Nat
Artist Quote of the Week – Kurt Schwitters
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nathalie-kalbach
Photos of the Art Journaling Live 2015 Event
Exactly 48 hours after I landed in Newark after my trip to Europe, I was back at the airport to head out to Arlington, Texas for the Create Art Journaling Live 2015 Event. After a mayor delay and a pretty insane flight – which I add to my “gotta great travel story to tell ” repertoire I arrived late in Dallas. As I had a dinner date with my sweet friend Julie and Margaret and Jackie, I went by taxi right to the restaurant from the airport. Only…due to a major miscommunication, I went to the wrong restaurant in Plano and not in Dallas. Which left me alone and pretty much throwing a pitty party for myself and exhausted on a parking lot in the middle of nowhere in Texas. But good friends don’t let you hanging and so Julie, Margaret and Jackie drove to get me. In the end my very first huge pile of Smoked Texan BBQ Ribs and a good drink as well as lots of laughter made me feel as if the world was still awesome ;) Thank you girls <3
The next morning the event took place – and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Dina Wakely, Mary Beth Shaw and I taught some fun Art Journaling Techniques.
We had 75 students and it was so much fun to see so many familiar faces in the round. Thank you for coming – that was awesome!
The classes and the students were video graphed during the day and in a couple months you can actually purchase the whole event as a class DVD. I will keep you posted.
As you can see we were sitting a bit on a high podest (here is Dina in action) – which was a bit awkward since we couldn’t walk around or move much- and if you know me I am usually bouncing around like a rubber ball in my classes. But it was the way it needed to be for the filming. The students could see everything on a big screen and followed along and it was fun to see what they are doing too.
We other teachers sat in the back of the room playing around in our journals.
Here are Jackie and Margaret and Katie all named Margaret on their tags- which made me laugh big time! So wonderful to meet them!
As I said it was awesome to see many familiar faces too – makes me always super happy!
Here I am on my “throne” – I was really nervous before the whole thing, I have never taught such a big class and on top being on camera too – but then I forgot the cameras and kept on going …and melting…as you can see the huge light.
And below is the reason why I never do manicure. I believe those hands looked good about 2 minutes on camera
And here are the four of us after the event!
That was fun! Thank you to all of our students, Cloth Paper Scissors for having us and the fun video team. Thank you also to Liquitex for sponsoring the huge amount of acrylic media in the class kits and to Stampendous for sponsoring one of my stamp sets for the students! I will keep you posted on the release of the DVD/Download :)
Have a gorgeous day
Nat
Comments (6)
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Susan Schultheis
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nathalie-kalbach
That would be cool Susan. I would love to come to Maryland. Who knows :)
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Joi@RR
Welcome Home Nat! Dear me… you are off and running again fast! This was fun to see – although I hate to think of you alone in Texas at the wrong restaurant – ugh. Glad you were rescued :) You look GREAT on your throne!!!! Love the last picture of the four of you together – great smiles!! Looks like it was a great success. REST…. if you can! j.
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nathalie-kalbach
LOL- thank you Joi- yep I am glad I got “rescued” ;) I did rest a bit after the event – and I am fully energized but a bit lazy now ;)
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Denise Spillane
I can confirm that this was a fun and fabulous event! I would do it again in a minute! The only thing better would be two days so we could have more time withe each of you!
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nathalie-kalbach
Denise, thank you so much for coming! It was so good to see you and I agree- a two day event would be fab!
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Europe Workshop Tour- Part 8 – De Craftorij Workshops in The Netherlands
After a couple days of relaxing, Birgit and I went down from the North of The Netherlands to Ede to teach at the De Cratorij Retreat. We had such a great time. We taught the same workshops as in Finland – a Mono printing Class together on saturday and then each of us an art journaling class on sunday.
Thank you so much to Liquitex for supplying all the acrylic media for my Europe Workshop tour! That was amazing!
