Blog: Mixed Media

Blooper Reel! Acrylic Painting Workshop Outtakes

KalbachDVD Collage

Last year in November I went to the F+W studio to record some Acrylic Painting Workshop videos, which are being released at the moment. But…because I like to laugh…I thought, you might enjoy this blooper reel with all kinds of silly outtakes from the 4 day shoot.

Did you hear me snort? I snort when I laugh hysterically, are you a “laugh-snorter” too?

I hope you laughed as much as I did because, hey – we all need a good laugh once in a while ;)

I will share all links to the videos and more about the content soon :) I promise that the videos are seriously loaded with tons of information and techniques!

Have a wonderful day

Nat

Comments (8)

  • Margie

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    That was so funny…You all really enjoy your work day. Looking forward to the workshops.

    Reply

  • Joi@RR

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    YES, Yes, YESSSSSSSSSss… I am still laughing. Totally cracked me up Nat. This is just INCREDIBLY fun…. heheheheheheh. Love your laughter and even your snort – eheheheheh!! PRICELESS!!! XXj.

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    Thanks for the morning giggle Nat.
    You have such a playful nature!

    Reply

  • Gayle

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    LOL! That was so endearing you guys!

    Reply

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Won’t Be Easy or … In My Art Journal Today

AJKalbachWorthIt01

“It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it”

I have to remind myself ;) This page started actually out as a demo page in class and I had shown my students how to apply gesso over a pre-painted page and then scratch into the still wet gesso to reveal the under layer. This is a technique called sgraffito.

AJKalbachWorthIt034

Once the gesso was dry, I stamped loosely parts of the Urban Scribble rubber stamp and parts of the Mish Mesh stamp onto the background.

AJKalbachWorthIt02

I cut some self adhesive canvas sheet for journaling, fringed the edges and added some titanium white before journaling because i didn’t like the stark white of the canvas pieces.

AJKalbachWorthIt03

It was a fun page ….actually easy and still worth it ;)

Here is a list of the supplies I used:

SuppliesCJS



I wish you a wonderful day !!!

 

Nat

Comments (1)

  • Joi@RR

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    What an art journal treat this is Nat. I have never tried scratching thru paint like that but… I”m ready now!!! Might just try it today!! It looks wonderful and so do the stamps. Perfect background for your very chic gal. Love her outfit and face. You always inspire me girl. Thanks bunches! Have a happy Sunday and a super fine week. Hugs. j

    Reply

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Opposites Attract – Marsha Valk

CS Opposites Attract logo

It is another Tuesday and therefore time for my Creative Squad to show you a fun project. The theme for March is Opposites Attract and the team will use my new Bird Foam Stamp, Rubber Stamp and Stencil Set. Just as opposite colors on a color wheel highlight one another, or yin and yang fit together so comfortably, sometimes the best is brought out when we celebrate extreme differences!

We’re very excited to share with you the very colorful, layered mono prints by Marsha Valk.  Take a look at her nifty interpretation of our theme!

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Marsha March Headshot

 

