Author: nathalie-kalbach | Page 69

Sing Your Song – Maura Hibbitts

Hello again from my Creative Squad! Today we have a post from Maura Hibbitts with a simple but elegant project using my Art Deco Fairview stencil along with my Birds rubber stamp set and my Craftsman Motif and Gnarly rubber stamps. The theme is: Sing Your Song – Everybody has their own voice, their own groove, their own one-of-a-kind personality. Sing YOUR Song!

I love music, so to find inspiration for this month, I scrolled through songs I’ve saved, and decided on Lo/Hi by the Black Keys. I really like the rhythm of the Black Keys – I just can’t sit still when I listen to them. The band name makes me think of piano keys, so this led me to working in a simple black and white palette. In the song, there are references to a masquerade, which also makes me think of that color palette. Images of birds in the sky helped me select which stamps to use. Plus, this song reflects a lot of the emotions I am feeling right now, bouncing back and forth between lows and highs, and the feeling of being in a hurricane. Maybe you’ve been feeling like this too…for me, music and art help me get through these times.

On a “Hi” note, I’ve been putting together some art gift bags for friends’ children, and one was a simple kraft bag. I thought it would be fun to decorate it for this month’s project. This is really an easy peasy project.

I started off with the Art Deco Fairview stencil and black and white paint. I laid it on the bottom section of the bag, stenciled a layer of white , then a layer of black with cosmetic sponges. Dry and repeat on the other side.

Keeping with the black and white theme, I stamped the Nightingale in black ink and the Early Bird with white ink on both sides of the bag.

I felt like the birds needed some grounding, so used the Gnarly stamp for them to stand on, and again used the contrasting color of ink.

I wanted to add something at the top of the bag, so chose the Craftsman Motif stamp with its “hi and lo” design, and stamped repeatedly with black ink. This time, since I was stamping on an uneven surface, I did not mount the stamp on an acrylic block.

Final step was to add a bit of white to the motif at the top with a white gel pen. Have to continue the black and white theme, right?

All that is left is to fill the bag with some white tissue paper and the gifts, and I am ready to deliver them!

This really is a simple project that you could do in any theme. Look through your stamps and stencils for ideas. Make it colorful, or keep it simple with just a couple of colors. Keep listening to your music for inspiration in your art, and sing your song!! Be well, Maura

Thank you Maura – love the simplicity of this and that it will bring some joy to a friend :)

Want to give Maura’s project a try? You can find all my Stencils and my Rubber Stamps in my Online Shop. Here are some of the other supplies Maura used:

Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.

Nat

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Where is Tiffany – New Painting

Jersey City Mixed Media Painting

“Where is Tiffany” is another Mixed Media painting inspired by my Strolls through the Hood in Jersey City.

The magnificently dilapidated St. John’s Church was once a showpiece of the community and diocese, lavishly decorated with Tiffany stained glass, Italian marble, and numerous decorations of the highest craft, the church was decommissioned in the 1990’s, stripped of it’s decoration, and left to disrepair and ruin.

The church played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement of the 60s under Reverend Castle and was especially important for the Black Community in our city.

Castle was a a social activist and also actor, you might have seen him in movies like Philadelphia and other movies directed by his cousin Jonathan Demme.

One of the crowning features of the church, the Tiffany windows, were auctioned off long ago and have strangely found their way to a historical museum in Chicago. I am still doing some research on the history of the church and I would love to find out more about the time during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s …just the fact that there is not a lot of information easily to get shows how important it is to make sure the history is not forgotten.

This original painting was made with spray paint, acrylic paint, gouache, collage, and markers on a 10×10” canvas. It is available here.

Nat

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Unheard – Art Journal

Art Deco Summit Art Journal Jersey City

St. John’s church has played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement here in Jersey City and is a historic landmark boarded up and falling apart. I couldn’t think of a better symbol to paint in my art journal while thinking about the events of the last week and present.

I know that some of my readers will criticize the usage of Martin Luther King jun. quote because they will point out, that the destroying of property has to stop. To those I would like to answer in anticipation of this reaction, that yes, it is sad and horrible that property is being destroyed – it is not right, but the killing of innocent black men and the systematic racism in the U.S. and the world has to stop. Let’s set the priorities right.

I am – as hopefully a lot of you – still trying to listen and learn. I want to hear the voices …and this much is clear for me: I want change!

Nat

Comments (3)

Debbie in AZ

June 7, 2020 at 8:40 pm | #

I’m so glad you are speaking up/standing up for what is the ethical, moral, human thing to do. Thank you for amplifying our voices for justice, compassion and change!

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Sue Clarke

June 5, 2020 at 5:56 pm | #

Nice page and quote. Seems hard for folks to hear that the rioting may be wrong, but the protesting is so right.
I don’t have any easy answers, just hoping for some change.

