Nat
nathalie-kalbach
Inspired by… The La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires
It might sound weird to have a title that indicates that one was inspired by a cemetery, but if you have ever been to La Recoleta Cemetery, a serene and peaceful, as well as beautiful resting place in the middle of a hustling and bustling city of Buenos Aires, I think you agree with me. I was intrigued by the beauty of the mausoleums, the decay, the symbols, the shapes and forms, the doors, the signs, the light, the flowers at places you would not expect flowers, the texture and more.
Overall all those details and unique resting places showed a deep love and appreciation for those that were lost and that was the most beautiful and inspiring thing about this place. I hope you liked this little- if a bit unusal – stroll through a cemetery.
——————–
How about a lively reminder to do something fun and creative for yourself in the upcoming year?
SALE: You get 25 videos for just $45 (USD) for a limited time if you sign up before December 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm (EST)!
After December 31st, 2015 it will be 50 USD. Sign up here!
——-
have a wonderful day
Nat
Comments (5)
-
William Charlebois
I’ve never seen a cemetery that was so full of mausoleums. They really are beautiful!
-
Joi@RR
Totally Awed… what incredible photos you took Nat. Of course me fav is the lock with the webs on it – WOW – that photo should win a prize. Loved the green door but hey – it was all just sooooo incredible to see. Hubby loved it too…. what a treat. Thank you. j.
-
Jane LaFazio
What an amazing place! It look huge! And beautiful. Great pics, Nat.
-
Sue Clarke
Loved this stroll. The woman and the dog are very touching to me.
I must say that the “snake”-like creature with the “spirit”-person coming out of its mouth is something that I need to look at more and try to figure out.
As always, thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas Nat!-
nathalie-kalbach
Sue, I loved the woman and the dog one too. She apparently got killed in an avalanche while in Switzerland and then when her dog died,he was buried next to her and they put up the statue. As for the snake like creature-I have no idea what the meaning of it is- but I am intrigued. Have a merry christmas too my friend!
-
Leave a comment
Action Today or … In My Art Journal Today
My wonderful friend Karen posted her quote on her facebook page and inspired me to create this journal spread:
“Be in action today to create the tomorrow of your dreams” – Karen C. Auld. There is so much truth in this- love it!
The colors were inspired by the flowers that are blooming again on my deck …it is crazy warm here for this time of the year!
I painted the background with different shades and tones of green and then used a spray painted stencil to create a reverse imprint on the spread. It was a quick page- but it felt good to get the hands messy and enjoy some beautiful colors.
the poor girl looks a bit pale- I think she needs some action ;) I used pencils and markers as well as some other pens for her.
I will post the supply list at the end!
—– On another note! I am coming back to Sweden – Stockholm for some workshops next year – May 27-29, 2016 – woot woot!!!! —-
Check out the announcement and classes here if you are in the area – I would love to see you!!!!
I taught at this event a couple years ago and it was amazing – I am looking forward seeing some familiar and also some new faces again!
…….and here as promised the supply list for the art journal spread –
I wish you a gorgeous day!
Nat
Comments (1)
-
Joi@RR
What a neat project. I’m sure that my take is totally off the wall but here it is. The background is so light and airy and cheerful – so fun. But the figure is so much darker, grungy, hooded… stagnant looking. Then your sentiment…. tells me that there are opportunities and dreams to be had but only if we are not stagnant – only if we don’t lose hope… and for me… only if I dare to dream!!!!!! Great message here – thank you Nat!!! j.
Leave a comment
Inspired by Street Art in Buenos Aires
One of my most favorite things about Buenos Aires was the sheer amount of Street Art EVERYWHERE. It was heaven for a street art fan like me. Street Art in Buenos Aires is mostly tolerated and accepted by the public because of a long tradition of self expression. A lot of house owners give street artists permission to use their houses as canvases. Street art is seen and received as art for the community. We took a really good tour by Graffiti Mundo explaining a lot of the artwork and some meaning behind it and saw lot’s of great street art on the tour but also on our own.
Teta y Salta is a mural created by the artist Franco Fasoli “Jaz” Franco , honoring two kids that were killed by the police in that neighborhood. Jaz studied scenography at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and works in blended mediums of latex paint, tar and gasoline, as well as in acrylic, aerosol and paper collage. Teta y Salta uses tar – which I thought to be amazing – it puts the street into street art ;) .
