The Creations of M. Nicole van Dam ®

If You’re in Ventura Feb 4, Hold the Date!

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Artimagination

I’ve been asked to be the “Featured Artist” in an upcoming Ventura gallery show, with a lovely reception and performance (yes, p.e.r.f.o.r.m.a.n.c.e) to be held Friday, February 4 from around 6pm to 8pm. This will mark my first public performance, so perhaps we should label this as a comedy show rather than an art show! The show will be based on my book, “Tempo – The Rhythm & Rhyme of the Artist.” Admission is free – details to come!

Posted in Books of Art & Poetry & Philosophy, Exhibitions, Writer's Corner | Tagged exhibitions, M. Nicole van Dam | Leave a comment

Schedule of Upcoming Creativity Central Classes

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Artimagination

At each session, we will share our creativity in all its forms —art, handcrafts, written, music—and learn together to embrace our creative inner selves. As time goes on, Nicole will curate ongoing exhibits of our creations in our new building, so that we can share with our community our growth and spirit. Please join us for this creative adventure! Our currently scheduled classes are:
Monday January 17, 6-8pm
Monday February 28, 6-8pm
Monday March 28, 6-8pm
FRIDAY April 29, 6-8pm
Each class is free of charge, thanks to the generous combined efforts of Community Memorial Hospital’s Cancer Resource Center and M. Nicole van Dam.
To RSVP, please contact Kathleen Horton of the Cancer Resource Center by phone (805)652-5459 or via email : khorton@cmhhospital.org

Posted in Community Service & Volunteer Work | Tagged cancer center, community service, creativity therapy, exhibition, M. Nicole van Dam, volunteer | Leave a comment

Please Join Us Monday January 17

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Artimagination

Please join us Monday, January 17, 2011 from 6:00—8:00pm for this colorful exploration of the creative spirit that lies within each of us. At this session, we will also be joined by Multi-talented Musician (and Doctor!) Dr. Kenneth Kafka. At each session, we will share our creativity in all its forms—art, handcrafts, written, music—and learn together to embrace our creative inner selves. As time goes on, Nicole will curate ongoing exhibits of our creations in our new building, so that we can share with our community our growth and spirit. Please join us for this creative adventure!
To RSVP, please contact Kathleen Horton of the Cancer Resource Center by phone (805)652-5459 or via email : khorton@cmhhospital.org by Wednesday, January 12, 2011. As usual, there is no charge for this event, thanks to the generosity of the Cancer Resource Center!
IMPORTANT NOTE: While the new building is still being finished, this session will meet at the original Cancer Center location at 120 N. Ashwood Avenue, Ventura.

Posted in Community Service & Volunteer Work | Tagged cancer center, community service, creativity therapy, exhibition, M. Nicole van Dam, volunteer | Leave a comment

Golden Retriever Pup

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Artimagination

Inspired by the jovial playful nature of the Golden Retriever breed. Who can resist a Golden Retriever pup? All the artwork you see here is available in Limited Edition prints and many household and wearable products, at Create.bz.

Posted in Nature and Animals, Nicole's News Hot Sheet, Portfolio | Tagged animals, art, dog, Golden Retriever, M. Nicole van Dam, nvd, pup, puppy | Leave a comment

Princess Bourke apparently not impressed with my music abilities!

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Artimagination

Everyone is a critic! Princess Bourke apparently doesn’t think much of my piano playing skills – of course, she’s definitely not alone in that! I better stick to my art!

Posted in Gardening & Animals & Inspirations | Tagged bourke, inspirations, M. Nicole van Dam, music, parakeet, parrot, pet | Leave a comment

Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Artimagination

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!

Posted in Nicole's News Hot Sheet | Tagged animation, chihuahua, flash, happy holidays, Leonberger, papillion, pet, pomeranian | Leave a comment

My Art Book Book Breaks into the Top 10 in its Amazon Rankings!

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Artimagination

I can’t believe it myself, but my book “The Art of M. Nicole van Dam, in Grayscale for the Kindle” has just been ranked as the 4th best and 7th best selling book on the Amazon Kindle in its two categories! Yippeeeeeee!

Posted in Books of Art & Poetry & Philosophy, New Nicole Product Updates, Nicole's News Hot Sheet, Writer's Corner | Tagged Amazon, art, book, kindle, M. Nicole van Dam, poetry | Leave a comment

Up Close with a Fearless Bourke!

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Artimagination

Our female Bourke is so fearless – and she loves technology! Here she is exploring the video camera, deciding if it gets to stay in her dominion or not. -And look at her beautiful coloring – like a sunset in bird form!

If you want to share this link directly on YouTube you can find it at: Close-Up video of a brave little Bourke!

Posted in Gardening & Animals & Inspirations | Tagged bird, bourke, inspirations, M. Nicole van Dam, parakeet, parrot, pet | Leave a comment

New Bourke Parakeet Joins Family!

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Artimagination

This is an amazing process, to add a new member – a new BIRD member – to our cozy family. We wisely took a video of the first meeting of our original Bourke Parakeet and our new little fella. It’s fascinating to see how the original bird flies to the top of the new bird’s cage and crouches there, peering at him very closely.

If you want to share this on YouTube the direct link on YouTube is: Our Birdie Meets her Beau!

