Stroll Through the Hood – December 2022

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 got our tree for the living room – it is huge and fills the room with a gorgeous smell! Every morning I sit here with my first coffee and a cat on the lap and read the news …brings me joy

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.

Wonderful wood rose window in this gothic style church. One day I would love to see the church from the inside.

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.

And lastly this gorgeous color combo on the house with the green and mauve and pastel yellow and the wonderful foliage. I find this highly inspirational.

Hope you enjoyed the stroll this month – see you next month :)

Comments (4)

  • Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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    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.

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    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.

    Reply

  • rzwick2att-net

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    I admire the cat tree, too! Thank you for taking us along on another stroll. I love your neighborhood!

    Reply

  • Robin

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    I love the cat ladder! So fun. Your home looks beautiful. Enjoy Christmas and the slower pace!

    Hugs

    Reply

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Free Shipping Days 2022 are Here!

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?

Here are some fun items you might have put your eyes on before:

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!

Or you are still looking for an original painting or print to give to a special loved one this holiday season …and after all- giving art makes a lot of people happy- the recipient, the giver and the artist – WIN WIN WIN!

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!

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Memories – Art Journal

“Sometimes you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory”

This is a photo I found and to be honest, I have no idea where it came from – was it from a box of my great aunt, was it something I found at a flea market? In any event I found it again, put it on my work bench for later use and accidentally had some spray paint get on it…making the image even more blurry. ..hence ..this is the store how this page with it’s quote came along ;)
I used my Downtown Stencil for the background – moving it around and spraying it over with acylic spray paint in different colors. I also used an old napkin with a german beer quote and some snippets I had in my stash. I love rummaging through my collage drawer to see what could fit my idea for a page.

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Videos from the Creative Squad – Part 4

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:

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Cities for Everybody – Art Journal

“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because and only when they are created by everybody” Jane Jacobs

I used another page of the 2022 Artist Almanac calendar with my artwork – at the time I am writing this blogpost I am not sure if the new – 2023 Artist Almanac Calendar is still available in my store- but check it out if you are interested – I had a lot of fun playing with the 2022 version.

The page is based on this original artwork “Highline”

2015
Acrylic Paint, Spray paint, marker 12×16″ – Available for Purchase
For the background I used my Star Struck Stencil and some Liquitex Spray paint. I filled in some of the grid with green acrylic marker to pick up the green in the collage paper.

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A Look Back – Just Stencils and Words

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 :)

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Art Stroll – Unstored, Assembly

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

The textures on the different materials he uses in his work are amazing
This canvas- made with sand and spraypainted over- I believe!

Tania Candiani created this sound installation:

inviting you to try the bellows out to make those birds sing.

Ugo Rondinone showed a couple of those stone faces – the instagram page makes me want to see even more of the work!

Downstairs was another room with some work by Izumi Kato as well as by Boso. I loved the Izumi Kato chairns- sometimes hidden in the niches.
I enjoyed this exhibition that will be still at the Assembly until May 1, 2023. If you are in the area of Monticello in NY definitely put this gallery on your list!

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Artist Almanac 2023 Calendars are HERE

The page a day 2023 Artist Almanac calendars are here in my shop and ready to ship to you! Supplies are limited, so grab yours as fast as you can :)

The 2023 Artist Almanac, if you haven’t already heard, is a page a day style calendar and each page has different artwork by one of the 19 participating artists:

Nat Kalbach, Birgit Koopsen, DeeDee Catron, Tina Walker, Shawn Petite, Megan Whisner Quinlan, Leaca Young, Tiffany Goff-Smith, Kristin Petersen, Amanda Spence, Lisa Goddard, Arlyna Blanchard, Anna Karena, Seth Apter, LaQuisha Hall, Roxanne Padgett, Denise Lush, Renee Mueller, Ann Barnes

As you tear pages off, they become collage papers, so that means 365 different collage papers for all your mixed media creations. It’s a pretty awesome idea and I was stoked to be one of the artists chosen to participate.

Last year I sold out of those puppies in about 24 hours, so hurry up if you want to grab yours.

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