In June 2023, my friend and colleague CZT Dolly Bolen very kindly invited me to be a part of their Facebook Group Moon Phases Mosaic Challenge.

Each month, a Certified Zentangle(R) Teacher from the community throws a challenge to the rest of us, and we play with the string and tangle suggestions. The strings are interesting and chosen tangles help us to get out the initial hurdle of “where to start” from the minds of artists and just keep us moving.

Each Tangler showcase their best skill and talent for the challenge. At times, its not about just the end piece of the art, but also they share their stories of healing/relaxation and willpower to combat anything that is presently bothering them. The essence of empathy, compassion, hardships, willpower, enthusiasm; is readily felt in any art community. Their creativity serves only as means to express their feelings and makes their existence as purposeful…. in hindi it is expressed beautifully as “mere hone ka ehsaas”.

For September Challenge, CZT Dolly Bolen had thrown this serene face string prompt on the Round Zendala Tile. She also suggested few tangle patterns; that were new to me then - Sun Moon Stars, Wild Alberta, both deconstructed by CZT Dolly Bolen.

However I added some more tangles too.

I drew this tile in early Jan 2024; after my long sabbatical or break from art. Though I never really kept art away; but I stopped sharing my art ventures on regular basis to the community and world.

I was inspired by the Shaadi (Marriage) Season; that is for sure a happy, party like occasion celebrated in India.

The closed eyes, smiling through the pressed lips, and the blooming of love in her heart, as she enjoys the flutter feelings of many butterflies in her stomach is expressed via this string.

I wanted an Indian Bride, so all the colours, glitters, jewellery I chose was in-align with that idea.

The string is just a suggestion and tangling is loosely done as intuitively. I did not prepare the idea in mind, but as the drawings happened; my mind went places and started to express all the things I had absorbed in the last few months. At my personal life, I was also inviting feelings of love, romance, emotional intimacy connection with my husband, and so that too is shown through the tile.