The Challenge for July is Serendipity  / Le défi du juillet est Sérendipité

By Ruth Stanton I usually throw my doodling away, but for some reason I kept this one. I don’t remember doing it. Maybe I was in a meeting. 

I usually doodle or crochet when I’m attending a meeting. It helps me concentrate on the speaker’s message. Otherwise, I find my thoughts wondering away or I become very bored. 

I don’t know why keeping my hands busy helps me concentrate. Google tells me: “Doodling, or drawing simple images, can have numerous benefits for those with ADHD, including Improved Focus – One of the main challenges for people with ADHD is maintaining focus. Doodling provides a visual and tactile activity that can help distract the restless mind and improve concentration.”

By Susan Irving This is one I painted to hang on my barn wall, Looney Mr. Moon. It is acrylic on a galvanised steel disc, mounted on a magnet that has been affixed to the barn wall. It has been up there in all seasons and is weathering very well.

This  small mirror was affixed to a round canvas that I had done a paint pour on, then embellished  with acrylic paint and mixed media “jewels”.

Tree of Life is mixed media on a cradled board. 

By Victoria Stevenson I know it’s technically not circular but I saw it as meaning the absence of sharp edges. [And who is going to argue! Ed.]

By Véronique Gerland Here is my watercolour, on 100% cotton.

Round like a record in my pond / Tourner la tête la tête 

Referral in English: You spin me right 'round baby right 'round
Like a record baby right 'round 'round 'round".
                           Dead or Alive ( English music group)

"Tu me fais tourner la tête, mon manège à moi c'est toi."  Edith Piaf

By Laura Peck

Tous assis en rond, lors du finissage au Musée de Williamstown,
Yvonne nous rappelle le thème du challenge de juin : ROND.
En y regardant bien, on trouve du rond dans tout ce qui nous entoure.
Alors tourner en rond ? Ou plus de concentration ?

Moreover, picture that:
We were sitting in an almost round circle
The pieces close to me were round too,
A bowl, a basket, salt and pepper shakers.
Even 1959, one my most recent mandalas. 

By Yvonne Callaway Several years ago I became fascinated by circles, spheres, things round. Three art works came at that time . . . you could say I was going dotty!

A year later I was at it again, less minimalist, more maximalist.

I moved on to triangles & thought I was out of my rotund fixation. But no . . . four years later I was at it again. Guess what goes around comes around!

By Jessica MacLeod Here’s what I did:  I made a whole bunch of circles using 3 acrylic paint markers—and I used my left/non-dominant hand to be a bit freer.  I added in more left-hand circles using gel pens and even plain old black ballpoint.  The work was colourful and okay, but I wanted more.  I used some circle stencils to mark and then cut out some circles that didn’t match the circles I had drawn.  I then used black sharpie to draw daisies on each of the circles and cut them out. 

I experimented with some colours for a background before settling on greens in watercolour.  I glued the daisies on with Mod Podge and then sealed the deal with a coat of Mod Podge all over.  The piece may not seem round, but the “round” guided the process and made for a fun, quickish challenge piece.  Maybe I’ll call it “Round the Left.”

By Claudette  Vaillancourt     Looking through my photos, I found quite a few rounds objects:

A rosette window…

Huge round cacti …

A basket of round tomatoes…

A round painting…

Round and rounder pumpkins …

Round snowballs!

By Robin Patterson I can’t remember when I started doodling mandalas, but I do remember being “told off”  during a high school English class for drawing instead of listening to the teacher. I proved him wrong by reiterating pretty much everything he had been teaching for the past 20 minutes…he was a talker, lol. It turns out that doodling was my way of “listening” as I’ve been a visual learner my whole life, and my hearing is the first sense to shut down when I’m focussing.

I still doodle mandalas, and can’t imagine losing the desire to do so. I’ve shared my practice with a number of people who have expressed a wish to find a way to relax and get in a calm zone. This works for everyone.

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