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VIVIAN ZELLERS

June 5, 2020 at 9:15 am | #

THANK YOU for speaking out. We ALL need to consider the WHY not just the WHAT that is happening! We must
demand the change that is needed. THANK YOU

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Artist Quote of the Week – Anselm Kiefer

Anselm Kiefer Artist Quote Quote

Nat

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Sing Your Song – Jennifer Gallagher

Bird Creative Squad Early Bird Jugendstil Motif Mini Motifs Santiago Stencil

Hello from my Creative Squad! We are kicking off a new theme this month with a fun secret and clever little art journal page from Jennifer Gallagher. She is using my Santiago stencil, my Early Bird stamp, and my Jugendstil stamp. The theme is: Sing Your Song – Everybody has their own voice, their own groove, their own one-of-a-kind personality. What is something unique about YOU that you are proud of? Don’t be shy, Sing YOUR Song!

This month the Creative Squad is singing a song about what makes each of us uniquely us! We all have our own voice and talents. Not many people know it, but I love to sing. I can’t work on an art project or even wash a load of dishes without singing along to my favorite playlists. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m not half bad. It’s our secret. So this month, I’m literally singing my song in this fun art journal page. Let’s get started.

I’m working in my small dylusions journal. I placed Nat’s Santiago stencil down and put Bright Aqua Green acrylic paint through the square designs in the stencil with a makeup sponge. Next, I painted Light Blue Violet acrylic paint through the rest of the stencil design.

Using a cosmetic sponge I dab a little Ultramarine Blue fluid acrylic paint onto the small squares in the design.

I drew directly onto the page with Marabu Art Crayons in Flesh and Pomegranate and rubbed the color with my finger.

Using a Marabu Art Crayon in caramel, I highlighted the areas around the dark blue square and spread the color with my finger.

I edged my page with a little Payne’s Grey on a cosmetic sponge.

I cut a piece of Grafix Clear Craft Plastic and cut a sheet the same size as my journal page, eight inches by five inches.I attached it to the journal with Dina Wakley Media washi tape.

Using black archival ink, I stamped Nat’s Jugendstil stamp over the green squares. The stamp will slide easily on this material so stamp with care. Also, keep in mind it will take a few minutes for the ink to dry on the plastic so be sure not to smear it.

I wanted to stamp Nat’s Early Bird stamp on the page but the orientation was going the opposite direction that I wanted. So, I stamped the bird onto the “wrong” side of the craft plastic. This causes the image to face the direction that I wanted.

Next, I drew lines from the birds beak and around each dark blue square with a black fine-point acrylic paint marker. The finishing touch is a few stickers from Tim Holtz clippings sticker set.

Well that is it for this art journal page. Stamping with Nat’s stamps onto the craft plastic really gives the page some extra pizzazz. It is also a great way to change the orientation of some of your stamps. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Crack open that art journal and sing your song.

Thank you Jennifer – love the Grafix trick and loved learning your secret love of singing :)

Give it a try: you can find all my Stencils and Rubber Stamps in my Online Shop and here are some of the other supplies Jennifer used:

Nat

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Be Stubborn – Art Journal

Art Journal Tokyo Stencil Wabi Sabi

“Be stubborn about your goals and flexible about your methods…”

For my background I used some bright colors of acrylic paint and gouache, my Wabi Sabi rubber stamp set, my Tokyo stencil, and spray paint. I think having the two scales of this pattern together with the Tokyo stencil and the Wabi Sabi stamps is a nice visual mix.

For the figure I used a bamboo sketching pen and I stamped the back of the deli paper and painted over it, then I pasted it down with gel medium.

I used one of my favorite calligraphy journaling pens and posca markers for a little color.

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

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Piece of the Pie – New Painting

Jersey City Mixed Media Painting

“A Piece of Pie” was inspired by my Strolls through the Hood in Jersey City, and specifically an abandoned warehouse building in my hood.

The building looks like a piece of pie when you look at the satellite view. The history of this building is unbeknownst to me, although real estate records indicate that it is sold every few years for not too much money. Someone gets a piece of gentrification pie when that happens.

I used spray paint, acrylic paint, gouache, collage, and markers on the 10×10” canvas.

The building is for sure an interesting landmark and I really would love to know more about the history of this building. It would make an amazing art and community center as well.

“A Piece of Pie” is available in my store and I would love to give this painting a new home.

Nat

Comments (2)

g z

June 5, 2020 at 9:13 am | #

I love the building paintings that you have been doing! I love the whole look, but look at a smaller part and try to figure out how you do it. The colors are wonderful and refreshing.

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Sue Clarke

May 30, 2020 at 5:12 pm | #

Another gorgeous one Nat!
I need more wall space.

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