A Sampling from Nicole's Portfolio
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Happy Holidays!
Here is a little animation I created for my family, wishing you a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND NEW YEAR! It was fun to illustrate our Leonberger dog, Chihuahua-Pomeranian-Papillion-One-of-a-Kinder dog, and our 2 Bourke's Parrots for the holidays! I think I'll do more of these, it's FUN!
Monday, December 20, 2010
My Art Book Book Breaks into the Top 10 in its Amazon Rankings!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Turning Trash into Treasure for Charity Auction
Often charities give me things to paint so that they can be auctioned off to support the charity. I've done all sorts of things - a violin, a mask, and now... an old beat up saddle!
In order to work on the saddle, I had to perch it on my barstools, see above. See also my Leonberger dog contemplated the universe in the background. I think he was relieved I resisted the impulse to try the saddle on him!
Because I was experimenting with different types of clays for my Creativity Central creativity therapy work, I decided to use clay as the basis for transforming this saddle into a piece of art.
I began working the clay on a dinner plate - one of my favorite working surfaces! What would Julia Childs or an Iron Chef say?
Suddenly, inspiration hits. I am reminded of the beautiful Della Robbia glazed pottery terra-cotta roundels, with their beautiful blues, greens and yellows. I also am thinking a bit about Wedgewood blue relief work. These inspirations bring me to add a vine element:
I struggle with deciding whether or not to add pale yellows, and decide instead to rely on the glaze for the yellowing effect, which leads to a lovely final result, turning this discarded old saddle into a treasure for a charity auction, benefitting disabled children and adults!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Art Tour transforms our home into a gallery!
What an adventure - we've never been part of a home tour before. We cleaned (and cleaned and cleaned), and put as much art in the entry area as we could squeeze, and I have to say, we really loved the results. -So did our visitors, and most fun of all were the people we met, including other artists and musicians. Here are photos from the home gallery - this was FUN!
Artwork shown above (left to right) are "Cello Fantasy," "It's Spring," "Country Rose" and "The Water Fall." The squares you see on the wall are individual glass plates that also have my artwork on them. Right now there are 18 designs of these glass plates available.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
"Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" Released!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Inca Dink, The Great Houndini - Full Color Paperback Books now Available!
So fun to announce that...drumroll... "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini" is now available in a cheery, full color paperback via Amazon, as well as for sale at traditional bookstores. HURRAY! In a previous post, I mentioned that "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini" is available for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch as a narrated, digital app, which is really fun.
Because "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini" is doing so well, I created a cute background book on the story, with real life photos of the Leonberger dog, Inca, that inspired the story, and of Inca's real life nephew, Tango. That background story is also available on Amazon! . This background story is available for the Kindle as well.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
"M. Nicole van Dam, a Retrospective 2010" Available in Stores Now! Hurray!
How fun to be able to share that the "M. Nicole van Dam, a Retrospective 2010" is available in print now. This full color coffee-table type book includes virtually all of the major artworks of Nicole to date, plus sketches, biography, and interesting photos, as well as a few poems. It is interesting to see the progression of how the works changed throughout the years, yet still maintain a certain recognizable style. We hope you enjoy it!
Friday, July 2, 2010
"Inca Dink, The Great Houndini" now for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
"Inca Dink, The Great Houndini, Magician in Training," written and illustrated by M. Nicole van Dam, is now officially released for the iPhone, iPodTouch and iPad at Inca Dink for the iPhone, iPodTouch and iPad ! The iPhone and iPad versions are narrated by British voiceover superstar Dominic Byrne and by the author M. Nicole van Dam.
If you love "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini" (TM) and would like to buy fun clothing, mugs, doggie t-shirts, baby bibs and other accesories, please visit the "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini" store at http://www.greathoundini.com/, and please send us pictures and visit our Inca Dink blog at Inca Dink Blog !
We hope you enjoy "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini"!
If you love "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini" (TM) and would like to buy fun clothing, mugs, doggie t-shirts, baby bibs and other accesories, please visit the "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini" store at http://www.greathoundini.com/, and please send us pictures and visit our Inca Dink blog at Inca Dink Blog !
We hope you enjoy "Inca Dink, The Great Houndini"!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Artwork created for Santa Barbara Maritime Museum Fundraiser
The "Treasure Mask" was donated to the Santa Barbara MaritimeMuseum for its 2010 fundraiser auction - to learn more please visit http://www.artstudio.bz/
Thursday, February 25, 2010
See New Artwork, Read New Poems, and enjoy the Daily Thought!!!
We'll be putting up new artwork, poems and thoughts every day - You can find the Daily Thought by using the links at right under More Scoop or go there directly at The Daily Thought - ENJOY!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
New Products!
Here is an example of some of the products currently available from M. Nicole van Dam original designs.
How did these products come to pass? Nicole's fine art is available for purchase, lease, license and commission. If you are interested in acquiring rights to use some of Nicole's designs, or are interested in purchasing, leasing, licensing or commssioning a work, please email us at Email Nicole.
How did these products come to pass? Nicole's fine art is available for purchase, lease, license and commission. If you are interested in acquiring rights to use some of Nicole's designs, or are interested in purchasing, leasing, licensing or commssioning a work, please email us at Email Nicole.
Inca Dink, The Great Houndini is about to be released!
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Excerpts from "Tempo - the Rythm and Rhyme of the Artist
Below are various excerpts from M. Nicole van Dam's book, "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist". We hope you enjoy each of them, and would love to hear your thoughts!
Following is an excerpt from M. Nicole van Dam's book, "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" - this one on dieting - we hope this makes you smile!
On Dieting
Oh the endless craves
How I strive for caloric free days
And when I fail, to not so enjoy the tasty error of my ways
Is anyone truly naturally thin
Able to eat whatever they desire and when?
