“It’s scary when things change. It’s scary when things stay the same.”
Isn’t that the truth.
For this spread I just stamped with different versafine stamp pads using my new Foam Stamps like the Church. I also used some of my other stamps like the Solid Triangle Small from Triangle Love and the Fan-fare rubber stamp set.
I filled in some of the details with markers like here in the Brownstone foam stamp.
And here is the Powerhouse foam stamp with some details highlighted.
Here is a tip – After using ink, clean your stamps with water and a soft brush to make sure ink does not transfer to your next project or other inkpads.
You get such a clear and complete image when you stamp.
I have had some luck using Julie’s suggestion to stamp with a mat underneath, but I still get bothered by incomplete images.
Maybe it’s the “perfect” side of my brain. I continue to strive to let go. Nice new set of stamps Nat!
My latest ArtFoamies foam stamp designs are released today! I am excited about this grouping as some are familiar and others are newly inspired by my Stroll Through the Hood walks and paintings :)
First let me introduce some of those newbies:
First up is Row Houses – a neighborhood scene of 4 lovely houses, all lined up and full of architectural detail. This is based on my “Neo Greek to Me” painting and a spot in my neighborhood that always catches my eye.
Next up is Church – inspired by St. John’s Church in my hood and my painting “Where is Tiffany” that considers the whole story behind that building.
Next we have a familiar face – Lady Liberty – from my Stroll through the Hood rubber stamps but this one is BIG and BOLD. I am already loving how it has a street art vibe to it.
Hydrant is another that first made its debut in my Stroll Through the Hood rubber stamps. It’s such a fun design that I thought it’d be perfect as a BIG foam stamp too.
Powerhouse is another familiar one and this one I’m excited about because it is almost the same size as the rubber stamp version. You can use them together for an offset print. Pretty cool, eh?
And finally, Brownstone – another favorite from the Stroll rubber stamps too and again, similar in size to the rubber stamp version so lots of layering fun is possible!
I can’t wait to play more with these designs and share some of my projects. I’m digging how bold they are and am thinking about some future play date projects on other surfaces. In the meantime, I hope you check out the new foam stamps here and get inspired too!
It has been a while since I blogged about the many Murals that you will find in Jersey City and after a recent Mural Festival I thought it would be time to get out on the bike and check out the new murals that popped up and make it separate ArtStroll instead of adding it just to my usual Stroll Through the Hood Posts.
I love the mix of paste up and spray paint on this mural!
This Bridge is not the most pleasant area not because of safety concerns in regards to people but as I told my friend Kim jokingly ..if a drop falls down on me from the top …will it burn a whole into my skin? Urban Humor I guess ;) Let’s sweep that concern under the concrete ;)
Concrete Jungle that is!
I love that the balcony above the eyes says “I am Paralyzed”
I am always amazed about how much spray paint just glows and vibrates and I love how the texture of the bridge pillar is so visible.
Stunning Mural – and as you can see with the door and car as a reference …pretty pretty big!
It is so much fun to see the different murals – Love the “Stay Hungry” and “Keep Rockin” phrases and all the different fonts created!
The red stairs and the broken ceiling to the warehouse make this dragon even cooler!
Look at the depiction on the right of this mural and then check out Jesse Kreuzer’s post about it on instagram. Unfortunately it looks like something was painted over this- I didn’t realize it when I was spinning around to take the picture but now I want to go back and check it.
I love the staggered look of different murals on this building and there was even a couple in their wedding attire to take some photos. What a great idea for some cards. And how funny that nowadays people are just embracing murals versus years and years ago people would just see it as vandalism. Things have changed a lot.
Slaves Of The Algorithm – awesome commentary on today’s social media insanity by
Love this!
I just love the whole scene- the graffiti, the pipes, broken concrete, different textures on the wall – things like this give me a buzz!
How cool is this? One of the bridge pillars and after painting the background probably just done with one of those super duper thick graffiti markers. This makes me want to go and create a pattern similar into my art journal.
Hope you enjoyed this little JC Art Stroll. I will do another one very soon and show you some more new murals in my hood :)
These are really art! Do you know if people get permission to create them? I figure they must take a while and one could get “caught”. They are much more creative than the graffiti that I used to see in the city around MA.