Lia brought a lot of her store supplies to the hotel and it was pretty thrilling to see all those stamps and stencils of mine at one place – wowsers.
so many stunning pages in the mono printing class
and messy hands ;)
this is our Saturday group
we had a delicious dinner – and of course our table was the loudest!
with Birgit – miss her already!
we had mother and daughters spending a creative day together
and friends coming all the way from Belgium
we had a lot of fun as you can see
and I loved seeing so many familiar faces too -it always makes me super happy to see students again – sometimes years later
and here is Moreg and my sweet friend Marsha- which do not have a picture with – Hey Marsha, how did we forget this?
Such a positive and wonderful group of girls – thank you all for coming!
and then it was sadly time to pack the supplies up…and ooopsss – I guess I got some nice presents – Dutch Hagelslag with minions. Hagelslag are sprinkles that are eaten on sandwiches in The Netherlands. Thank you Helen and Sonja- they make me think of you every time I see the package and we are very excited here every time a minion falls out :)
Thank you Lia for having us – you were a terrific host and we had a wonderful time with you! I cannot wait to see you in January at CHA in Anaheim!
And thanks again to our gorgeous students- You ROCK!!!
That was it from the Europe Tour. The next morning we got up in the middle of the night, drove to Amsterdam and I flew home. But traveling was not quite over yet- stay tuned ;)
Nat
Comments (10)
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Paulien
It was SUPER !!!
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nathalie-kalbach
Paulien – it was wonderful to have you!!!
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Joi@RR
You know what strikes me the most about seeing all your European Tour pictures Nat????? The fact that people all over the world “create” in the same way… doing the same things… smiling and forgetting their cares – loving one another. That probably seems like a strange thing for me to say but when you hear about all the challenges in this world every day – it’s just so refreshing to see how you went all over Europe and spread joy and love and paint! I love your art – you know how much I do. But I also love that you are such a wonderful Ambassador/Mentor/Teacher that can hold hands and love us all – worldwide… sharing, caring and giving across the world… what a great legacy Nat. I so admire you. Big hugs and big thanks…j.
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nathalie-kalbach
Joi – I love love love what you wrote here!!!! I would love to share this comment – it is so true! we are all create the same things, love the same things, care about the same things and want to forget the challenges in the world! Isn’t that a beautiful thing ! Thank you Joi for making my morning with this reminder!
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Morag
It was a great weekend and a whole lot of fun meeting you and Birgit!
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nathalie-kalbach
It was wonderful to meet you Morag! Hope I will see you soon again!
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Marie-Anne Raeman
I enjoyed every minute of it, thank you for the wonderfull reportage of a great weekend
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nathalie-kalbach
Marie-Anne- thank you for coming all the way from Belgium- it was so good to see you again!!!!
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Sue Clarke
Birgit has such a nice smile that her personality jumps right off the post page to tell me that she’s friendly and full of mischief.
The photo at the dinner table and the group class photo are so wonderful. Thanks for sharing your adventures with your loyal fans Nat!-
nathalie-kalbach
Sue – yep- you got it for Birgit – super friendly and full of mischief ;) Good mischief. Hopefully one day I will meet you too and we will smile a big smile at the camera :)
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Europe Workshop Tour- Part 7 – Having a good time in The Netherlands
It was so good and so much fun to spend 4 days at Birgit‘s home in The Netherlands. We know each other for about 7 years (we can not totally figure it out) and we have taught so many times at the same events, shared rooms at CHA, chatted and over the year we really bonded as friends. After Birgit had been at my place last year now finally I got to see her home and meet her family which I essentially saw and hear growing up – but not in real life so far ;)
Besides going to the Groningen Museum, Birgit also took me to her painting class.
Oh goodie- a color wheel in dutch :) But there was nothing to worry- Antje Sonnenschein the artist and teacher is German- I was in good hands. De Ploeg style was the topic of the several week long class- and I had a good time starting a painting of a windmill in Birgits home town Winsum.
Here is how far I got in the class – I will still have to work on it here- but I like it. And I did learn some great new things in the 2 hours and was very inspired and relaxed. I wish Birgit and I could do this more often together.
We did hang out a lot and just chatted and once in a while we took the bike and went grocery shopping.
