Beach paintings, feather etchings and peanut butter cinnamon swirls

 

We've been busy this last week redesigning the exhibition in our gallery. The beach and sea paintings fit really well with the wood panelling. 

 My new business cards arrived as well....they're so cute....

I've recently added a few new etchings to my Etsy store: this larger etching above of a group of ladies wearing the traditional outfit for one of the islands in our area. I used dry point, aquatint and vernis mou on this etching. These are all techniques that give the piece the different textures.

And these 3 feather etchings were new additions to my store this week.

And lastly, on Saturdays, for the etching workshop and open studio, I make a cake. This week's was this scrummy peanut butter and cinnamon swirl....wow it was delicious! Not a crumb over......

KunstCentrum Tholen: a new home

It's been a while since I've been here and a lot has happened this last while. The KunstCentrum (art centre) has moved to Hoogstraat 28 in Tholen. We love our new studio. It's lovely and light and great for working in. The etching press was the first thing to move in and has pride of place.

We're feeling very lucky!

Kunstroute Tholen

In Tholen today and tomorrow there is an art trail (kunstroute)....studios are open and artists display their creations across the small harbour town. Plenty of music and street performances too! In the KunstCentrum (art centre) we'll be performing with Bittersweet @ 15:00 (classic Jazz and French chansons) Friday and Saturday...

 ...and demonstrating how etchings are made.....

flowers and bees

It's been a while since I've posted our news here since I've been more active on Facebook lately...but our news is that we have a new etching press. As spring has unfolded early this year flowers and bees have formed a new theme...

...and safari animals...all our new work have already been listed in our etsy shop already... 

light as a feather

The atelier is filled with the aroma of etching ink today...a couple of new prints were born...a spotted feather and a peacock feather...available in my Etsy store!

between adventures and meal times

A new etching has been born! The first of the year. A kitty taking a break between adventures and meal times...zzzzz When I came back from printing, our cat was looking just like this =^x^= Already listed in my etsy shop...

prayer for peace: etchings printed on handmade paper from Nepal

These are a couple of very special etchings. They are both printed on beautiful handmade paper from Nepal which has a soft natural colour and structure. A friend of ours runs a charity in Nepal and makes yearly visits to Kathmandu. On her recent visit she brought me back a pack of fabulous paper. I featured the etchings themelves a while ago but I wanted to print these special editions because I think the etchings themselves fit well with the qualities of this paper. They are both here and here in my Etsy shop.

being together, never alone: new etching

The summer is well and truly over and after all the art markets this summer we took a little break, but now we are back in action. The art centre is spick and span ready for the art classes that start this week and I've been back behind the etching press.  I began with dry point, working directly in the copper, then used an aquatint to create the shadow areas. It's already here in my etsy shop: being together, never alone...

clogs and ice cream

The sun was shining today and it's feeling more like summer. The art market season has begun for us and we've just returned from the first historical market in Veere, here in Zeeland (Netherlands). The etching press was packed too along with the clogs and we were demonstrating how etchings are printed most of the day. 

It's a market full of people wearing the local costume and displaying traditional crafts such as basket weaving, wool spinning, rope making etc, and selling local produce. 

Zeeland is made up of several islands joined together with dikes, dams and tunnels and the costume varies in the various regions. The main difference is the design of the cap and the top.

We'll be there every Tuesday in July and August. Come and say 'hello' if you are in the neighbourhood!

ducky duck on top of the world

I was hanging out of our bedroom window to try and get his shot! My little etching of ducky duck can be seen here in front of Tholen's 14th century townhall, with the oldest bells in Holland. You can just about see a windmill on the right hand side too.  Etsy wants to collect photos of Etsy items in front of local landmarks in order to put together a video of the diverse Etsy community. This is our little corner of the globe...

the chickens and the butterfly: new stuff

I had a burst of creativity yesterday afternoon and made 2 etchings, this one of a fabulously elegant butterfly, and the 3 characters below who I met recently in a local farm.

They made me laugh bobbing around on the branch, so I tried to capture their playfulness.

 All now listed in my etsy shop...

the key and a whole load of hot air: new etchings

This week I've added 2 new etchings to the collection. Hot air balloons dreamily drifting through the sky and a key; to a secret garden perhaps or to a love one's heart and soul? I like the way the hot air balloon etching looks like an old fashioned sepia photograph when the etching plate hasn't been completely cleaned of ink. They are both now avaibable in my etsy shop.

On sale in the Amsterdam museum shop

Yesterday this great display of postcards went on sale in the Athenaeum Museum Shop in the Amsterdam Museum. I feel very honoured to be one of the artists asked to participate in this collection of cards from artists who are members of Etsy here in the Netherlands. I love it! Oh...mine is a card of my etching of beach huts in the middle at the bottom...if you were wondering ;-)

This Saturday we're making etchings on the art market in Ooltgensplaat come and say 'hi' if you come along!

Kunstroute Tholen (art trail) 2012

Today atelier28 celebrates her 9th birthday which means is't the 10th year that we've participated in the art trail in Tholen. Tholen is at her best during this time and the whole town is full with music, art and merriment. 

Jan de Viet played at the opening on his harpsichord which Francesco decorated... 

...and the art centre was filled with work, large and small...

...with a table displaying work from the watercolour and painting classes. 

Plus a selection of etchings from the etching workshops. We had a lovely, if not exhausting, couple of days!

Grandma's kitchen: new etching

This isn't exactly how my Grandma's kitchen looked, but she did have all the gadgets to make delicious cakes. I can't make stewed apples like she did...though I do have a decent collection of spices and herbs to use like an alchemist. This new little etching reminded me of my Grandma...