Blog: Traveling Artist

Europe Workshop Tour- Part 7 – Having a good time in The Netherlands

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It was so good and so much fun to spend 4 days at Birgit‘s home in The Netherlands. We know each other for about 7 years (we can not totally figure it out) and we have taught so many times at the same events, shared rooms at CHA, chatted and over the year we really bonded as friends. After Birgit had been at my place last year now finally I got to see her home and meet her family which I essentially saw and hear growing up – but not in real life so far ;)

Besides going to the Groningen Museum, Birgit also took me to her painting class.

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Oh goodie- a color wheel in dutch :) But there was nothing to worry- Antje Sonnenschein the artist and teacher is German- I was in good hands. De Ploeg style was the topic of the several week long class- and I had a good time starting a painting of a windmill in Birgits home town Winsum.

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Here is how far I got in the class – I will still have to work on it here- but I like it. And I did learn some great new things in the 2 hours and was very inspired and relaxed. I wish Birgit and I could do this more often together.

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We did hang out a lot and just chatted and once in a while we took the bike and went grocery shopping.

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Where I learned the word for sausage …I might not get the spelling right though ;)

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And met Marlijn  – who has excellent shirt taste (take that, Julie!- LOL)

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And how do Dutch Students move from one place to the other? – Well ….

 

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Birgit in her amazing studio after our day at the H.N. Werkman exhibition.

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Enjoying Dutch humor when it comes to signs regarding natural needs of animals

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and human beings

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Looking at more windmills

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and enjoying lunch at a canal

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Groninger Mustard Soup with Groninger Country Bread – nom nom

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And the beautiful town of Winsum

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It was wonderful! Thank you to Birgit and her awesome family for having me! I miss you already ….but for all my readers …Birgit and I still spent more time together at our Workshop in Ede with De Craftorij – so one last Europe Blogpost is coming up :)

Nat

Comments (8)

  • Birgit

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    So much fun to read this and see rhe pictures! It was so good to have you here and I hope we will be able to do it again next year, either here or in the States! Miss you!!! xxx

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      I miss you too girl- cannot wait to see you soon again …we will make it happen! xoxoxo

      Reply

  • Marie-Anne Raeman

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    Hi, Nathalie i think i remember the first time you two met and shared rooms….I think it was at the first scraptastic event, because then i had aked if you knew each other before, and you shared a room at the godshouse….hope i solved a mistery ;-)
    Enjoyed the reading of youre european tour so far

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Hi Marie-Anne – good thinking – I think that is where I met you the first time :) But I think Birgit and I met the first time at an Workshop we both attended by Elsie Flannigan – I do not know the year anymore- maybe 2006. But I have really god memories of our time together with you at Scraptastic in Belgium back then!

      Reply

  • Joi@RR

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    Oh Nat – you just no idea how much I have enjoyed all your tour posts… I have ready them all more than once. I don’t know how you do it… traveling for so long and so far… but you look happy/healthy so that makes me smile. Thanks bunches for sharing all your adventures. Praying for you. j.

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    Love the signs. Both a place for my dog to poop and for me to pee!

    Reply

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Europe Workshop Tour- Part 1 – Sightseeing in Toledo, Spain

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I am back from my Europe workshop tour just to leave for another Workshop in Dallas in a couple hours :) But how about I finally share some photos from my four-country trip?

DISCLAIMER: This Blog Post contains a picture with a naked statue – some might think of it as totally inappropriate – but it is called ART . If you have a problem with art, you might be better off looking at something else . Don’t email me to complain, don’t visit my blog anymore because I might post things like this again and for sure shield your precious kids’ eyes !

I arrived in Spain, Madrid and was picked up by my wonderful friend Cuchy. I loved this statue by Fernando Botero in front of the Madrid Airport.

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I used the first day to adjust to the time difference and mostly filled my belly with good food and hung out with good people :)

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The next day we took the train to Toledo – prepare yourself for a major picture overload as I really loved it there!

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A city with a history of more than 2000 years …yeah that is what we call old in Europe ;)

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Since the Festival of Corpus Christi was coming up , the streets and houses were already decorated.

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The first stop was the Cathedral of Toledo

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The Sacristy ceiling painted by Luca Giordano – he used both hands …and it took only four years – insane!

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Altar Piece painted by El Greco

 

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After a nice stroll through the city

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we went to the Synagogue of El Transito – beautiful stucco and details

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Next we stopped at the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo

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And just before an epic thunderstorm started  we made it back to the train station …of course not without taking a “where is Nat pic” ;)

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That was a pretty good start of my trip – next up are some pictures of the awesome Art Mesa Workshop – we had so much fun :)

Nat

Comments (13)

  • Vickie Doswell aka okienurse

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    oh my goodness such awesome pictures and things to see. Spain is one of my favorite places to visit and have been there many times. Being from Oklahoma USA it is a far cry from the norm here. Speaking of norms nudity is a big deal in the religious south and I think you summed up my feelings exactly with your disclaimer. I am hoping that was tongue and cheek and that you haven’t actually been accosted by people offended by your posts. I love them. Thanks for sharing! Vickie

    Reply

  • Mel

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    Die Bilder sind großartig – aber Dein Disclaimer hat´s mir angetan… ;-)
    Hummel-Hummel!