Where I learned the word for sausage …I might not get the spelling right though ;)
And met Marlijn – who has excellent shirt taste (take that, Julie!- LOL)
And how do Dutch Students move from one place to the other? – Well ….
Birgit in her amazing studio after our day at the H.N. Werkman exhibition.
Enjoying Dutch humor when it comes to signs regarding natural needs of animals
and human beings
Looking at more windmills
and enjoying lunch at a canal
Groninger Mustard Soup with Groninger Country Bread – nom nom
And the beautiful town of Winsum
It was wonderful! Thank you to Birgit and her awesome family for having me! I miss you already ….but for all my readers …Birgit and I still spent more time together at our Workshop in Ede with De Craftorij – so one last Europe Blogpost is coming up :)
Nat
Comments (8)
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Birgit
So much fun to read this and see rhe pictures! It was so good to have you here and I hope we will be able to do it again next year, either here or in the States! Miss you!!! xxx
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nathalie-kalbach
I miss you too girl- cannot wait to see you soon again …we will make it happen! xoxoxo
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Marie-Anne Raeman
Hi, Nathalie i think i remember the first time you two met and shared rooms….I think it was at the first scraptastic event, because then i had aked if you knew each other before, and you shared a room at the godshouse….hope i solved a mistery ;-)
Enjoyed the reading of youre european tour so far-
nathalie-kalbach
Hi Marie-Anne – good thinking – I think that is where I met you the first time :) But I think Birgit and I met the first time at an Workshop we both attended by Elsie Flannigan – I do not know the year anymore- maybe 2006. But I have really god memories of our time together with you at Scraptastic in Belgium back then!
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Joi@RR
Oh Nat – you just no idea how much I have enjoyed all your tour posts… I have ready them all more than once. I don’t know how you do it… traveling for so long and so far… but you look happy/healthy so that makes me smile. Thanks bunches for sharing all your adventures. Praying for you. j.
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nathalie-kalbach
Thank you for reading :) Have a wonderful weekend!!!
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Sue Clarke
Love the signs. Both a place for my dog to poop and for me to pee!
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nathalie-kalbach
hahahaha! Sue, you are funny!
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Artist Quote of the Week – Jackson Pollock
Nat
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Europe Workshop Tour- Part 6 – H.N Werkman Exhibition in Groningen, The Netherlands
From Helsinki Birgit and I flew to Amsterdam and I stayed for a couple days at Birgit’s home, which was awesome and we did so many fun things together- more about it in a different post. One fun thing was that one day we went to the Groninger Museum to see the Werkman Life & Work Exhibition.
Werkman was a printer and artist and a member of the artist dutch avantgarde group De Ploeg . He lived from 1882 – 1945 . “He developed a printmaking process he called “hot printing,” a technique incorporating found materials that added repeated design elements directly onto the paper—all without the use of a printing press.” (Alston Purvis, H.N. Werkman)
Birgit and I were so inspired by the colors and the prints- and ideas- we could hardly contain ourselves and our heads were spinning with ideas and the urge to go home and work on prints ourselves. We were just standing forever in front of each print trying to figure out how he did it. If you have the chance to see some of this work- go and see it – these photos do not do his work justice but I wanted to show them so you get a sense.
This was just amazing! I will share some of my H.N. Werkman inspired Mono prints soon. And I think … a class inspired by this is going to be in order too ;)
Nat
Comments (6)
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Joi@RR
Happy 4th to you too Nat. These pictures – and all the others – are just soooo wonderful. I absolutely love seeing the world thru your eyes. What an amazing prints you have shown is in your pictures… but I just have to say… some of them remind me of your own personal artwork. Can’t wait for you to get home and start painting your versions of some of the pictures you have taken on this trip :) Hugs. j
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nathalie-kalbach
Awe thank you Joi! It is amazing how powerful this inspiration of this visit was :) showing soon what I made inspired by Werkman :) Hugs back!!!
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Denise Spillane
Love this Artist. I always love seeing your posts because I learn a lot. Thanks for introducing us to this artist. So cool. I hope you can add on line class for mono print.