My thoughts on the theme ‘Opposites Attract’ were positive vs. negative and opposite colours on the colour wheel. And that immediately made me think… monoprints!
MarshaValk_nStudioCS_OppositesAttract-2
I started with sketching different placements on a scrap of paper so I could figure out how many masks and stencils I would need of the bird shape. Turned out I needed one stencil and three masks. I made them by stamping the solid foam bird shape onto transparencies and scraps of paper and then cutting them out.
MarshaValk_nStudioCS_OppositesAttract-5
I decided to use my 6 x 6 inch Gelli Plate so I could have a nice white border around my monoprinted images. I started with the yellow/purple print: added black acrylic paint to the Gelli Plate, put my handmade bird stencil on top, masked off part of the stencil with a handmade bird shape mask and then pulled the print and cleaned the plate.
I added yellow paint to the plate, positioned my bird stencil on the print with repositionable adhesive, pulled another print and cleaned the plate.
MarshaValk_nStudioCS_OppositesAttract-4 ver2
When the print was dry I masked off three birds on the paper using repositionable adhesive. Then I added purple paint to the Gelli Plate, created a pattern on top using the stencil and masks that come with the Bird Foam Stamp and pulled a print on a scrap piece of paper. Then I removed the stencil and masks and pulled a ghost print with my original paper.
Once I had removed all masks and any adhesive residue that was left on my print, I stamped the foam stamp bird with yellow paint on top of the negative (white) bird shape and the cling rubber bird with black ink on top of the yellow bird shape.
MarshaValk_nStudioCS_OppositesAttract-3
The second print was created in a similar way, but this time my black ghost print background didn’t work out as I wished. So I ended up adding another green colour and I stenciled the plant shapes over it with white paint.
MarshaValk_nStudioCS_OppositesAttract-6
The last print on blue paper was a ghost print that I pulled to clean the Gelli Plate and that I stamped over with the foam stamp bird.
MarshaValk_nStudioCS_OppositesAttract-7
Monoprinting like this is always a puzzle and rest assured that I had a few misprints too. I will keep those around for other projects! Whilst choosing my paint colours, I discovered that I hardly ever go for opposites on the colour wheel. It was fun to try this with a limited colour palette, out of my comfort zone!
MarshaValk_nStudioCS_OppositesAttract-1
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I love how Marsha showed how to use all three stamp surfaces together, by creating a reverse print of the solid foam stamp, and using the patterned side of it to stamp on top.  The layering and colors are super intriguing.
Besides the supplies listed below, Marsha also used black and blue cardstock to create these prints:
SuppliesCJS



Maybe you will even play along -we would love to see how you interpret the theme – email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share what you did at the beginning of next month!

See you next Tuesday for the another project with the theme ‘Opposites Attact’.

Nat

Comments (6)

  • A Year of Favorites from 2016

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    […] Creative Squad joined our team for a week of mixed media fun! You can see from this peek at Marsha Valk’s project during the hop that it was full of vibrant […]

    Reply

  • Karen Petitt

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    Please come teach me how to use a Gelli plate like that! Your projects are stunning. And the more I see of these new stamps the more I want them. Many thanks for the blog hop, the fabulous inspiration and for sharing your art with us Karen x

    Reply

  • gwenlafleur

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    Love how these turned out! Such cool compositions… and I really love your interpretation of the theme!

    Reply

  • Joi@RR

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    So unique and fun Marsha. What great colors. It’s so amazing to see how Nat’s birds look so different in so many settings. HAPPY ST. PATRICK’s DAY!!! j.

    Reply

  • Michelle LaPoint Rydell

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    Beautiful work with the theme Marsha! I love your opposite colors, and how you layered the birds!

    Reply

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At 2nd Glance or … In My Art Journal Today

2ndGlance01_NatKalbach

“You’d be surprised how much you have in common at 2nd glance!”

On this page I used teal acrylic spray paint over a stencil and then covered the spread with translucent orange acrylic paint taking off some of the paint while still wet to reveal the color underneath.

2ndGlance02_NatKalbach

I stamped the silhouette side and the pattern side of the Elephant Foam Stamp with baltic blue acrylic paint onto the art journal spread. For the elephant rubber stamp, also in the set, I applied paint through a dauber bottle and then stamped on top of the elephant silhouette created with the foam stamp. I had mixed the paint in the dauber using 1/2 of Unbleached Titanium White Soft Body Acrylic Paint and 1/2 Titanium White Acrylic Ink. I love the texture the dauber creates but also the easy application method.

2ndGlance03_NatKalbach

Then I painted a turquoise border -actually only to try out the new paint I had just received ;)  Next I cut heart shapes out of a sheet of deli paper which I had used to run off paint and stamps while demoing and applied them with some Matte Gel Medium.

