Art Stroll

Art Stroll: Murals in Jersey City Part 3

As promised here are some more Murals that have been created recently in Jersey City – you can see all the Art Strolls here btw :)

This made me smile- Popeye and a smiley face ..and very graphic designs- YASS

Love how the grid of the wall works with the woman.

I loved how the light this day reinforced the movement of this friendly critter :)

This whole mural is amazing!

Awesome colors and patterns!

And I love this one with all those eyes and the Dude Shhhhhh – I have been trying to think who that actually is …maybe you can help me :)

Different Murals by different artists- such a cool wall!

And yeah “Welcome to Jersey City! ”

I love how these murals change the environment from something you really do not want to spent much time around to …something more exciting and interesting.

How cool is that????

I am just amazed by the skills that people have!

Makes me feel like a total looser using my spray paint …

This one is def. a bit older but I haven’t been in the area for a while- it is at a really nice little park where a lot of events take place – like yoga, little lectures about birds or plants. Def. hope I can catch one of those events during this summer.

And that was the Murals of Jersey City Part 3 …but I promise you …there is more and there will be another part in a couple months for sure :)

Nat

Comments (1)

  • Sue Clarke

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    Love that Panda!
    That is Silent Bob from the movie Dogma.

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Art Stroll: Murals in Jersey City Part 2

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 :)

Nat

Comments (4)

  • Sue Clarke

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    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.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      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.

      Reply

  • Vee

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    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!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      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!

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Stroll Through the Hood – February 2019

Wow – I cannot believe that February is almost over and it was a pretty long awaited month for me. There weren’t a ton of strolls through the hood as it was such a busy and cold month- but I have a couple photos. Strolls through my hood get me out of my studio, they help me unstuck and often I get inspired by what I see and to 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.

The photo above is actually taken in NYC – where we had a ton of stuff to do during the last couple weekends. Such a fun Collage paste up. I also love the sign next to it that says “Street Art Addiction is real”

speaking of Street Art- this one always get’s me because of the sheer size of it  – this is in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood in Jersey City by Distort but even bigger is this one

by Distort right at the Holland Tunnel- which I will never be able to get the whole image of – it is ginormous but so detailed.

check out this video to get a feel for how huge and magnificent it is.

Distort’s Mecca Project (GVM037) from Green Villain on Vimeo.

Bobby Pretzel definitely approves – as you can see he is now in his teenage fur dying phase …I have no clue how the paint on my palette ended up on his face- but “knock yourself out Pretzel” – LOL

In other exciting news …We closed on a house. We are now the owners of a beautiful 1884 brick town house here in Jersey City. There is some major renovation to do in the second floor but the ground and top floor are pretty much done and I will have a nice big studio space on the ground floor. I cannot wait- but it will take at least half a year before it is done. (Impatient Nat)

That gives a lot of time to sort the studio meanwhile and also declutter all kinds of areas in our apartment before the move. I just reorganized my sewing stuff into one of my letterpress folders and I kind of geeked out at all the colors- LOL. What a softie I am ;)

Love spying this little -sculpture piece on the corner of a Bar – fun!

And I think I never showed this Mural downtown finished -pretty cool and a constant spot for people to take photos in front of. Yes..I guess I am addicted to street art :)

I am so ready for spring and more strolls through the hood- especially through the new hood where our house is located. It is in a neighborhood with some amazing Victorian Houses and it is interesting and a bit less “polished” than Downtown. I know, hahahah- some of you might not see my downtown pictures as polished- but trust me …it is ;) Hope you will join me soon for another stroll and wish you a wonderful day.

Nat

Comments (2)

  • Sue Clarke

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    Congrats on your new home Nat!
    Sounds like plenty of room for a studio and a place to hold classes (?).
    Bobby Pretzel is so darn cute, might he inspire an art foamie or stamp one of these days?
    Thanks for the tour of your hood. I always enjoy them.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Thank you so much Sue! Yes- I do hope that I can hold small classes in my studio :) Bobby Pretzel as a stamp …ohhhh -! Thank you for strolling through the hood with me !

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Stroll Through the Hood – August 2018

Time for a Stroll Through the Hood . Strolls through my hood get me out of my studio, they help me unstuck and often I get inspired by what I see and to 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.

