Artful Adventures in Mixed Media

Hi there! Holidays are coming and I have a gift tip for you! Like I wrote in one previous post, "in my honest opinion, everyone should read this book. It's thrilling and exciting!" So if you are looking for a gift idea for either to an artsy friend or to yourself and still don't have read the book, I highly recommended it! It gave me a lot of inspiration.

The "Artful Adventures in Mixed Media" is a book by mixed media artist Nathalie Kalbach. It demonstrates how you can turn your observations and experiences into beautiful pieces of art. The book offers tips on how to gather inspiration but also guides with the colors, composition and art basics. The book has eight chapters and they are like building blocks - you start with the base and go for the height. Everyone can be creative and many things can spark that inspiration.

The writer, Nathalie Kalbach is a self-taught artist now living in New Jersey. She has an unique way of using colors and creates wonderful artworks that represent her surroundings and travels. I especially love her city canvases! You can find her site here (link) where she also has a little shop where you can get the book (link) but also her designs as stencils or stamps (link)! 

I received a copy in the summer and got so much inspiration out of it! Like I said in my first Instagram post about the book (link) - waiting for the part 2! It was a perfect timing to read it as we were planning and waiting for a summer trip and the book gave me a lot to think about. I really enjoyed reading the book as it has the spark that Nat has in her, joy and excitement just flowed from its pages. We even used the book as the source of one of the Inspired By's with Marsha (link). 

Like the title, "Artful Adventures in Mixed Media", suggests, the book is about adventures, about gathering inspiration on the go. It can be a walk around the block or an adventure in the internet but there's also ideas about documenting and gathering inspiration during a holiday or travel. As I'm always intrigued by inspiration, it was interesting read how Nat uses her travels as the source and how she documents those to be used later. 

Like I have said, the book is a great source for inspiration but also a good introduction to art on the go or to mixed media to whom the subject is new. There's seven chapters by Nat herself and the last, the eight one with the title of "Absorbing art made by friends" which shows inspiration from other artists. These include for example Birgit Koopsen, Seth Apter and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. If you wish to read more about the book, you can do it here (link).  

Thank you for your visit today and have a great start to the new week! If you have already read the book, I'd love to hear your thoughts!