I flicked some black ink with a brush to tie the hearts into the background and added some black lines with a fine liner to the border. The fineliner is filled with a mix of 1/2 Black Carbon Acrylic Ink and Mars Black Soft Body Acrylic Paint.

The journaling was added with a black acrylic marker overwritten with a white Signo pen – my go to pen when it comes to white journaling pens.

2ndGlance04_NatKalbach

Here is a list of the supplies I used:

SuppliesCJS

Can you tell I am still obsessed with elephants? What animal do you like to use in your art?

Nat

Comments (3)

  • lorenagm07

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    I just picked up the elephant stamp set @ My Hearts Fancy. Can’t wait to use it. I love the color combination!
    That is a good question, I didn’t realize that I don’t use very many animals in my art but the one that I seen always go for are bees. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  • Joi@RR

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    GREAT COLORS – wow. What a fun page. So vibrant and unique. Love the sentiment too – hehehehe – so true!!! I’d be obsessed with elephants too if I created LUSCIOUS ones like you do Nat!!! I have used a bunch of animals in my art but strangely enough – my favorite animal, I have never used – a rooster. One of these days I am going to have to remedy that!!! I recently did a painting with Puffins in it – now THAT was a trip – they are funny creatures!!! Have a super fine week sweet girl. XX j.

    Reply

  • Delores Azary

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    I love elephants too! Thanks for feeding my obsession with your stencils and new stamp set! Love these pages ❤️

    Reply

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Opposites Attract – Cheiron Brandon

CS Opposites Attract logo

It is another Tuesday and therefore time for my Creative Squad to show you a fun project. The theme for March is Opposites Attract and the team will use my new Bird Foam Stamp, Rubber Stamp and Stencil Set. Just as opposite colors on a color wheel highlight one another, or yin and yang fit together so comfortably, sometimes the best is brought out when we celebrate extreme differences!

So here is the gorgeous Cheiron Brandon with her beautiful interpretation of the theme in form of an art journal page

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Cheiron March Headshot

I had all kinds of thoughts when I heard the theme “opposites attract”.  I decided that since I love bright rainbow colors so much, I would try to mix up some paints that were a bit of a different palette this month for my art journal page. So for me my opposite was to start out with colors I would not normally use.  I mixed up a bunch of pastel greens, yellows and pink and just went with it!
cheiron thoughts fly by page
I created the pink background with a brayer, then used a stamp from the Kaffee Klatsch stamp set along with some yellow paint to create some texture on the background. I gave my page a border using the Batik stencil.
cheiron thoughts fly by 1_
I wanted to create a scene for my bird so I used the stencil included in the Bird Foam stamp set to create a little garden. I layered the “trees” in different greens and then painted around them with acrylic ink to make them pop a bit. To create the bird I painted some blues onto a separate piece of paper and once it was dry, I stamped over it with the outline bird from the Bird Foam stamp set that I “inked” up with black paint using a foam tool.
cheiron thoughts fly by 2
Once I created my bird, I added some more trees to ground him to the page. Once he was all done, I added a tiny crown, some lavender splatter and a few words to complete the page.
Not my normal color palette, but in the end I love how the colors look!  It’s always great to try something new :)
cheiron thoughts fly by 3
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 I hope you enjoy Cheiron’s project as much as I do. I love how she stamped the patterned bird side of the foam stamp on a pre-painted piece of paper and then cut it out, as well as her layering of the stencil shapes in the background and in the foreground. And the crown…too cute!
Besides the supplies listed below, Cheiron also used acrylic paints, music sheet paper and a pencil to create this art journal page:
SuppliesCJS



Maybe you will even play along -we would love to see how you interpret the theme – email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share what you did at the beginning of next month!

See you next Tuesday for the another project with the theme ‘Opposites Attact’.