Well- first of all meet Bobby Pretzel- our new cat. Bobby is adorable and just 13 weeks old now -he also has his own instagram account @bobbypretzel . He is an awesome studio kitten, super cuddly, and very adventurous – makes me laugh – so that is good :)

What Niles thinks about this? “What the Fluff” sums it up – LOL. He is very curious, sniffs and plays with the kitten, they have also slept two time for five minutes cuddled together but most of the time Niles looks at me like he looks at this weird Marshmallow stuff in a jar.

I was out and about in the city last week – for a wedding of a very good friend of mine from Germany – and saw the fun mural above at the WTC station. Good, the area needed some color and I love the contrast.

Here is the gorgeous couple- so happy for them – they are adorable and it was a wonderful day! I still cannot believe how they managed in the clothing in this insane heat that day -I looked like a wet towel- they looked gorgeous!

Spent some nice time at DUMBO and took the ferry from DUMBO to 33rd street which was really nice – for 2.75 Dollars you have a cool ferry ride – on my list for future visitors.

I never saw the sign above – also kind of funky- LOL- two days later I saw an article with that sign in the New York Times and learned that “Brad’s Drink” as it was called first 120 years ago was advertised as a medicinal drink …go figure! LOL

Speaking of friends

I also got to spent some time with my wonderful friend Birgit Koopsen – who I was lucky to see twice during her family vacation in the States. I always love seeing her ! We took one photo together …guess we had too much fun to think about photos :)

Looking around at open houses is also super interesting and inspiring -love the old fire place and the grate – the pattern intrigues me but then of course also how original this is.

and be still my heart- look at the stenciling on the stairs – I am wondering where those designs came from and how common that was in the 1880s and a bit later -anyone has an idea?

Part of a back yard of a house- love the man made old wall – so cool!

Also getting around a lot to see more murals –

Always love Rubin415 geometric shapes but I also dig the colors he used here

and of course pixelpancho – fun!

Meanwhile Lady Liberty in our parking lot in front of the apartment building is still suffering -I hear you Lady- I am with you!

And someone tied up their lego dog in front of Hamilton Park.

I hope you enjoyed my monthly Stroll Through the Hood – I hope to see you next month again!

Nat

Comments (1)

  • Sue Clarke

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    Congrats and welcome to Bobby. Niles…be the big brother and try to be kind.
    The Lady Liberty is stunning yet so sad (reflecting towards concerns for many of us).

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Art Stroll: Murals in Jersey City Part 1

Lots of times my husband and I do a little bicycle tour in Jersey City, either through the neighborhood or Liberty State Park. Recently we set out on the hunt for some murals we haven’t seen yet.

I like this one by Sam Pullin aka Bed Bugs in Love. It shows the Golden Record aboard the Voyager. Sam is a JC local and I am always excited when I see work by him because I know him :)

Emilio Florentine created this mural called “Turnt Up” . On his website it says “His paintings are based on the belief that natural beauty is heightened during chaos. By using impressionist and surrealist techniques, he exploits, tortures, and then paints his subject – the flower – at its tipping point”

This mural was huge and impressive and also on a really amazing building. The Peach Tree War by Distort. While we were looking at the mural we met another couple also checking out the mural and we agreed that all those different murals in Jersey City are an amazing reason for a bike ride . It is so much fun to go on the hunt for them.

This cool lion is by Davel who is from Miami. Check out his cool prints!

Top and bottom are by Kaos & Klive

wow- the lettering and colors are so amazeballs!

Aqualand was created by Catherine Hart.

On the left by Jerkface and on the right by Zimer. Love those two together :)

It’s Your World by Chris Stain and Billy Mode. This is one of my favorites!

I hope you had fun on this Art Stroll to see some Murals in Jersey City. I hope to show you another part soon …but since my husband’s bike just got stolen, that will have to wait a little bit (sniff).

Nat

Comments (2)

  • Sue Clarke

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    Turnt Up is amazing and I could look at it for a long time!
    So sorry to hear about your hubby’s bike and I hope it somehow “finds” its way home.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Sue – i love that one too! The bike did not find it’s way home …unfortunately it has been a big thing recently in our neighborhood. Hope you have a wonderful weekend

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