More about me:

I was born and raised in Northern California. I am part of a family of 6, I am the middle sister of three and a youngest brother. I grew up in a rural small town with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all living close by. Each of the family members were very creative, artistic and mechanically inclined. So I grew up learning new skills, making and creating art. With large family gatherings at every holiday and birthday we cooked and prepared amazing and tasty meals to share. We made custom gifts for each other with care and love.

My grandmother, grandfather and mother were most influential in my creativity and eventually art teaching career. My grandmother was a baker, cook, ceramicist, painter, creator, gardener, doll maker, crochet doily maker, matriarch and more. My grandfather was a carpenter, creator, crocheter, gardener, tinkerer and all around fix it guy. My mother cross-stitched, sews, a basket maker, fiber artist, mixed media artist, weaver, carver and so much more. In my younger years my grandparents and mother would attend craft fairs and sell their art and goods, I would help and be part of the selling. In my teenage years I was a jewelry maker and started selling my jewelry alongside my family at craft fairs.

After high school I went to our local community college to take general education and art classes. I dabbled in ceramics, sculpture, drawing and more. I then transferred to a California University to focus on art and education classes. Here I expanded my art skills to figure drawing, acrylic painting, film & digital photography, book making, web design as well as gallery and museum operations. Graduating with a Bachelors of Art in Art Education and a Minor in Gallery and Museum Operations. Finally earning a K-12 Teaching Credential in Visual Arts.

I have been teaching “visual art” classes to high school students for 25 years. I have taught in a traditional high school and a continuation high school throughout my career. I have taught a large variety of art mediums and techniques: drawing, collage, printmaking, sculpting, painting, ceramics, mosaic, glass etching, film & digital photography, copper repoussé, mixed media and more.

I have always been an ocean and coral reef fan for as long as I could remember. So naturally, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia was on my bucket list. I met my husband in 1999 online through instant messenger on AOL. I had a “free spirited” high school friend that was in Sydney, Australia through her college student exchange program. I knew the school she was at but that was it. So, with the power of the world wide web and AOL I reached out for a Pen Pal to help me find her. That’s when I connected with Anthony, he knew the school she was at and lived only a short distance away. We started talking online and connected quickly. The next thing I knew I was booking a plane ticket and a three week trip to Australia to meet up with him and my school friend. I never met up with my friend, she was in Perth at the time, not Sydney. Instead, Anthony and I traveled and spent time with his family. A few years later, countless hours in front of a computer and a handful of trips back and forth to Australia we were married in 2003. Anthony moved here to California while I started my art teaching career. I thought we’d move back to Australia within 5 years, but 22 years later we are still in the United States.

After a short stay teaching art and ceramics in Las Vegas, NV we bought a house and moved to Paradise, CA in 2005. I was teaching art in Paradise. Anthony working in maintenance for senior assisted living companies. In 2011, our son Benjamin was born in Paradise, CA. We lived close to the elementary school, walking him to and from school each day. My commute was only a three minute drive to the high school. My husbands job was just across the street from our home, at the most a two minute walk. We enjoyed our neighborhood and home in Paradise.

My Zentangle journey began in 2013, my mother saw it in an art magazine. We both fell in love with the art and philosophy of Zentangle. As the years passed by I did some drawing here and there but it wasn’t until the half way through 2018 that I gravitated to the art once more. In early October of 2018 my mother and I joined the Zentangle staff for a class in Scotts Valley, CA (close to Santa Cruz, CA). My mom and I were renewed and energized again with the Zentangle method.

On Nov. 8, 2018 the town of Paradise, CA was destroyed by fire, including my families home. We lost everything including my home art studio and supplies. My husband, son and I found ourselves homeless and very unsure of our future. As we navigated this difficult time to put our life back together, Zentangle helped me through it all. I made a small hand crafted art journal and started drawing. We were now living in an RV trailer and space was limited, but Zentangle is perfect in any space. With just a journal and a pen Zentangle helped me cope mentally and emotionally through all of the uncertainty. Zentangle is now a regular part of my week.

In February 2019 the Zentangle staff travelled back to Scotts Valley, CA for another class. My mother and I were able to join them again and so soon, which was amazing and needed. This class was only a few months after the fire and I was drawing and tangling in my art journal almost everyday. I shared my recent tragedy and story with the Zentangle staff. I shared how their art has helped me cope through this change to my life. This class was so healing and inspiring to help me rebuild my passion for art.

In 2024 I was fortunate enough to finally attend the in person Certified Zentangle Teacher training in Newport, RI. I met so many amazing people and the Zentangle founders and family again. As an art teacher and now being certified to teach Zentangle, it has sparked even more love for the art and drawing. Continuing to tangle as often as possible, I attended the 2025 ZenAgain workshop, this time from California, working online with the Zentangle staff and students.

Throughout my art journey I have also have fell in love with Gelli Arts printmaking. The art journal that I made in 2018 after the fire was from my gelli prints that I had in my classroom. I fell in love with tangling on the colored backgrounds. After my CZT training I started creating my own printed “tiles” to tangle on. My mother, sisters, sister-in-law and cousin all fell in love with these printed tiles too. As I started teaching family private Zentangle classes we used my printed tiles. I have made a package of printed tiles and now they are ready to share with other Zentangle artists.

If you are a Zentangle artist, you know that your tiles start stacking up and you start thinking what do you do with all of them or how do you display each of them? That’s when I created my tile Displays to showcase my art and change them out whenever I wanted. These displays are a piece of art for your art. Hand printed, crafted and assembled my me. Each one unique and original. There are two pocket sizes for the standard 3.5” tile and the larger Zendala tiles. These displays make the perfect way to show off your art or give as a gift to a friend or a family member.

Check them out on this page - click here.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me and my story! ❤️

Janel Murphy