Nat

Comments (6)

  • Karen Petitt

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    I love how you have used this new bird, in fact checking back through the posts I have been completely and utterly inspired by all of the DT! The way you have used colour and the paints really works for me because it feels like it’s something I too could achieve! Many thanks for the blog hop, the fabulous inspiration and for sharing your art with us Karen x

    Reply

  • Joi@RR

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    Bright, springish, and fun Cheiron. You made a lovely world for Nat darling bird! j.

    Reply

  • Gwen L.

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    Great page Cheiron! I love the way you used the stencils to create a scene… and the little crown on the bird! Great idea to use colors that are the opposite of your usual palette – I love that idea!

    Reply

  • Michelle LaPoint Rydell

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    This is such a beautiful page Cheiron! I LOVE the colors you used, and the way you created a scene with the stamps and stencils – the stamps in the background make awesome clouds! Cute crown too!

    Reply

  • Miriam Prantner

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    Wonderful page! I love the bright pink with the greens and how that cool blue of the bird contrasts.

    Reply

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What’s Right or … In My Art Journal Today

WhatsRight01

“Stand for what is right even if it means standing alone!”

For this art journal spread I used my new DecoArt Media Acrylic Paints which the wonderful people of DecoArt sent me to try out. They are fluid and most of the colors in this range are transparent or translucent which makes for some nice and interesting layering effects as you can see where I played with a hand cut diamond stencil in the background.

 

WhatsRight02

I used my new Fashion Dame Stamp Set

Fashion Dame Stamp Set

and layered the three included stamps – the dame, her skirt and her jacket on top of each other – stamping with archival ink and then painted it in with  DecoArt Media Acrylic Paint and some Derwent ArtBars.

WhatsRight04

I also used the stencil in the stamp set and mixed white DecoArt Crackle Paste with some Primary Yellow Acrylic Paint and scraped it with a palette knife over through the stencil. I might have squealed a little bit …after a short drying time these tiny little perfect cracks started to appear and oh boy…I think this Crackle Paste and I just became buddies!

WhatsRight03

It was fun playing with new paints and a new medium! Not knowing a art medium a hundred percent frees you up to experiment and give new things a shot, it made for a great journey for this spread :)

What was the last new art medium you tried out?

 

SuppliesCJS



Nat

Comments (2)

  • Joi@RR

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    I too am playing with various DecoArt products!

    You are right – there is so much dimension on this page – just from the paints – it’s amazing. The crackle looks super too. So glad you got some time to experiment and play Nat. It’s a lovey page – especially that great looking gal you created!!! XX j.

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    I really like how the stamp and stencil go together with such style.
    Reminds me of the dresses that you’ve shared with us over the years (that you’ve worn). I’ve actually re-discovered fine magic markers again.

    Reply

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Opposites Attract – Gwen Lafleur

CS Opposites Attract logo

I am so excited as this is the first Tuesday for my Creative Squad to show you a fun project. The theme for March is Opposites Attract and the team will use my new Bird Foam Stamp, Rubber Stamp and Stencil Set. Just as opposite colors on a color wheel highlight one another, or yin and yang fit together so comfortably, sometimes the best is brought out when we celebrate extreme differences!

So here is the wonderful Gwen Lafleur with her amazing and stunning interpretation of the theme in form of an art journal page

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Gwen March Headshot

For the this month’s theme of “opposites attract,” I decided to interpret it in two ways. You can see lots of complementary colors used throughout the piece, but the main way I created “opposites” was by contrasting bright / shiny / new with old / rusty / brown. I tend to use this type of contrast in a lot in my work, so I thought it would be fun to really emphasize it for this piece.