I love the background on this one- it was huge.
I love all the colors and patterns below- so much movement in it!
This one is a collaboration between Georgina Ciotti and Sordi. Love the illustrations.
Unfortunately I forgot to jot down the names of the two artists here -one artist from Berlin depicting the Berlin Bear and some other iconic signs for Berlin
and the other from Argentina doing the same.
The next mural was just amazing – you start with looking at the details
and then take in the whole picture- sooo cool!
The one below is again by Jaz and shows rivaling hooligans fighting each other- beast and mean.
Below is a mural by Pum Pum – another female artist- yeah
I do not know who did the background of this one below- which I sooo love- I want to do something similar in my art journal. But the cycling giraffes on top are by Stencil Land- a group of 6 artists.
I love the really elaborate lettering style of Nerf. He paints this free hand – no masking tape or else- INSANE
I liked this little dude!
and a hidden gem
And I recognized the one on the right right away as a piece by pixelpancho who also did a mural here in Jersey City (wah- I never posted it! – will do soon).
I love the bear with all the different colors so much :) Another thing that I would love to practice in my art journal.
this made me laugh
as well as this:
Did I mention street art everywhere?
And last but not least this one by Fintan Magee who did a mural in Jersey City as well.
Can you tell I loved it! There was so much more … ! I felt on an inspiration-high after walking through the streets. I hope you enjoyed these photos – you think that was all from Buenos Aires? Nope ..next I take you to the next beautiful cemetery I have ever been to (yes sounds morbid- but I promise it was beautiful!).
Have a gorgeous creative day
——
P.S.
Don’t forget to sign up for Creative JumpStart with a total discount of 20 Percent if you sign up with a coupon code – today is the last day for using the coupon code!:
You get 25 videos for just $45 (USD) for a limited time if you sign up before December 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm (EST)! After December 31st, 2015 it will be 50 USD.
But wait – it gets better: as my valued reader, you’ll get $5 extra off today. Just use this coupon code during checkout:
cjs2016
*This is a limited offer valid from 10:00 am Dec 4, 2015 to 11:59 pm EST on Dec 11, 2015.
Nat
Comments (6)
-
William Charlebois
I love street art! I wish every city could be full of art. Where I live, you get arrested if you are caught painting on a building. Oh well. Your photos are wonderful!
-
Joi@RR
Just can’t imagine seeing this in person because it is sooo incredibly wonderful to see right here online that it must be mind boggling there. Wow. Nat – sure hope you can take some of these ideas and put your own spin on them for some stamps/stencils!!! Some of these look totally your style. WHAT a trip you had! Soooo happy happy happy to see these incredible photos…. thank you so much. j.
-
Sue Clarke
What a wonderful post Nat. I can only imagine what kind of ladders and such are needed to create those HUGE murals and drawings.
Sadly, I will not be joining CJS 2016 as I never made it through all the videos for CJS 2015. I know that it will be another awesome January of inspiration! I continue to enjoy your posts with special interest in your neighborhood walks that you share. Happy Holidays!-
nathalie-kalbach
Glad you liked it Sue! They do use those little crane waggons – I forgot what they are called in English – it is like a crane that has a basket and you can stand in it and control it yourself to get high up and paint. It is pretty amazing. No worries about CJS – I know your life is busy- but if you can still join during next year if you change your mind :) happy holidays to you too! Nat
-
-
Linda on the Prairie
I think I need a trip to Buenos Aires if I can’t make it to your studio!
-
nathalie-kalbach
You would love it! I really enjoyed my time there!
-
Leave a comment
Oh Hello or … In My Art Journal Today
Oh Hello! “If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello!”
I liked this quote – I said goodbye to a couple things last month and apparently what I thought to be a terrible thing, opened new doors :) You never know, right. But I do believe that everything happens for a reason and that “everything will work out” in the end. Hey – if we hadn’t had that optimism what else would be left sometimes ;)
For this page I collaged some book paper onto the surface, painted it, then covered some areas with masking tape and wax, painted over again, heated the wax, removed it, removed the masking tape and painted some areas again. Love the peeled paint effect. Makes me really happy! You can see a whole list of supplies on the bottom of this post.