Sue, that is a great question. Jersey City actually has a very extensive Mural program and lot of world renown street artists have left their mark here. A lot of these new murals in this post were created during a Mural Festival, which I unfortunately missed. Often times you see non permanent murals or graffiti also on construction fences – which I believe is also with kind of a “Permission” …You are right, those really big murals are almost impossible to do in the middle of the night since there is a lot of work, and machinery involved.
THANKS again Natalie for this mural stroll.
I have gone ‘off the beaten path’ to view murals in small town and cities.
Abandoned building, bridges, storage buildings, etc. have become the canvases and it is no longer a crime
for street artists to express.
Thanks also for recognizing these artists!
So glad you enjoyed it Vee. It is really interesting how now it is not seen as vandalism in most parts anymore- although occasionally a post pops on one of the neighborhood groups asking to have the murals or graffiti removed. I am in awe by most of those artists skills!
Thank you to all who joined us for the ArtCollab Episode 5 zoomcast – Sarah and I loved having you for our chat about The Art of Self Care. Did you miss it? Don’t worry, you can watch a recording of it below and also read about our next episode, coming up on Tuesday, August 3rd.
Here is what we covered:
In this episode, Sarah and I talk about the importance of Self Care and we offer our tips on how to rest and reset so that we can be our best selves. The past year has left many of us feeling overwhelmed, and now with everything opening back up we are again feeling the pressure to do it all. Even if you love your job, are busy pursuing your dreams, or are balancing a very full plate, making time for yourself is crucial to your health, your ability to care for others, and your ability to make art.
How you make time for yourself and what you do to relax is a personal thing and may take some time to figure out. Living in the moment, reclaiming your vacation time, making art just for yourself, trying new hobbies and types of art, chatting with friends in person, reconnecting with loved ones, and maybe just enjoying the silence are all things to try. The important thing is that you make the time – schedule it and don’t give it up. Self Care is not selfish.
In this episode Sarah and Nat are meeting with Pass the Brush organizer Rachel Juanita Bellamy. In 2020 the Pass the Brush event paired up Sarah and Nat and it prompted them to get to know each other better. Pretty soon they had forged a lovely new friendship and jumped into several creative projects together (including these ArtCollab zoomcasts). They will chat with Rachel about the benefits of artistic collaboration, the importance of elevating others, what has changed since the Pass the Brush event last year, and what challenges remain. Tune in to join us and contribute to the conversation with Questions and in the Chat.
Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have a lovely letter to Mother Earth from Robin Seiz using my Triple Play and Funky foam stamps and our theme: Dear Mother Earth – Our planet Earth is an amazing and beautiful gift to all of us. Let’s write her a letter, telling her just how we feel. This could be an actual letter/mail art, an art journal page, or some other mixed media project.
The theme this month is Mother Earth; she has a strong pull on me. From an early age, I was happiest swimming in streams, looking for tadpoles, and exploring the woods. Now my appreciation for Mother Earth is more about spending time doing things that bring quiet and peace. Vegetable gardening, pulling weeds, hiking, strolls on the beach, all feed my soul.
For my project this month, I have written a letter to Mother Earth to tell her what she means to me and to thank her for all that she provides. The last few months have been difficult caring for my sick mom; I have been reminded how much being in nature is important to my well-being.I have written this letter to document this time in my life and my refections. I plan to put my letter in an envelope, seal it and put it away for a later time. It wasn’t important that it be legible in the end, I’ll remember this time.
Using recycled material was important to me; after all, taking care of Mother Earth is important. I knew I want to use some collage elements so I chose papers I had in my stash which reminded me of the elements of nature. I didn’t use it all, but it gave me a place to start. I also used brown recycled package wrapping as the base for the project. I cut it to an 8” x 11 sheet.
Next, I wrote my letter in black pen; the words flowed easily.
I wanted the writing to fade into the background. After I put my feelings down, it was no longer important for them to be legible. I used gesso to cover some of the writing. I applied it carefully so that some words would show.
Next I used diluted PVA to apply the collage elements. I chose green textured paper, blue gelli printed paper that was in my scrap box, and a natural tan paper with fibers that reminded me of leaves. I wanted the elements of Mother Earth to be represented.
After the collage elements were adhered to the paper, I used Nathalie’s Funky Foam Stamp which reminded me of twigs and Versa Fine Clair Ink. This stamp is so versatile. I also used one of the foam stamps from the Triple Play foam stamp set. Both of these were perfect for this project.