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nathalie-kalbach
thank you Denise -! I will most definitely add a class for mono printing soon – promised :)
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Kathy P
Wow, what an awesome trip you have had, Nat! Glad you could find some time to play amidst your hectic schedules! Love today’s artwork….can’t wait for the mono class!
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nathalie-kalbach
Thank you Kathy :) the Class concept is in my head – now to bring it down ;)
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Europe Workshop Tour- Part 5 – Matka Luovuuteen Workshops in Turku, Finland
After a 2 hour drive from Helsinki we arrived in Turku at our new home and workshop location on the former ferry: Bore. See the picture above? That is around midnight and the darkest it gets two weeks before midsummer in this area of Finland. Around 3 am the sun was fully up again. Pretty insane and hard to adjust to :) But we managed.
Nothing boring about Bore :) This was our fun little cabin – we loved it – very cozy. And then we started our workshops on Saturday- first up Birgit’s and my joined Double Mono Class.
It was the first time that we taught a class together and that means we did really teach it together and it was loads of fun. I think it also showed the students that there is many ways to approach certain results and techniques and to use materials and supplies. We worked well together, which partly comes because we know each other so well and trust each other :)
Our students were awesome- although they shocked us the first minutes when we heard several “Oho”‘ and “Oy”s and we thought something is not right or they dislike the results …but to our relieve we learned that this means “WOW” in Finland- puhhhh, they really got us ;) .
It was special to have the workshop on the ship and also sleep on the ship. In between we went out to snap some fresh air and by saying fresh air- I mean fresh air- it was COLD!
Below our wonderful organizers Minna and Elina with us.
We also had a big surprise on board on the first day- we got serenaded. Too funny- after the singing in Madrid one of the Finnish girls actually commented and said “Don’t expect that in Finland” HA – wrong ;) And man they were good!
We first thought that Elina had organized that but she swears it was a bachelor party walking around and singing and having a good time. Oh well – we will believe her ;)
On the second day Birgit and I taught each an Art Journal class separately. So many wonderful and colorful art journal spreads – FUN.
BTW – look at cute Riikka with her self sewn Marimekko Dress- I WANTTTTT! – and her art journal spread- love it too. But the dress- sigh!
I had so much fun with all the girls- after a whole weekend together you bond and have all kinds of insider jokes and we laughed a lot.
Kiitos Finland – it was amazing and I hope I will see you again some time!!! Thank you Minna and Elina for having us.
Next up will be The Netherlands …you thought you are done with the Europe Tour? Nahhh nahhh – LOL
Have a wonderful day ;)
Nat
Comments (8)
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Gayle
Absolutely delightful to read, see and hear! All the best in next stage of your trip. So very inspiring.
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nathalie-kalbach
Thank you so much Gayle- happy to hear you enjoyed it :)
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Cheryl Johnson
Looks like everyone had a wonderful time. How fun to sleep and make art on a ship! I really like how everyone was serenaded while playing with paint and stencils. Makes me wish I were there. I love all the photos of people’s work.
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nathalie-kalbach
Glad you liked the post Cheryl! I also always love how students make the techniques and materials their own in the classes.
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Lena Holmström
It was so amazing weekend. Thank you Nathalien and Birgit. I had so much fun, so i hope to see you again. Hugs// Lena
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nathalie-kalbach
thank you so much for coming Lena- it was wonderful to meet you!!! hugs back! Nat
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Sue Clarke
Looks like great fun and I so love the designs in those art journals.
How fun to be sung to while on board.-
nathalie-kalbach
Yeah that was fun with the singing -wouldn’ t be as nice though if I would sing ;)
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Artist Quote of the Week – Marc Chagall
Nat
Comments (3)
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Kelly Belton
Me too! Lol. Who knew I was in such illustrious company???
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nathalie-kalbach
LOL Kelly! Yes you are!!!
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Kelly Belton
See Nat – I learn something from you every day! Lol
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WOW! 4 of my fave artists. Maybe one day you will have your Art Journaling Live a little closer to Maryland?? I sure it was a fantastic everything.
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