……
Don’t forget to sign up for Creative JumpStart with a total discount of 20 Percent if you sign up with a coupon code:
You get 25 videos for just $45 (USD) for a limited time if you sign up before December 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm (EST)! After December 31st, 2015 it will be 50 USD.
But wait – it gets better: as my valued reader, you’ll get $5 extra off today. Just use this coupon code during checkout:
cjs2016
*This is a limited offer valid from 10:00 am Dec 4, 2015 to 11:59 pm EST on Dec 11, 2015.
—–
Have a wonderful day!
Nat
Comments (2)
-
Joi@RR
What fun – the tape and wax – really made this creation unique Nat and of course – LOVE the orangish colors!!! I bet you are missing having Julie close by and I truly do hope saying goodbye brings some new hello’s for you – for sure! j.
-
Jenny Petricek
Great page! Love the vivid colors and the subject matter! :-)
Leave a comment
Inspired by Buenos Aires, Argentina
About a week ago I came back from a wonderful trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. My husband had to work there and decided to take me with him for a short holiday over Thanksgiving. He is the best!!!
The flight itself was long – with a change in Houston we traveled almost 24 hours – but on the plus side – there is only a two hour difference to the East Coast at this time of the year, so the jet lag wasn’t as bad as going to Europe. I fell instantly in Love with the City!
Right now it is summer in Argentina – and the city is not only amazingly green …it is also purple as this tree, which I just learned from my friend Jane, is called Jacaranda Tree. And the one day it rained, the purple reflected on the streets ….did I say magical yet?
I think “shabby chic” was the word I used most often while describing what I saw :) The city is full of beautiful but also decayed buildings and a huge amount of street art – which I will dedicate a whole extra blog post to (oh yeah- you thought you would be spared of this, didn’t you ? ;) )
A former student of mine, Ceci and her husband Javier, were so wonderful to spent a day with us and show us around. It was so much fun! One of our stops was La Boca, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires. There are a couple of streets in the neighborhood that are well known for their colorful houses .
I totally enjoyed – the colors – loooveee! And of course the Argentines are very proud of their pope.
To not make this sound too romantic …this neighborhood is a very poor neighborhood and while there a two streets that are very touristy – which are the streets you should stick to on foot, it is pretty obvious that the colors and materials are not necessarily used as an artistic choice but rather to beautify what they have.
Nonetheless my heart rate went a bit up upon those sights and I was craving a sketchbook!
“Republica” La Boca is also very famous for it’s soccer team – to name only one famous player coming out of there: Diego Maradona.
Javier is a fan of the rivaling team …so he wasn’t very comfortable in the area- LOL
And of course what would be Argentina without Tango music and dance? Every time we took a cab with an older taxista, he had Tango playing …LOVE
And here are Ceci and Javier! Thank you two so much for a wonderful day! You are amazing and I am happy for our friendship!
I loved those floral paintings called Fileteado that you could spot on signs, or walls or busses all over the city.
Now ….may I ask all vegetarians to skip this picture? This country is definitely a heaven for the Steak lover. As my husband puts it after a very popular German book “Meat is my vegetable” . I enjoyed it a lot, but I am also on a meat diet since back :)
On Thursday we spent a couple hours downtown. This is the famous Casa Rosada, well …the back of it, which is most famous outside of Argentina, I guess, because of Eva Peron.
We went to the Plaza de Mayo at around 3.30 pm , not being aware that every Thursday around that time the Mothers and Grandmothers of the Disappeared march there. During the dictatorship in the 70s an estimate of 30,000 activists, students and journalists were “made to disappear” by the regime and the mothers of those children started marching in silent protest with the pictures of their children in front of the Casa Rosada every Thursday. I had just recently read and watched a documentary by the New York Times about the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and I was very very touched by this, it is very emotional. I recommend to watch it, but be aware it might make you cry as well!
And even though this picture is a bit dark …can you count the lines of cars? I counted 13 lines while trying to get over the street before the light turned red – no island in the middle – just saying – and this is just in one direction. So believe me, when I say the streets in Buenos Aires are wide …although this one was by far the widest, I have seen :)
And how about Thanksgiving? We spent Thanksgiving with loads of friends from the States and from Argentina and managed to create a decent ….kind of ….Thanksgiving dinner for our argentine friends …instead of Turkey we had 3 pre-roasted chicken, the stuffing had a little south-american twist, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies (yeah for pie filling cans ;) ) as well as cornbread. There was a lot of singing , guitar playing and eating …and as you see even a little sign for everyone to add their thankful thoughts too. A Thanksgiving that I won’t forget- it was amazing!!!