    Reply

  • stephanie

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    Welcome back! Awesome pix

    Reply

  • Joi@RR

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    Love the skyline pictures like the Toledo picture and the Where is Nat picture because… I hope you will paint them. I love your skyline paintings so much. And of course, ALL of these were sooo wonderful. What fabulous inspirations for you to use in your artwork. I just can’t WAIT to see what comes out onto your canvas from these pictures Nat. What a great trip. Thank you so much for a glimpse of it thru your eyes. I love traveling with you!! j.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Thank you Joi! I cannot wait to get into my studio either to paint :) I am sure some inspiration will get into my future work :) Thanks for traveling with me

      Reply

  • Ami Pilon

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    Nathalie,

    Julie must be drooling with all of the patterns that you are seeing. I can just see the stamps that would be carved. Your photos are very special.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Ami, heheh- I think Julie was drooling ;) Thank you for your sweet comment!

      Reply

  • Kelly Belton

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    Magnifico!

    Reply

  • Kathy P

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    Awesome pics, Nat! Looks like you had a great time! Thanks for reminding me that I have to get back to Europe again! Love it’s architecture, people, and diversity!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Thank you Kathy! Yes – I am of course biased – but Europe is a special place :)

      Reply

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Inspired by San Francisco – Part II

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DISCLAIMER: This Blog Post contains quotes or art with political meaning. I might strongly agree with it or I  might not… – some might think of it as totally inappropriate to post. If you have a problem with this, you might be better off looking at something else . Don’t email me to complain, don’t visit my blog anymore because I might post things like this again and that might get you in a grumpy mood..

This is part II of my San Francisco trip full of inspirations- you can find part I here. This part is dedicated to the amazing murals and street art I found while walking around.

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I was just blown away by this one- the details and colors, shadows- awesome. This was on a side street of Height.

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The hair….so fluffy – you can almost touch it- seriously cool and I love the colors again. This was in the Mission – where I found the most during my trip.

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It is creepy cool and i love the collage feel to it.

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“Bending over Backwards” – amazing and beautiful painted wood piece mounted on this wood wall- but with so much more meaning, it is about political prisoners and gentrification – you can read a bit about it here. I think it is interesting to see something just as is and like it but then if you hear more of the intention you see the piece with different and new eyes.

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This was just gorgeous – around Castro – I loved the colors and the mosaic pieces and dimension…I just wish…it had a tree hair top coming from the background.

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loving this – just a little corner of the house – boom – makes you stop and smile and look at the environment a bit more.

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This is The Women’s Building – fascinating and strong!

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This little alley in the mission is a gem for finding street art. Clarion Alley, between Mission and Valencia Streets and 17th and 18th Streets. If you like street art and planning a visit to San Francisco, put it on your list. A bit smelly in the summer…like…you don’t wanna know smelly- but hey…

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you see a wooden shingle wall like this -gosh- I love this!

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cool …color combo

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love the statement, love the flowers, the colors and the font – pretty cool

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I love the quote- it is taken out of the context- but as it is – I love it. And I do love the lettering – so cool.

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This make me gasp…and want to go back to my studio – the color combination and the marks -AWESOME – I mean…swoon.

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I love this painted door and the figure- it reminds me of cubism – if I write cool again – I bet my friend J.K. will write me an email to learn more adjectives ;) …so how about …amazing ;)

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And last…FUN, a modern funky version of Catrina (it is Catrina, right?).

I hope these pictures inspired you as much as me – I had a great time and I hope I will be back in S.F. soon again.

Have a gorgeous day

 

Nat

Comments (10)

  • stephanie

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    i did not see any political statements, just some fab street art. Nice!

    Reply

  • Diana Trout

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    Amazing ! You did a great job of getting the street art vibe of San Fran. I love that city !

    Reply

  • Heidi

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    Love this post! Thank you for sharing this street art – very inspirational.

    Reply

  • Laura Strack

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    This Post makes me want to book a trip to San Fran right away! I would love getting a dose of inspiration every day, just by walking down the street! Glad I get a dose reading your Blog :) Thanks, Nat.

    Reply

  • Kathy P

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    AWESOME! Makes me want to go back to SF and look at it in a different light! Awesome street art—thanks for sharing it with us, Nat!

