Artful Adventures

New Downloadable PDF Art Lesson: Texture Adventures #10

My latest Texture Adventures Art Lesson is now available in the NorthLightShop! This one is called Tactile Art Inspired By Street Art and for $3.99 it’s a great value – you get a full step out and a 10min video.

In this lesson I show how to create texture with spray paint for backgrounds and layered work. Inspiration is everywhere – I’m inspired by the spray paint street art that I see in my neighborhood, and I want to share with you how you can use spray paint in your art journals and mixed media projects. It’s a fun and versatile medium that isn’t just for graffiti artists :)

You can purchase the lesson here.


If you are in my area on Sunday, November 19th, I invite you to stop by the Art Mart at 313 Gallery in Downtown, Jersey City.

I will be participating in this pop-up event along with 8 other really awesome local artists. We’ll be selling unique artist-made goods, priced under $100, so it will be a nice opportunity to begin your holiday shopping. I’ll have cards, prints, mugs, and wine charms with my artwork on them :)

I hope you’ll drop by and say Hello!

SaveSave

Leave a comment

Tour of the American Ancients Part #1

Last month my husband and I set out for our vacation – a road trip through mostly the South West of the U.S. We drove about 2,300 Miles and had an amazing time hitting many spots we went to before and a lot of new ones. We called it the Tour of the American Ancients because we visited many historical sites. It was awesome and so inspiring and I would love to share with you some highlights, spread out over the next couple weeks in three parts :) Join me on this Artful Adventure – Here is Part #1

This little guy was crossing the street in Nevada. The Desert Tortoise of the Mojave Desert is endangered and we have not seen one the two times before we were here- but this time we were lucky. We saw two Jack Rabbits right before, so maybe they were on a race. Needless to say we named the tortoise “Cecil” ;)

We visited Bryce Canyon, Utah yet again only for a short stint – we promised ourselves next time to really spent some time here and hike- it is so beautiful.

Those hoodoos had the most interesting gradated coloration – love it.

We drove on Highway 12 which is located near the north end of the Grand Staircase – Escalante in southern Utah. The views are breathtaking (and so is the driving- LOL).  Highway 12 is the 2nd on the list of “Most Beautiful Highways in the World“. Apparently the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is planned to be stripped of it’s Monument status and protection.

We had a great time at Capital Reefs National Park , Utah last time and planned a day of hiking there.  We stayed for two nights. We started the early morning off with a Ranger talk about Geology and it was super interesting and made us unterstand the area and different layers better.

While hiking I make sure to take a lot of photos so that I can take a breath ….eh I mean..for inspiration of course ;) Gnarled bent tree trunks- the texture and movement- so beautiful.

We hiked up to a natural bridge and then through a Canyon.

Look at the rock texture and doesn’t the hole look like a heart?

This formation looks like a nice layered chocolate cake …or maybe I just started to hallucinate as it was SOOOoooooo hot ;)

I just couldn’t get over the different layers and texture and the colors. I am not very well known for using a lot of earth tones in my work -but this trip definitely made me want to try it out.

We drove on and stoped at Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. We had a lunch picnic under this natural bridge – one of our – so it felt – 200 hundred sandwiches on the trip ;) There is something so serene and wonderful to eat outside in nature and just be silent (well…besides the crunch of the salad) while taking it all in.

Our next stop was Hovenweep National Monument in Colorado and Utah- which was a new one for us. In the area are six prehistoric villages built by ancestral Puebloans between A.D. 1200 and 1300 and it was stunning to see those buildings at their locations. This tower building above reminded me a lot of some of the old castles of the time you see in Europe and I find it fascinating that at the same time on different continents the same structures were erected.

What a part of the history of this country – and ….this park was almost empty – nada nothing …and a lot of people did not seem to know about it.

It is a magic place  and I am so happy we went. I wish we could have stayed over night – it is supposed to be pitch black and the perfect place for star gazing. I took lot’s of notes, and sketched- just as I describe in my book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media and I cannot wait to see what parts of this trip might make its way into my artwork. More from our trip to come – hope you enjoyed this little adventure.

Comments (6)

  • Jan Hill

    |

    Wow great photos! We loved the Fairyland feel of Bryce Canyon too x

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

    |

    I just love that gnarled wood and yes, it’s a heart!
    Stopping to take pics (and breathe)…funny.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

      |

      Tehehehe- Sue – you gotta do what you gotta do to convince the other half that you are not really out of breath ;)

      Reply

  • Deb

    |

    AMAZING and inspirational photos! Thanks so much for sharing. Just like you I don’t usually use a wealth of earth tones in my artwork, but these photos have me planning to in the near future. Thanks.

    Reply

Leave a comment

New Downloadable PDF Art Lesson: Creating Texture

I’m excited to announce that my downloadable PDF Art Lesson 9: Creating Texture Plates Inspired by Nature is now available in the NorthLightShop! For $3.99 it’s a great deal – you get a full step out AND a 10min video :)

As you know, I love playing with texture in my artwork, especially the textures that can be found in nature. In this Art Lesson, you will learn a way to create some super gorgeous textures with a few new materials and techniques, and I will share with you how I use inspiration from nature to guide me. I begin with an inspiration photo of geysers I took at Yosemite National Park, and by using a variety of mediums and mixed media techniques, I create a deeply textured plate that begs to be touched.

You can check out on ClothPaperScissors how this lesson and tips from my book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media inspired Jeannine Stein to create some beautiful nature inspired tags.

The Lesson is available here.

Leave a comment

Broken – Painting

This painting named Broken, which is part of my book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media was inspired by one of my favorite books called “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara . The book is about friendship and trauma and at parts are really hard read to go through as it is emotionally very upsetting, but at the same time it is beautiful. It is one of the books that grabbed me so much that I had to go and paint after reading it.

Broken is 9×12 on Canvas using acrylic paint, media and charcoal.

I am looking forward to be inspired like this again by another book. Have you read something lately that really really made you think about the story more than usual?

Have a wonderful day

Comments (4)

  • Sue Clarke

    |

    Yes, Someone Knows My Name was incredible.

    Reply

  • stephanie

    |

    Beautiful painting

    Reply

Leave a comment

La Boca – Painting

This painting which is also part of my book Artful Adventures in Mixed Media was inspired by the neighborhood of La Boca in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The instant I saw all those colorful houses, I knew I had to paint them some day.

This painting is 9″x12″ and I used acrylic paint, acrylic ink, marker, charcoal, and  collage elements on canvas.

I loved Argentina, it was such an inspiring trip – I would love to go back some day and discover a bit more of this huge country.

Wishing you a wonderful and colorful day!

Comments (4)

  • Karen Bearse

    |

    Ok so I really love this piece! Love how bright the colors look creatin contrast and movement. Love the charcoal. Especially love the bench! I dont know why but it is perfect!! Great job!!!

    Reply

  • Denise Spillane

    |

    Oh Natalie I live this. Your work is so wonderful. Love your style

    Reply

Leave a comment