There is more coming …but I think you need a little break :) Have a gorgeous day my friends – hope the pictures did inspire you a little bit!
Nat
Comments (6)
-
William Charlebois
I love the colorful buildings! The buildings here in Michigan are boring!
-
joi
Oh no – SPARE ME NOTHING… want to see it all Nat! This was a wonderful post. Wow. Only you could describe a place by saying – green and purple!!!! Love it!!! The fileteado flowers look like YOU – makes me think of your stamps. Good idea for your next stamp set???!!!!!!! :) As I was looking at the colorful buildings, I thought how much I would love to live in a neighborhood where everyone just painted their homes any way they wanted to with all sorts of decor railings, shutters, and graffiti. I love bright and bold so I would be a happy camper in such a neighborhood. When I was a little girl – our house was bright pink!!!! What a fabulous way to spend Thanksgiving. I loved seeing your list at the end… you are right – that will be a valued memory forever. j
-
Teresa
How beautiful to see my country through your eyes! Thank you for sharing that! I will be pending when you post more!
I’ll Wanderlust as a student in 2016, so I will learn from you! -
Barb J
Nathalie,
Thanks for sharing this interesting and colorful city with your readers.
I envy all the fantastic places you get to visit. You are so lucky to be able to travel with your career and when you husband goes on business trips.
Enjoy the Christmas holiday. -
Arlene Baker
Hi, Nathalie. My boyfriend of 17 years and counting , took me to Argentina for 3 months a few years ago (aren’t I a lucky one!). We spent 1-1/2 mos in Buenos Aires. If you should ever go back, here are a few additional things to entice you:
Xul Solar (a little jewel of a museum dedicated to Xul Solar’s art, Laprida 1212, );
an unbelievable pastry shop–I believe it’s called La Burdalesa, Av. Santa Fe and Fray Justo Sta. Maria de Oro; Museo del Patrimonio, Riobamba 750 – 1 Piso;
our favorite restaurant (we went there six times, I think), Eh! Santino, Baez 194–try the lomo panceta and the seafood pasta (might have to ask the owner to make you this one–it’s not always on the menu).;
Los 36 Billares, Av. de Mayo 1271–a small, local (no tourists) tango bar with great food and a pool hall in the back that’s just for men (no women allowed).
Eh! Santino isn’t getting rave reviews right now (my boyfriend just checked), so it may have changed since we were there, but the area has many great restaurants.
I would go back to Buenos Aires any time!
–elizabeth -
Karen D
Great pics Nathalie, Buenos Aires looks like a very interesting, and colourful city. I loved seeing all the art work on the buildings.
Leave a comment
Creative JumpStart 2016 – 5th Editon!!!
I’m officially announcing Creative JumpStart (CJS) 2016! This is our 5th year. I am so excited!!! . If you’re not familiar with CJS, it’s a one-of-a-kind online event to kick your creativity into high gear in January 2016.
Learn techniques, discover new materials, and connect with artists and crafters.
Throughout January participants get 25 downloadable videos from 24 featured artists. You heard right – DOWNLOADABLE which is a big change from recent years.
See yourself who the artists aka JumpStarters are for this year:
You get 25 videos for just $45 (USD) for a limited time if you sign up before December 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm (EST)! After December 31st, 2015 it will be 50 USD.
But wait – it gets better: as my valued reader, you’ll get $5 extra off today. Just use this coupon code during checkout:
cjs2016
*This is a limited offer valid from 10:00 am Dec 4, 2015 to 11:59 pm EST on Dec 11, 2015.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up here, and apply the coupon code during check out process!
I hope to see you at CJS 2016!
Nat
Comments (7)
-
jacqvz
Looking forward to it! :-)
-
Jenny Petricek
Looks like a wonderful event, Nathalie! I’m going to check it out!
-
Rebecca Buchanan
Hi Nathalie! I just paid for CJS 2016 but I think I got too much discount. PayPal gave me a receipt for only $40 payment. Very nice, but I want to pay you the correct amount which I believe should be $45 with the earlybird discount. Let me know how to get you the extra $5. Thank you for doing this again. So excited that everything is downloadable this year. Thank you thank you.