Opposites - Bird Stamp Art Journal Page - Gwen Lafleur

To make the page, I created a background with black gesso and layered some color on top to create a kind of distressed look, but using a mix of bright and dark colors. To add more old / new contrast, I used the Circuit stencil with gold ink. For the birds, I stamped each side of the foam stamp plus the rubber stamp on cardstock, then decorated each of them separately.
 Opposites-Bird-Stamp-Art-Journal-Page-Close-ups2-Gwen-Lafleur-e1456529458962
The bottom bird used the rubber stamp, and he’s all about bright colors, beads, gloss and shine. The middle bird used the detailed side of the foam stamp and he’s a fun little hybrid. I made the top look rusty, but layered shiny dimensional paints on top. I cut out a section from the bottom following the lines of the stamp and added some fabric – it’s vintage sari fabric, but it has shiny sequins on it. The top bird is from the solid side of the foam stamp and is all old and rusty with no shine or bright colors. I used acrylic paints, texture paste, and Viva Rusty paint and patina to make it look like a piece of rusted metal, then added a vintage metal button for his eye.
Opposites-Bird-Stamp-Art-Journal-Page-Close-ups1-Gwen-Lafleur-e1456529458962
To finish, I positioned each of the birds on the page and then used the leaf stencil that comes with the stamps and stenciled the base of the leaves where I wanted them. I kept the same pattern as I added the leaves – brighter green at the bottom moving to brown and dark leaves at the top.
It was so much fun to work with these stamps and stencils – they’re so versatile! Plus, this month’s theme was challenging yet enjoyable, and I really love how it turned out!
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Wow – I hope you enjoyed Gwen’s project as much as I did. I love how she used all three bird stamp surfaces and created them differently yet cohesive and the texture and detail in this page is stunning!
Besides the supplies listed below, Gwen also used several dimensional paints, misc fabric, jewel and metal buttons to create this art journal page:

SuppliesCJS


And maybe you will even play along -we would love to see how you interpret the theme – email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share what you did at the beginning of next month!

See you next Tuesday for the another project with the theme ‘Opposites Attact’.

Nat

Comments (16)

  • Dee Ann O'Brien

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    Wonderful birds- inspiring. Great technique directions!

    Reply

    • gwenlafleur

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      Thank you so much! So glad you liked it :)

      Reply

  • Karen Petitt

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    Oh no and dang! I now have to change what new stamps and stencils I had planned to purchase in May. This is just dang! For me it was an OMGee when I hopped over, I love the rich deep colour which is so perfectly opposite yet matches the rusted layer. I own one of Natalie’s stamp and stencils sets and I knew when I could I was going to purchase more of her tools. Today’s post has reminded me not to plan ahead so much because I need these new stamps and stencils so very much! Just as I thought it couldn’t get better this month you guys release these beautiful products.
    Thank you so much for the blog hop, the awesome inspiration and for sharing your gorgeous art with us Karen x

    Reply

    • gwenlafleur

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      Thanks so much Karen! I have to admit, this is a pretty fun stamp set… plus it’s 3 stamps and one stencil in one! You really kind of have to have it ;)

      Reply

  • VikiB

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    That is an awesome piece! I love the contrast and the addition of the circuit looks so cool.

    Reply

    • gwenlafleur

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      Thank you so much! I couldn’t resist adding the circuit stencil as part of the opposites theme – so glad you like it!

      Reply

  • alisa

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    Love the creative team! Great ideas

    Reply

    • gwenlafleur

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      Thanks Alisa! I’m thrilled to be included in such fantastic company :)

      Reply

  • cheiron

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    Amazing page Gwen. I am loving the colors and texture!

    Reply

    • gwenlafleur

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      Thanks Cheiron! I can’t wait to see what you did for this challenge :D

      Reply

  • Martha Richardson

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    I’m so glad to see a Creative Squad! Love the project and tutorial ;)

    Reply

    • gwenlafleur

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      Me too Martha! And thank you! It was fun to work with this month’s stamp set :)

      Reply

  • Michelle LaPoint Rydell

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    Gorgeous page Gwen! I love how you combined the rusty elements with the bright colors – it really pops!

    Reply

    • gwenlafleur

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      Thanks Michelle! I really like the contrast of old and new… glad I’m not the only one!

      Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    I love how you used the Circuit stencil Gwen!
    Makes it seem like branches. Nice job.

    Reply

    • Gwen L.

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      Thanks Sue! I thought that was a fun stencil to use for this – it felt like it fit, but still added some cool (to me!) contrast :)

      Reply

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The American Dream – Mixed Media Painting

TheAmericanDream_01

I finished a new painting inspired by a street here in Jersey City that I heard being referred to as the New Orleans Row.

I used a acrylic paints, spray paints, markers, acrylic media as well as some pastels and wax bars for highlights – I had a good time :)

TheAmericanDream_02

This painting took quite some time – I had to let it sit longer periods of times to see if I would still think it was done and it was even hanging on the wall for a while to see how I would like it then. When do you know a painting is done? Well…when I stop dropping the vacuum cleaner when passing by because I need to change or add something ;)

SuppliesCJS



Nat

Comments (5)

  • Gina Sismilich

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    I love that painting. Your city scenes just get better and better.

    Reply

  • Joi@RR

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    Totally laughed out loud when I read your dropping the vacuum statement – you are so cute!!! Well – you already know that I ADORE this painting. YOU – dear Nat – just are THE BEST at this type of city scape work. I honestly believe you could go down as an “old master” someday for doing these. They are so unique and intriguing. Looking at this one… I feel like I can see inside…. and I want to put my foot on those steps right NOW. It just CALLS to me – asking me to come inside. The colors are just STUNNING… so perfect in every way. And I know in my mind that the yellow strokes are supposed to be reflections of the sky/sun but they add such a magical and happy aura to the painting. And the yellow lights high up on the porch could also be hanging flower baskets – in my mind!!! There is nothing dark about this building – to me – it is warm and bright and full of life. JUST LIKE YOU!!!! Ok – I will stop rambling but I truly think this is a WORK OF ART that will someday be NOTICED. Hugs. j.

    Reply

  • Rebecca Buchanan

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    Depth and complexity and yet such a wonderful ethereal quality to this. Beautiful painting–love it!

    Reply

  • Jean Marmo

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    I love this! The buildings are wonderful!

    Reply

  • Deborah A. Pierro

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    Hi Nat–I love the painting. I especially love your paintings of buildings and cityscapes. I do exactly what you do to decide if a painting is finished. I think that’s what most artists do. Best to you!

    Reply

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Upcoming in March: Workshop in Oklahoma!

ArtRulesWorkshopNat

Just a short reminder that I am teaching March 4-6, 2016 – Art Rules- Art in Translation – at My Heart’s Fancy in Edmond, Oklahoma – there are still a couple seats open and it is one of the few in-person workshops I am teaching this year due to the book:

“Let’s explore several master artists and get inspired by their artwork and techniques to create wonderful and unique art journal pages.Whether it be Andy Warhol’s cheating technique or Rothko’s amazing color combinations, there are many different Master Artists whose masterful skills can serve as a starting point for your own artwork.  Find out what you like and what works for you.  Learn about opacity and layering, colors, troubleshooting, mixing materials, making your own tools, creating backgrounds and patterns.  We will work with acrylic paints, inks, markers, wax bars and other paint media to create dimension and texture.  We will make the most of stencils, stamps, mono printing plates and generic tools to make our own mark.  Get ready to Rule Your Art Journal!”

Class hours:
Friday, the 4th: 4 pm to 8 pm
Saturday, the 5th: 10 am to 6 pm (1 hour for lunch)
Sunday, the 6th: 10 am to 2 pm

More details and Sign-Up Information here

 

I am looking forward to come back to Maura’s store and see many familiar faces again and hopefully some new ones too :) It was such a blast last time!

Have a beautiful day you all!

 

Nat

Comments (2)

  • Jenny Petricek

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    Workshop sounds great! I wish so much that you could come and teach in Wisconsin!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      That would be fun Jenny! If you ever hear of a place in Wisconsin- let me know :)

      Reply

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