“Land really is the best ART” Andy Warhol
I had fun playing with some Spray Paint and my Downtown Stencil (you see some grungy remains of a blotted Space Age Stencil as well)
The photos is from an old album with a lot of double nature photos my great aunt must have taken on one of her trips – she didn’t write anything about it down- but I can see the beauty.
Free shipping for customers in the US: If your cart totals more than $25 of physical products now through Sunday (December 18th, 2022) in my online shop HERE, you can get free shipping in the US. Just enter the coupon code FREE25SHIP when you are checking out and all those goodies will get shipped to you for free! Who doesn’t like a little free this time of year?
Strolls through my hood get me out of my studio, they help me get unstuck and often I get inspired by what I see and get new ideas to create something. It is part of my philosophy about Artful Adventures in Mixed Media – which is the subject of my book. Here are some photos that I gathered in the last couple weeks.
December already, things are slowing down – the cats are hanging out in the art studio in their new cat tree … don’t they look as if you could just pluck them off there?
We also decorated our stoop – we are all in this year – our first Christmas in this house :)
In other house news- we have still some loose ends construction and painting wise- but we stripped those plaster brackets that were painted over and over the past decades that no details were visible. I couldn’t believe when I found all those different patterns like dots and grids in there …those things make me so excited – it is ridiculous LOL
We went an artfair held in the Armory nearby – I always wondered how it looked inside and well – now I know. Love the floor
But these old wooden gym seats with the brick wall just are my fave!
The building on the left is in a very sad state but must have been magnificent back in the days- nonetheless I love this little view with the Queen Anne on the right, a church visible in the middle and the brick apartment building with fire stairways on the right …it is so typical Jersey City to me!
This is one of many identical apartment buildings on a neighborhood street and I find it just so interesting – the oval windows next to the columns- the door obviously not original . And then the very long quoined window units on the left and right of the second floor …was this ever ONE window? or how did the middle look in between back then …these are the weird things I ask myself when I walk through the city- LOL.
This building is being renovated and I love love love the massive entrance – isn’t this amazing? I just wish they would have created a different stairway or will still do something with it -the stairs do not fit at all with this.
Hope you enjoyed the stroll this month – see you next month :)
Wow, I just love your festive front door! Your tree is wide and nice,
The pic with the three different buildings is wonderful with the contrast.
Merry Christmas Nat.
I admire the cat tree, too! Thank you for taking us along on another stroll. I love your neighborhood!
I love the cat ladder! So fun. Your home looks beautiful. Enjoy Christmas and the slower pace!
Hugs
Wether as a bold statement with a Love Foam Stamp or by adding a little grunge with the Love Tag Rubberstamp, this holiday season Love is in the air!
speaking of Triple Win …how about the wonderful Triple Play Foam stamp set which was designed by Birgit Koopsen, Marsha Valk and me to give you lots of fun options to play and create patterns and backgrounds? Grab yours now !
Free shipping for customers in the US: If your cart totals more than $25 of physical products now through Sunday (December 18th, 2022) in my online shop HERE, you can get free shipping in the US. Just enter the coupon code FREE25SHIP when you are checking out and all those goodies will get shipped to you for free!
“Sometimes you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory”
Here are some of the supplies used in these projects:
My Creative Squad has made some really cool videos for their projects through the years (what a talented bunch indeed) so I did a little 4 part series where I shared some with you. This is the 4th and final so I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have. Also I encourage you to check out the Creative Squad archive of projects as an excellent resource for serious artistic inspiration.
First we have Squad alum Tania Ahmed sharing a fun card with us that she made using my Stroll Around the Block set of house stamps, my My Home is My Castle stamp, and my What’s the Point stencil. Our theme was: Inside Outside – Inside can be cozy and warm. Outside is about fresh air and freedom. Are you a homebody or do you suffer from cabin fever? We’re creating with these opposites in mind.
Here is the link to her original post and here is the video she shared of her process:
I love the texture Tania creates with my What’s the Point stencil!
