Despite having a seriously challenging week during which her young son was hospitalized with viral pneumonia, Laura Harms, the Zentangle Diva, managed to post her weekly challenge. She celebrates her 35th birthday this week. Our challenge was to create a duo tangle using the tangles Dex (3 letters) and Bunzo (5 letters). 35—get it??
It’s a good thing there is no such thing as a mistake in Zentangle. I was unfamiliar with Dex and found it very challenging. I wanted to use it as a background tangle, so I used a sparkly silver gelly roll pen for the squares and pencils (plain graphite and brown) for the sides. Please don’t examine my Dex too carefully. Deal?
This is the more modern Passion facade of the Basilica of La Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family), Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain.
I’ve been MIA from the Diva’s Monday challenge because I spent the last two Mondays in the Catalunya region of Spain, mostly at a travel blogger conference along the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain along the Costa Brava and the more southern, Costa Daurada. However, both at the beginning and the end of my trip, I had the chance to spend some time in the region’s capital city, Barcelona — a tangler’s dream. Barcelona is known as being the palette for the unique modernist style of the famous Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi. I’m planning a separate blog post about his perennially unfinished masterpiece the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. Construction started in 1882 and there is a “push” to finish construction by 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death. It is quite an amazing project and I, for one, am glad to have an excuse to return to Barcelona to check on the progress.
In addition to the “must see” Sagrada Familia, just walking the streets of Barcelona provides a cornucopia of patterns in every direction. I had trouble choosing, but here are some tangle inspirations from Barcelona building facades I’d like to share:
Have you been to Spain? Are you attracted by patterns when you travel?
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I think your tile is beautiful! I like the way you incorporated Dex as a lighter-coloured background – very clever. Nicely done!
I would be the last one to criticize anyone’s tangles LOL! I think your Dex looks really nice as a soft background for that bold Bunzo. And, thank you for sharing those beautiful pictures too!
We were just there too! Such a unique city in the world. I don’t know what tanglingis all about but yours looks intriguing. Can’t wait to meet you in Miami.
The Dex looks perfect to me:) We know, between us, that I know nothing from a Dex, but still…take that compliment for what it is…I think it is beautiful! What great photos of those facades. Inspiring for tangles and just plain awesome.
Jacquie, Barcelona really is a beautiful city. It was hard to limit the number of photos I took to something reasonable. How did we manage before digital cameras!?!
Both Bunzo ánd Dex are looking beautiful!
Welcome home…at least temporarily, I suppose 🙂 I like Dex in the soft pastel colors as the background for the bolder bunzo. Nice job!
As a matter of fact I have been to Spain. I am in Spain at this very moment. Tomorrow, I will continue to walk across Spain. 😉 It’s funny, as bloggers we see every moment as a potential blog post and now you see every artistic feature as a potential zentangle pattern. I like your newest design. It reminds me of shells.
Patti, are you saying I’m easily suggestible? Apparently, that is indeed the case 😉 Hopefully, I’ll only continue to be passionate about good things. 🙂
I don’t know which I like the most – The Bunzo in three bold colours, with a positively expert shine; the subtle Dex in the background making a perfect foil ; the photos of Barcelona. Hmmmm, let me think.
I too think it’s a beautiful city, although I felt a bit Gaudi-ed out by the time we left. It’s the mix of old and new, traditional and off the wall that I like. We stayed just off the Ramblas last time we were there and it was fabulous.
I hope we manage to meet on one of your/my/our travels, it would be such fun…
Maggibee, I also hope we get to meet IRL someday. I know Barcelona can feel like all Gaudi—all day, everyday sometimes, but just walking around the city, I loved gazing up at the old facades of sometimes even older buildings that Thanks for your comment.
Wow…Suzanne! The photos of your trip are unbelievable! You do a good job with your photography. Mine always seems to blur, which is why i am always asking Wayne to take the pictures…thank goodness he’s patient. Maybe that’s my problem. Love the Dex background, a perfect foil for the Bunzo!
Thank you, Lynell. Actually, I have photo envy. Some of my fellow travel bloggers have “real” cameras and take wonderful photos. These were all taken with my Galazy S4 smart phone.
I like the subtleness of your Dex. The pictures of Spain are great also. Have fun deconstructing.
Beautiful Bunzo and Dex! Wonderful photos, too! Thank you for sharing!
I like your soft Dex as background!!!
Very interisting in two colors.
Suzanne, the soft wash on your Dex is such a lovely backdrop. And your travel pix, well, let’s just say I am enjoying life vicariously…
Suzanne, your multicolor Bunzo bunches are just beautiful on the softened Dex background. What a beautiful approach! Speaking of beautiful – strike that – spectacular! – your photos from Barcelona are totally spectacular!! What a dream trip!
I think your Dex looks incredible here! Fantastic backdrop for the lively Bunzo. And I live in Spain, not near Barcelona, but agree absolutely that there are some truly inspiring things around. Gaudi in particular…though he didn’t venture south too much! The Alhambra has some gorgeous patterns to ponder.
Love your photos of Barcelona – hope you can return soon. Better still, suggest Granada as the next venue!!
Axxx
Spectacular Post, Suzanne. Love your Photos and comments. Your Challenge Tile is awesome. Beautiful design, and contrast between Dex and Bunzo. Welcome home.
Your posts are always so wonderful to read. The pictures you took make me want to visit there, but it will likely never happen, so I thank you for posting pictures of your voyages all over. As for your tile, what a beautiful piece! To me it looks like your Bunzo are resting on a soft comfortable of Dex and just talking about everything. I love the colors that you have used as well. Beautiful work!
Thank you for another inspiring journey through your tangles and tile. Beautiful use of color. The colors are very unexpected on Bunzo which make it delightful. Safe travels. Sarah.
Your Dex looks hugely professional to me. Well done, perhaps an undiscovered talent to be taken further? Was it a successful travel blogging conference – would love a blog post about things you learned. We spent 3 weeks back in 2001 travelling around Spain, when our kids were younger – what fun we had. Loved Spain. Very special. And yes, I’m always attracted to pretty patterns 🙂