Having this prompt of Mother Earth came at the perfect time for me. I felt compelled to write a letter and express my sincere thanks for the peace and soulfulness that she has given me throughout my life. If you do art journaling, this would make a great journal page idea. I love the idea of writing a letter, sealing it, and putting it away for someday in the future.
Thank you for sharing your story and inspiration behind this beautiful piece Robin. I love the idea of putting it in an envelope to revisit in the future too!
Give it a try: you can find all my Foam Stamps in my Online Shop and in addition to various collage papers, here are some of the supplies Robin used:
Happy Monday my friends – time for another pattern in my big vintage ledger! For this one I used my Solid Fan Large, Fan-Tastic Large, and Mini Motifs rubber stamps. I kept this one simple and bold with that solid fan. Check it out in the following video:
Here is a look at the finished pattern and the stamps I used:
I’m sharing a gorgeous envelope transformation from Creative Squad member Judi Kauffman today. Instead of just recycling the shipping envelope her new stencils arrived in, Judi decided to give it new life and we love the results!
Judi received my new StencilClub mash-up stencils in the mail -the stencils are exclusive for StencilClub members, and you can learn more about that here and get the new 3 stencil set.
She shared her process with us:
“I cut the shipping envelope from the stencils along two sides and rounded one corner to turn it into a storage folder for the new release. I painted the edges and trimmed down a piece of gift wrap to fit between the two raised strips at the sides (cut edges at left, right and bottom but left it torn across the top). Then more stenciling with the pattens (but no more elephants…). I had the words “to keep” among my found poetry snippets and that seemed like the right text to add at the top edge.”
“I always keep the StencilGirl shipping envelopes to use as storage folders for my stencils, just hadn’t decorated any of them till now. I like being able to see the contents without digging inside.”
Fantastic idea Judi! Thank you for sharing.
Here is a link to the StencilClub so you can get a hold of these exclusive July 2021 stencils and begin decorating your own StencilGirl envelopes too :)
For over a year now I have been painting my Stroll Through the Hood buildings not only on canvas but also into an old ledger from 1840. It looks like the giant ledger book was used for tax collections of a ward and given that my paintings are about changes and gentrification – it makes sense to me. If I will ever be able to fill the book? I don*t know but here are some of the little paintings in the ledger so far which some of you might have seen already on instagram.
In the beginning I would add a lot of background patterns to the pages.
But then this became less and less until I wanted to have the ledger just show and speak for itself.
Almost all of the paintings on canvas I did with those buildings are sold and I love that I have a little record of the paintings in my Stroll Through the Hood Ledger.
They are also part of a story of what happened in the world – pandemic, social injustice, my thoughts- each building has it’s story in the past and the now but also the story of my story with them. Going through those paintings tell the story of lots of emotions in the past year.
What happens with this ledger if I ever fill it up? It is not even filled up all the way in regards to the initial collection record – will I make it to the blank pages? I don*t know …it is not important …I really just enjoy my time in this magnificent book.
And maybe in another 180 years someone else will find this book and use it for another purpose and story …that would be cool …there is comfort in the thought …it would mean this planet made it …and that’s the story of “Another one in the Ledger” …there you have it :)
This is such a fantastic blog. I loved reading about your ongoing journey with this ledger. It’s so cool you gave it another life and perhaps another will do the same. The paintings are so lovely too! Yay! ❤️
I wonder how the paper will hold up for another 180 years?
Such a wonderful collection in one book!
And I love the idea of someone coming across it in the future and they will be thrilled and wonder about the story of a ledger that is so well painted and created.
Today we have a series of cards from Creative Squad member Judi Kauffman. Is anyone else out there dreaming of the sea???
Judi is mixing up a lovely palette of colors and using a gelli plate along with my new StencilClub mash-up stencils for these cards and I’m really digging the subtle layers of pattern and color that she’s created. The stencils are exclusive for StencilClub members, and you can learn more about that here and get the new 3 stencil set.
In the meantime, let’s look at some of these cards:
Judi used clear stickers for the words and phrases and it creates a seamless unity between the card’s sentiment and background.
She did her gelli prints on navy blue cardstock – giving them a nice depth of color.
Comments (1)
Sue Clarke
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You get such a clear and complete image when you stamp.
I have had some luck using Julie’s suggestion to stamp with a mat underneath, but I still get bothered by incomplete images.
Maybe it’s the “perfect” side of my brain. I continue to strive to let go. Nice new set of stamps Nat!
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