Lastly we have alum Nicole Watson and her magical art journal spread using my foam stamps and the theme: Under the Sea – There is something so fascinating about water. We love being in it, floating on it, relaxing next to it, and it remains one of the last frontiers here on the planet. Create something that is an ode to the sea.
Here is the link to her original post and here is the video she shared of part of her process:
This is a great way to make a whole bunch of gorgeous collage papers!
I hope you enjoyed all the Creative Squad videos I have been sharing. Be sure to check out the archive of their projects – they show so many ways to use foam stamps, rubber stamps, stencils and more in their beautiful mixed media creations.
Here are some of the supplies used in these projects:
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because and only when they are created by everybody” Jane Jacobs
The page is based on this original artwork “Highline”
A Look Back – Want to know a great recipe for an art journal page? Just stencils and words. Yup. That’s it. There are days when I feel the urge to sketch and other days I am in a stamping mood or feeling a layering vibe. And then there are days when I just want to get my words down and I want a background that is straightforward and comes without too much exertion. Not everything needs to be complicated. Let’s take a Look Back at a few art journal pages that use just stencils and words.
This art journal page was part of my Stencilbop challenge and uses two different stencils, Chicago and Exchange Place, along with acrylic spray paints. I love how fast it is to use spray paint with stencils, and shifting them slightly to create a shadow effect is a pretty cool trick. Where to journal on this one? Just follow the lines on the stencil :)
Two stencils work in harmony in this art journal spread that you wouldn’t necessarily think to put together: Art Deco Wallpaper and Circuit. I think it came together because Circuit is “playing second fiddle” in this case and just providing a more delicate detail to balance the assertiveness of the Art Deco fan pattern. BUT the star of the show really is the boldly stenciled words. Play with what takes center stage – it could be a stencil or your journaling.
What is a stencil? In this spread I used my Toledo stencil but also a template to a shrine kit that I had. Think about what you have around that could work like a stencil when you are creating. In this case the shrine shape made the perfect spot to journal in.
One stencil, bold colors, black spray paint, maybe a little paint splatter… Looks pretty sweet, right? When you have a cool pattern (like the Hamburg one here), you don’t need much else. Leave a spot to journal and you have a winner. Check out the original post for this spread here.
Okay I had to sneak this art journal spread in too just because of course you can go a bit further. Maybe you need a little something extra in there and no worries – you’re the boss! Here I used my Chicago and Santiago stencils with spray paint, added a white area and my journaling, but also discovered how nicely my Floral Tile Small stamps fit the stencil pattern. So I added stamps too because some days all you need are just stencils and words… and stamps ;)
Now it’s your turn: make some art journal pages using just stencils and words. Here are some of the supplies used in these spreads:
Look Back is a blog series to show you some projects and posts that you may have missed – sometimes going WAY back in the archive. I think it will be fun to revisit a few ideas that we haven’t seen for a while. I’m excited to see how a little look back might inspire something new in the future :)
This October we spent some time in the Catskills and one of the fun discoveries was the Assembly in Monticello, NY. The space originally a Buick dealership has been transformed to an art gallery by artist Bosco Sodi.
For the first exhibition Bosco asked a group of artists from mostly Mexico to “give us your retired, your stashed-away masses yearning to be seen”
Paula Cortazar work on different stone was fascinating! Inviting to stay a bit longer and follow the intricate designs.
Eduardo Sarabia – loved his work which reminded in it’s usage of political statements on ceramics of Grayson Perry‘s work.
The little statue is by Gonzalo Lebrija – basically showing how I feel every day :)
This is also by him:
Bosco Sodi‘s art
Tania Candiani created this sound installation:
Ugo Rondinone showed a couple of those stone faces – the instagram page makes me want to see even more of the work!
Hi, Nathalie! You have a wonderful front door! I always love your strolls through the ‘hood. I grew up in Rumson; these posts stir up a little homesickness in me.
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