-
Gloria J Zucaro
I just paid with PayPal. Is there any other kind of registration? How will I know when we are starting? Will I get a supplies list ahead of time?
Thanks, Gloria-
nathalie-kalbach
HI Gloria, no worries, give me a couple hours to get you into the database. You won’t get lost and be able to access soon – but there was a glitch in the website, which I am fixing right now.
thank you for your patience and sorry for the website troubles!
Nat
—
-
-
Lisa Flaherty
Hooray!! So excited for this edition of CJS, Nat!! Thank you so much!!
-
nathalie-kalbach
So glad to have you backLisa!!!
-
Leave a comment
Artist Quote of the Week – Otto Dix
Nat
Leave a comment
Stroll Through The Hood – November 2015
I traveled most of this month but still had some fun time strolling through my hood. It is unusually warm for November and so sitting outside and getting happy doggies jump onto your lap and greeting you is something that can happen. The pic makes me laugh- you can barely see where the dog starts and ends ;)
A lot of new street art was happening during November- here is a work in progress by Shepard Fairey again. I guess he likes J.C. :)
And here is another one in progress- I will try to make sure to post pictures of the finished work next month.
Below is a fun pigs in space graffiti by my friend Sam Pullin aka Bed Bugs in Love – love it! I also often say “if pigs could fly” …
Mana Contemporary had an Open Studio day – perfect time to goof around there with some friends …sorry but …cannot take everything art related too serious ;)
In front of Mana was this awesome new mural by How and Nosm
And last – this made me crack up when I was crossing the street and looked up – by @sean9lugo – super fun!
I love that there is so much street art is happening in Jersey City – it makes me excited to walk around everyday even if it is for normal errands like going to the supermarket and keeping an eye open if there is something new happening that might inspire me.
Hope you liked the stroll!
Have a gorgeous week
Nat
Comments (10)
-
Karen D
I really enjoy seeing your neighbourhood, would love to have so much street art around for inspiration. I live in a seaside area in NSW, Australia, lots of sea, sand and trees, but not much street art. A few years ago my husband and I went down to Sydney to a little island that was once a ship building facility and nowadays they use the area and all the old buildings for some art festivals. The one I am thinking of was called “Outpost”, and they had the most wonderful collection of street artists displaying their work, it was amazing. There was talk of it being an bi-annual event, but unfortunately I haven’t seen it advertised again. You may still be able to see a record of it on the web if you google “Outpost at Cockatoo Island”.
But thanks for sharing all the cool art in your neighbourhood. -
Joi@RR
Loved this post. Of course, the pics of you always make me smile because you are smiling/laughing in most of them!! But these were really fun with the doggie and silly friends! I have never seen this type of artwork in person – out in the world – so I can only imagine how it must look when you are standing near it. Personally – I so love seeing the world thru your eyes Nat. Seems like I have traveled miles with you and love it all. Love the bear and she is in orange – my fav!!! But these are all just so intriguing to me. Thanks bunches for sharing. j.
-
Barb J
I really enjoy your “stroll through the hood” pictures. Jersey always has something going on with art. You picked the perfect place to live.
-
nathalie-kalbach
Awe- thank you Barb- yes it certainly wasn’t a bad choice :)
-
-
Jenny Petricek
Great views of what looks like a very artistic city! Love the murals!
-
nathalie-kalbach
Thank you Jenny- yes there are heaps of artists here – lots of fun :)
-
-
Leadonna Fritts
Love your strolls! You certainly live in a cool area. It must be inspiring for you to just walk to a local market. Do you come home in the mood to create some art of your own?
-
nathalie-kalbach
thank you Lea! Yes- I often come home and cannot wait to get into the studio to try out something that was inspired by my stroll.
-
-
Sue Clarke
Love the stroll as usual!
-
nathalie-kalbach
Thank you Sue!
-
Comments (3)
Jenny Petricek
| #
Happy holidays to you and yours! Looking forward to following your blog often in the New Year!
Reply
Kathy P
| #
Right back at you , Nat! Have a very merry Christmas—can’t wait to ‘play’ with you starting Jan. 1st!
Reply
Joi@RR
| #
Happy Holidays to you too dear Nat. Looking forward to spending time with you SOON – eheheheheheh – can’t wait – CJS is just around the corner!!!! BIG HUGS….j.
Reply