Years ago I read a book called, I think, something like American Quilt. There was a character in the story that broke her favorite plates when she was upset over a divorce? and turned it around into something beautiful by using the pieces to create a mosaic on her walls. She continued to add to the art through other traumas. The scene I saw in my mind stuck with me all this time.
This tangling pattern addiction brought this vision of wall decorating to my heart. R was teasing me about always sitting here drawing now. I told him I was thinking of tangling the entire house inside and out. He didn’t say no. He laughed and said, “Now I know that isn’t true, because we have very high ceilings and I know you won’t get up on a ladder or scaffold.” But he didn’t say no.
Okay, I admitted, just wains coating then.
Again he laughed, and mind you, he is a very stoic man, doesn’t laugh but a few times a month. “I can’t hardly see you down on your hands and knees drawing to the floor either”, he added. But he didn’t say no.
All right then, if you have to be so darn literal all the time, I am going to do wide strip everywhere I can reach comfortably and that has a surface I can draw on, including the garage doors. And if I finish, I will go all around the outside of your shop. And guess what? He still didn’t say no.
If he hates it, he can paint over it. To be safe, I have started in my library where he seldom goes, so he probably won’t notice till I get out into the hallway and start winding up the stairs. Since he didn’t say no, I had to move on it quick. I have begun a lifetime project!
Seasoned 
Oh yay – two of my favorite artists HAVE found each other :-). Love the wall art stories!! Horses, Marines, VietNam – powerful emotions in every one of those.
Reblogged this on Lunar Moondae and commented:
So very funny. What happens when you get the urge to move to a bigger surface. I want to see this wall-by-wall as she goes!
Use a waterproof pen! Love this post. My former husband once left for a week and i painted a full sized horse calling the moon on our 16-foot wall.
Do you have any more suggestions on pens to use? At the moment I am using my mark anything Sharpie, and I am hearing rumors that Sharpie is not as permanent as they say it is. It’s funny, as I work on this project willy nilly, it has brought back a memory from my teenage years. My first true love was a marine, and when he went off to Vietnam, I used to draw on my bedroom wall to console myself. And I remember my father not coming unglued. I think that was the real foundation of my love of art; falling into it completely.
He didn’t say no. You, my dear, never cease to bring me wonder and joy. I love it so far, especially the little nested bowl-like pattern. What are you using? Certainly not a .25 Sakura pen !!! It literally looks like it’s growing on your wall. And your dark woodwork is the perfect “accent frame”.
I can see it now – annual tours at the Tangle House.
At the moment I used what was at hand; my regular Sharpie I use to mark my canning jars. I have heard that Sharpies aren’t the greatest to use for art so I am open to suggestions. The Sakura graphic 1 will work as well, but I have to order another and I didn’t want to wait. The other thing I will run into I am sure is what about the places with direct and indirect sunlight? I know some of work turned green in just a little bit of sunlight in not too long a time because the black faded and fast. Have you read or heard anything about this? Another challenge I ran into this week – I tried tangling on my hand made paper. Some of it is kind of thick and I haven’t found anything that will shade it without displacing the fibers. The pens draw okay if I am careful but I am still trying the shading.
I’m surprised you can tangle on handmade paper at all. The paper I’ve made is so absorbent, I don’t think the tangles “pop” enough, and I struggle even on harder surface paper at keeping clean, consistent lines and patterns. Only thing I can think of for shading without disturbing fibers is to use very small tools to shade – perhaps a Q-tip, or pencil eraser tip covered with piece of cotton, linen or yarn? Something that will fit the fiber contours rather than overriding them – it might change the shading result, but might end up being an interesting variation 🙂
As for your walls, I’m thinking outside the box, but then your “canvas” is “out there” too! Why not take a few photos of your wall and visit a paint store? It’s possible what you needs to be using is interior paint (black?) with several kinds of brushes or other detail tools (there must be stencil tools that might work).
You might ask Katie as well because she’s so knowledgable about paints and brushes (I think you follow her; let me know if not).
Keep me posted. Keep calm and tangle on !
Forgot to say – I posted a couple tangles yesterday and a reader said the second one would make a good window blind 🙂
If you and I were young, ambitious and indomitable, we could start a business !!
Well, Sammy, I may not be young, and I may not be too awfully ambitious, but I am for sure indomitable! I have learned to live off of very little so business for money isn’t necessary either, but……………… there may be something in your words. Maybe some additions to the alphabet book I started and we could print it and give it to whomever we please; or “tarot” cards that we could give to those at the beginning of their journey when they need positive reinforcements??????or???????there are a lot of ideas running through my head right now.
:-). Hmmm I know – generating ideas isn’t a problem – they flow non-stop. It’s the execution I have trouble following through on !! Your tarot cards sounds interesting. I flit from one thing to another; I’m not sure why I can’t settle on one thing for very long. Probably lots of reasons.