Blog: San Jose

Workshops at A Work of Heart in San Jose

Last week I taught two workshops at A Work of Heart in San Jose. I taught in Andrea’s old studio last year and was excited to come back and to check out Andrea’s new place – a gorgeous huge new studio with ample of room for creative fun. It’s a dream!

Also – this mural in progress on the side of the studio – love! And …note the cats in the picture ;)

The first workshop day was my “Mono Print Painting” Class and we explored the basics for mono printing and then took it a notch further.

Using a gel plate, lots of fun colors and tools.

We made collage paper

using stamps, stencils and brayers

and moved way up to some more thought out prints.

so much fun…

And of course- the most important thing “Don’t overthink”

We worked with different paint media on top , made our own stamps and tools

and there so many fun and colorful patterns – Loved it!

Oh and then there was Bob “Bobby”…he was being fostered with two siblings at A Work of Heart and he was asking to be taken home with me….and since hubby said “well if you figure out the transportation problem” …

Here is the group from Sunday!

On Monday I taught my “Art Rules – Art Journaling ” Class – always love the exploration in color theory part of it and see what the students create

 

We looked at artwork from different Modern Artists and let us inspire for different techniques and methods.

Loved seeing my new Circle Jumble Rubber Stamps in action too.

as well as the other rubber stamps, foam stamps and stencils.

I had such a good time with my students and Andrea – well and …the little kitten will always remind me of the workshop as well ;) Yes- of course we figured out the transportation problem ;)

BTW there are still two adorable sisters waiting to be adopted – so if you are in the area (Andrea would even bring them a couple miles!) and want your heart be melting by kitten cuteness overload….contact Andrea ! They are total studio artsy cats, super cuddly and used to people and other cats

Thank you for a great time and lots of laughter, creative play, and inspiration. I love teaching and spending time with students is always a treat. Thanks Andrea for having me once again and for being such a wonderful host (and also thank you for this bundle of joy – LOL). I hope I will be back again :)

If you want to take an In-Person-Class with me- check out the schedule for the rest of this year. I will be teaching in Germany in September at an Ostsee Scrap Retreat, as well as a workshop co-taught with my friend Julie Fei-Fan Balzer in the UK,  and I will be adding a workshop in my own space soon.

Comments (4)

  • Julie b

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    What a great recap of your 2-day workshops! I can relive them over and over again here. LOL! Thank you for a fabulous time filled with learning……about various artists, so many techniques, playing with your fabulous stamps/stencils and of course, laughter. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to do in-person workshops here and glad that your trip with “Bob” was a success. He seems to have adapted to life in New Jersey well…..loved to see him scampering up and down the stairs. YIKES!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      It was so wonderful to see you again Julie- always so much fun to be with you! Hahaha- yeah Bobby Pretzel is a handful -LOL but brings much joy :)

      Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    That mountain page and the one with all that blue and the house on the left…swoon!
    Congrats on your new fur baby and what does cat #1 think of kitty #2?

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Yeah- those pages were superb!
      Hahah- cat #1 is curious, playful and peeved all at the same time …it takes a bit of time…

      Reply

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Workshops in San Jose – January 17th & 18th!

I’m coming back to A Work of Heart in San Jose in the New Year! I had an absolute blast the last time I was out there, so I’m really looking forward to returning. Hopefully I will see some familiar faces and meet some new ones too :) Here is what I have planned:

Mono Print Painting

Wednesday, January 17th, 10am – 5pm

Join me for a day long class in Mono Print Painting. We will dive into the basics of mixed media mono printing first and I will introduce you to the Mono Print Painting technique inspired by H.N. Werkman. I will show you different ways on how to create elaborate and layered mono printed paintings using self made tools as well as stamps and stencils. I will share with you my thinking process on developing the technique and how we you can put your own personal spin on it, so that you can take your art to a whole different level.

Art Rules: Art in Translation – Art Journaling

Thursday, January 18th, 10am – 5pm

In this day long class, we’ll explore several master artists and get inspired by their artwork and techniques to create wonderful and unique art journal pages. Whether it be the Impressionist’s amazing color combinations or some of the Surrealist’s fun collage techniques, there are many different Master Artists whose 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!

Comments (2)

  • Mari Zeleznik

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    I wish you would come to Honolulu… I know a space.. Deb Zeleznik’s (no relation) Stamp Plantation. She does workshops and has playdates there.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Oh I would love to come to Honolulu some time Mari! Do they have classes there?

      Reply

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Photos of my Workshops at A Work of Heart in San Jose, CA

Last week, after attending the Creativation Show, I flew to San Jose and taught three classes there at  A Work of Heart

I stayed in a lovely little pool house and this was my view out of my room. I wanna come back in the summer :)

My first class was “Walk With Me” an Altered Book class and it was so much fun to see the student’s take on it

HA – I loved how Julie put my business card with me new book cover behind the window of her book cover :) FUN

It was such a sweet and talented group and I was really lucky because I was terribly sick last week. I was helped with medicine, fresh oranges and tea- thank you girls!!

Love the studio space- so much color- so inspiring. Below you see some photos of the “Mixed Media Collage – Play Transform” Class

So much beautiful collage paper was being made – color bliss!

Lots of pattern play too

And then on Wednesday I taught my whole day “Artvergnugen – Art Journal ” Class .

 

Look at the awesome tile pattern – yum

and heaps of layers were added to create beautiful art journal pages.

And since the weather was brightening up we could even experiment with spray paint out side – now that was super fun!

I think they liked it a lot ;)

Time to add some finishing touches to the pages :)

And slowly all came together – Art Vergnugen …the pleasure of playing in your art journal ;)

Thank you all for a wonderful time- you were truly inspiring and amazing!

And here is my wonderful host Andrea – Thank you so much for having me Andrea, I am looking forward coming back  :)

Do you want to take an In-Person-Class with me ?- here is where you can find me in

MARCH: 

Mono Print Painting with Nat Kalbach and Birgit Koopsen at The Ink Pad in NYC

 

Artful Transfers with Nat Kalbach & Birgit Koopsen at The InkPad in NYC

Color Crush – 3Day Art Journaling Class with Nat Kalbach & Birgit Koopsen at OOAK Artisan Showcase in Syracuse, NY

Check out more workshops this year on my In-Person-Class Page

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Comments (4)

  • Jean Goza

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    The workshop was awesome! Learned a lot and had so much fun. Thanks for sharing your photos. So much inspiration and beauty. Looking forward to your next visit to California.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Awe- thank you so much for coming Jean- it was so awesome to finally meet you after “meeting you online” . Looking forward to come back :)

      Reply

  • jbonomo

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    Thank you, Nathalie, for making two days of arting so much fun filled with color, inspiration, and learning what is possible. You are one fabulous talented teacher and tempting me to fly out for your upcoming classes. HA!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      AWE – thank You Julie! You girls were just so amazing ! I cannot wait to see you again in California or elsewhere :)have a gorgeous weekend!

      Reply

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