers post their creations to share with Zen tangle practitioners throughout the world. The 20 "tiles" created bv the ladies in Nantell's class are on display at www.pennraescreations.blogspot.com.
The basic class contains quite detailed instructions. "It's kind of neat to see what everybody does with the same instructions," Nantell observes. "None of the tiles are alike." TangIers are told not to envision the finished tile, just let it develop. The Book of Zentangle states there are no "oopsies." The tool kit doesn't include an eraser. "Just like in life, you make mistakes," Nantell muses. "You just inc orporate them into your pattern. There is no right or wrong." Zentangle can be as basic or sophisticated as desired. Elaborate creations employing patterns and colors and shading appear as wheels of life, hiding deep symbolic meanings, but hey are created, tiny line by tiny line, in a repetitive and attentive manner. A simple tile takes around 15 minutes. Nantell puts them everywhere: on greeting cards, tennis shoes and even a motorcycle helmet. She makes three dimensional ornaments and framed figures. She might trace an object-say, a bird or a fish - on a tile and tangle inside and out. At another level, "It's a way to pass a long winter night." She's eager to share, though she cautions she's not a certified teacher.
Interested groups or individuals can contact Nantell about scheduling a class at her Website or call (906) 420-1597.