    Reply

  • Michelle

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    I am highly offended by that “believe” graffitti. How dare people be inspirational and positive in their street art? :) love these posts,

    Reply

  • Kimmie Hogan

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    When my hubby and I first got married, which almost seems like another lifetime, we lived in the San Fran area. I LOVED LOVED LOVED living there. We were there 3 yrs. There is always something to do that will please any of your 5 senses. And though you can’t beat the weather, the hills will definitely give you a work out. One of my favorite places to go and hang out was the piers. Great food, lots of great shops, and never a lack of something to do.Thanks for sharing the pics and for the trip back into the past. Hope you had a great weekend!! (((HUGS)))

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    LOVE LOVE LOVE this post!
    The third pic from the bottom looks like it could have been created using some of your stencils.

    Reply

  • Carolyn S

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    That is some seriously cool art. The Women’s Building is stunning.

    Reply

  • Jackie P Neal

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    One of the Coolest posts I have seen in a long time- thanks for sharing Nat!!
    We are heading out to California late Aug to stay with my sons- hope to get to the Mission District to check out for myself! xo

    Reply

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Inspired by San Francisco – Part I

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I just love San Francisco – it is one of my favorite cities in the world and I have been there many times- and yet it never tires me and I always see something new and come home super inspired.

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This trip has been my birthday present by my husband (he is the best!) and it included seeing loads of my friends that live in San Francisco and the Bay Area – insert super happy Nat smile here. It also meant loads of good food….insert super happy smile again…:)

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Now, if you eat so much you have to work it off …and what better way to walk a city and look down and up and sideways for inspirations

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I so love the colors, texture and the fonts of this – yum! Makes me want to stencil and then cut out corrugated card board letters right away.

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And yes- I did say to look down…isn’t that tree grate amazing – in the mission ! And oh man- what an amazing stencil this would be :)

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or just some amazing intricate design in the pavement

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or the trace of an artist in the pavement…better than the usual hands or pet traces ;)

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I also love the color inspirations in SF – mainly on the painted houses – dark blue, white and dark purple with a hint of mustard yellow- YUM

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And the patterns – LOVE

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and this yells City Canvas to me ….I am tempted…who knows maybe you will see it in a couple weeks ;)

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And here in Chinatown- what is not to love about this sign- the colors, the design, the brick wall behind it- the fonts, the patina – ahhhhhh

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And since San Francisco is a really tiring city to walk …up and down …up and down …it is time for some food and start all over again ;)

 

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Next up will be all photos of street art and murals in San Francisco – so much fun!

What is your favorite food btw? Come on …make me hungry;)

Have a gorgeous day

Nat

Comments (7)

  • Ursula

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    Jaaaa, Frisco ist auch eine meiner absoluten Lieblingsstädte, schön, das ich vor 2 Jahren mal wieder dort war. Mal sehen, ob NY dann auch was taugt ;) LG Ursula

    Reply

  • Laura Weed

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    Wow, Nathalie! Looks like a fabulous trip. Cannot WAIT to see the art you make from this inspiration. I love so much that you share the processes with us and help us learn to see our world the way you do. Thanks for your sharing spirit!! And Happy Birthday, of course.

    Reply

  • Joyce C.

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    Hi Nat! Thanks for your delightful email. It’s just what I needed today. San Francisco is my favorite city in the US. I’ve traveled there many, many times enjoying the very same sites and the most wonderful food. My sister lived and worked there as a chef so I had the opportunity to dine at numerous restaurants trying various cuisines. (And her name is the same as yours!) Of course, nothing can compare to the visual splendor of the city. Your photos are breathtaking, imaginative, and absolutely inspiring. Thank you for sharing them with us. I can’t wait to see more! All the best to you and your husband.

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    My favorite food would be hard to say…steak, chocolate, asparagus, smashed potatoes. Love the pics as usual, especially the one of the two tall buildings side by side.

    Reply

  • Tracy

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    I’ve never been to the West Coast, but I love brightly colored houses! So much happier than the usual. A few years ago, I had a happy house (as I termed it) that was a fab shade of blue/purple with touch of bright yellow. Yum! I love corrugated cardboard too, I’m trying to incorporate more of it in my projects :)

    Such a sweet hubby!

    Reply

  • Gloria S

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    Wow…..you REALLY have a great eye. These pictures are Amazing. I admire all or your work and talent, but, these blew me away. Thanks for sharing them. PS – can’t wait to see what you create with this inspiration.

    Reply

  • Laura Strack

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    I was fortunate as a child to get to travel to many lovely towns, including San Francisco and I remember eating some wonderful food – the best Asian Food I can ever remember! I wish my Dad was still with us so that I could ask him where we had dined, oh so many years ago. That gorgeous patina is only achieved in time – unless you are a creative artist, such as yourself :) Have a beautiful day, Nat, and thanks for sharing your awesome trip with your hubby.

    Reply

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