I hate to diet
I miss my butter
I miss my bread
Must I do this til I am dead?
I want melted decadent choc’late chips
Sumptuously slipping between yearning lips
But somehow never cushioning waist or hips
I want brownies, ice cream and cake
I want guiltless crepes when I wake
I want tea and muffins
Rich sauces and cozy stews
Pizza, pastries and pasta
All without an extra pound to rue
I want the workout without the sweat
The calories burned without the go out and get
I want to be fit and trim
Able to fulfill every edible whim
It’s undeniable, it’s true
I’m a ravenous hypocrite through and through
So for now, while horrifically healthy food will have to do
I shall relish sinful savory sweet dreams while I chew.
Tea Time artwork by M. Nicole van Dam
To purchase "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" please visit Butterflies.bz
The following excerpt from M. Nicole van Dam's book, "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" is a poem and artwork, created separately, that combine to create a powerful statement about our impact on our envirnoment. The "Yellow Light" painting depicts the tension between our everyday needs and the needs of nature around us, as it strives to fit within the world we allow them (symbolized by the bird nesting in the yellow light, the "proceed with caution" avatar). The poem serves to create more awareness of our choices and our responsiblities. Both works are paired together in M. Nicole van Dam's book, "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" - please forward a link to this page to share the green thinking!
Flying Green
It is time to be green
Toss the toxic benzene
Past is oil’s hour
We don’t need crude, sweet or sour
Make way for solar power
Or if not by sun, then by wind or grain
Let’s explore renewable terrain
It’s time to nurture nature
Call it by any nomenclature
We need to wake up now
Save the earth in Earth somehow
Each of us must do our part
When would be a better time to start?
Recycle, be open-minded, try new things
Let your creativity soar on green wings
There are vast open windows to explore
Once we decide to close petrol’s door.
Yellow Light artwork by M. Nicole van Dam
To purchase "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" please visit Butterflies.bz
As an animal lover, M. Nicole van Dam has struggled with the concept of how we treat our foodstock - even the word "foodstock" makes these creatures anonymous. Hence, the following poem, "Anonymous but not Disregarded," in hopes that perhaps people will be reminded that we often forget what we had for dinner or lunch a few days ago, despite the unspeakable horror of the animals that provide this easily forgotten meal. This work was taken from M. Nicole van Dam's book, "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" - please share a link to this page in hopes it might spread awareness!
Anonymous but not Disregarded
Did you ever measure how many things must die
So that you, only you, must live each day?
I tried to once, and found with dismay
That I didn’t think my little life was worth so many others
So while sadly I cannot live and make my life death-causing free,
And while ever so much wish nothing had to die for me,
At least, if I have my druthers,
I can save some of my animal brothers
That piled-high seafood salad I used to eat
Must’ve cost a hundred lives just to give me a treat
And the veal who began as a baby calf tethered, not allowed to roam
Suffered so that I could have an easily forgotten dinner cozily in my home
And what of the cows whose feet never touch grass,
Stuffed in pens, “living” life in one miserable unloved mass,
or chickens jailed in tight cages
How many of those did I so thoughtlessly eat through the ages?
I truly believe that if our food in our stores was properly labeled
“Dead Cow who Suffered for You,” we would not be so enabled
To ignore their plight
And we just might
Become aware
Of how many things die for us as we laze in our dining chair
Think of how our meat comes tidily hermetically sealed
It looks nothing like anything once alive whose wounds now cannot be healed
Would you really be able to buy it if you had to see eye to eye
The brown-eyed critter that once was alive?
Could you pull the trigger that led them from farm to table
Wouldn’t you be more able
To eat a little extra green
Just so as not to enter that murderous dream
Of that blood and slaughter end to an inhumane life,
Wouldn’t you skip a few animal meals to limit that strife?
If you were really truly aware
Wouldn’t you care?
I know they say, “But the cows wouldn’t be alive except for me to eat”
But once anything is alive, don’t we owe it our best to treat
It with respect, just because it shares the earth with us
Isn’t that, as the planet’s keeper, our sacred trust?
Just because we helped nature an extra cow to breed
Does that mean we have the right to murder it, for food or greed?
And yes, I do believe there are those that must eat meat, but every day?
Must the majority of us live that way?
I wish too, that with the animals it began and ended,
But that’s not all in our world we have not yet befriended
Think about how many trees die and how we our forests demean
Just to keep us warm, housed, written, and clean
For the table upon which I eat
For the boxes in which I buy the shoes on my feet
The paper that wraps the presents I give
Must all these trees die, for me to live?
Then there are toxic puddles, clouds and radiated pollution
It’s overwhelming, I know not the solution
Except to be aware
To act in a way that shows I care
To minimize the harm I do
And to share what I see with you
I ask myself every day to think
Of how many lives I consume in a thoughtless blink
I know nature and animals still suffer for me every day
I wear leather shoes, drive a car, read and write paper books, aid in the world’s
decay
And heaven help me if veggies have feelings too
I don’t know what I’d do
But for now, it is my hope by cutting back if only a little
It is a first step in starting to whittle
the harm I cause, the deaths my needs create,
Hoping with these small changes I spare an anonymous life a dire fate.
Chef at the Farmer's Market artwork by M. Nicole van Dam
To purchase "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" please visit Butterflies.bz
Voting Booth, Tea Time, Yellow Light and Chef at the Farmer's Market artworks each respectively by and TM & (c) 2005 - 2011 M. Nicole van Dam. All Rights Reserved.
To purchase "Tempo - The Rhythm and Rhyme of the Artist" please visit Butterflies.bz
TM and (c) 2005-2011 M. Nicole van Dam. All Rights Reserved.
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