Dorothy Hughes Engelman

In the words of Dorothy:

These works are an intersection of my credo of life-long learning and the pandemic. In March 2020, I discovered a Zentangle kit a friend gave me three years earlier and it was the beginning of a personal journey that continues today.

As I gratefully add years to my life, discovering new avenues of creating is important to me. Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA) draws (pun intended!) me to it because it is practiced on several levels: gratitude, meditation, creativity, non-representationalism, and a continuing fascination with limitless possibilities.

Previously, I’ve dabbled in pencil drawings, watercolors, alcohol inks, quilting, ceramics, and calligraphy. Now, I look forward to combining some of these mediums with ZIA while continuing my tangling journey. There is no top or bottom with most tangles, feel free to rotate your drawing….it opens up new perspective and discoveries…as does tangling.

Many tangles are based on the natural world and I’ve been fortunate to explore it in a variety of ways: living aboard SV Wandrin Star, a 44’ motorsailer for seven years on the west coast; traveling to South Africa, Madagascar, and South America; and visiting all fifty states. These and future travels inspire me to look closely at the complexities of nature and incorporate them into my creative endeavors.

A favorite quotation of mine is by H. G. Mendelson:

“Labor devotedly, love passionately, laugh unrestrained, loaf well, and you will live longer.”

My art allows me to do this!

-Dorothy Hughes Engelman