Having said that, our original bird protested at the thought of sharing her cage with a new roomate just yet. Here she is, making quite sure we know which perches are HERS and NOT to be shared:

However, as long as our new bird stays in his own abode, all is peaceful and well. Our Princess clearly wishes to be the solo tenant of her castle for awhile longer, but we can tell she is happy to have a neighbor! Here is the cozy state of our new family of an adorable, clown-faced Chihuahua-Papillion-Pomeranian muttsicle, a sweatheart of a Leonberger dog who loves to chew on his toys on the couch, and our two side-by-side birds, all content to hang out together:

This is my bliss, all the happy animals together sharing quiet time while I work on the computer or on my art, with a view of the gardens – the only thing that makes it better is having my patient husband around too.
-And people always say my art looks so happy – THIS is why 🙂 I am so grateful for these moments!

Direct link to You Tube: Cozy Critters Sharing Quiet Time

Posted in Gardening & Animals & Inspirations | Tagged bird, bourke, inspiration, M. Nicole van Dam, parakeet, parrot, pet | Leave a comment

Turning Trash into Treasure for Charity Auction

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Artimagination

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?

It’s pretty lumpy and doesn’t look to promising yet….but somehow it gets refined enough to place on the saddle, so I can see how I’m doing in the big picture of things.

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 am really liking where this is going at this point. I try to get up the courage to paint the whole horse blue, but finally decide against it, and go for a soft sage green-blue main and detail work instead, with a little of blue individual detailing.

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:

Posted in Community Service & Volunteer Work, New Nicole Artworks, Nicole's News Hot Sheet | Tagged community service, donation, fundraising, M. Nicole van Dam, volunteer | Leave a comment

DISCOVERY: Best Tasting Tomato is NOT the Prettiest Shape or Color!

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Artimagination

These photos say it all – the sudden bit of Summer in Fall was exactly what my tomatoes needed – and they are juicy and delicious! You can really see the difference between the varieties I planted. The chocolate cherry tomatoes are scrumptious, and rarely make it as far as the kitchen – I tend to eat them straight from the vine in the garden! The least lovely tomato, the goldeny-red, roundish-most-boring-shaped ones, are actually the sweetest and my favorite to eat – I wonder if this is a metaphor for people too! Can’t judge a tomato by its cover! I need to look at my notes to see which variety those yummie ones are, so that I plant more of them next year.

-And my most perfect tomato, artistically speaking, yet – large, plump; gorgeous color, intricate shape:

Posted in Gardening & Animals & Inspirations | Tagged Chihuahua Papillion Pomeranian, crop report, garden, Leonberger, M. Nicole van Dam, pet, tomato, vegetable garden, veggie | Leave a comment

Great Pictures from Creativity Central Event for the Cancer Resource Center!

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Artimagination

Our Cancer Resource Center group fearlessly, creatively starting on the painting! From the start, everyone was a great team!

Everyone worked on their corner, to start…

-But it wasn’t long before everyone was moving around, and the colors were beautifully balanced – one participant said it seemed magical!

The “Sun” part of the painting is a great example of how everyone had their role in making it “shine”:

Kathleen’s refreshments gave everyone a cozy, yummie painting break!

We enjoyed making greeting cards, too. What amazed everyone was how DIFFERENTLY each card turned out, and everyone added their own special sentiment.

Gratitude

Faith

Blossom!

THE MAGICAL RESULT OF THE PAINTING:

What amazed everyone most, however, was how lovely, everyone choosing their own colors and following their own creative journey, made our painting! That of course, is a metaphor for life 🙂

-And some group shots of the proud artists:

Posted in Community Service & Volunteer Work | Tagged cancer center, community service, creativity therapy, exhibition, M. Nicole van Dam, volunteer | Leave a comment

We’re Taking a Survey!

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Artimagination

We would love to learn more about your artistic preferences and your thoughts about this blog. Please contact us and let us know your thoughts!

Posted in Gardening & Animals & Inspirations, New Nicole Artworks, New Nicole Product Updates, Writer's Corner | Tagged contact us, M. Nicole van Dam, survey | Leave a comment

Taking a Survey!

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Artimagination

We would love to hear your thoughts about this blog and about your artistic preferences. Please share your thoughts by filling out this message and survey form.

Posted in Nicole's News Hot Sheet | Tagged contact us, M. Nicole van Dam, survey | Leave a comment

Setting up the Cancer Resource Center Space for October 25th Event!

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Artimagination

div class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: left;”We wanted a room full of inspiration, to set the tone of combining art with words with all our creativity.nbsp; Here is the room in progress, waiting for our fun October 25 creativity event:a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cpfZ2drQFrM/TMRcCARyKnI/AAAAAAAAAVU/8o2JjZCpDOI/s1600/PA211788.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”img border=”0″ height=”300″ nx=”true” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cpfZ2drQFrM/TMRcCARyKnI/AAAAAAAAAVU/8o2JjZCpDOI/s400/PA211788.JPG” width=”400″ //a/divdiv class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: left;”-And a closeup of what is on the walls:/divdiv class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: left;”a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cpfZ2drQFrM/TMRb1PktXXI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/BOWjm9DqKMY/s1600/PA221806.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”img border=”0″ height=”300″ nx=”true” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cpfZ2drQFrM/TMRb1PktXXI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/BOWjm9DqKMY/s400/PA221806.JPG” width=”400″ //a/divdiv class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: left;”The canvas is all prepped, waiting for the event to start – here is a sneak peak of a part of the canvas, enhanced for easy viewing./divdiv class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cpfZ2drQFrM/TMRdFrzGCfI/AAAAAAAAAVc/OHKyBSg_0w8/s1600/PA231815.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”img border=”0″ height=”300″ nx=”true” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cpfZ2drQFrM/TMRdFrzGCfI/AAAAAAAAAVc/OHKyBSg_0w8/s400/PA231815.JPG” width=”400″ //a/divdiv class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: left;”Please RSVP to (805)652-5459 for the October 25 workshop!nbsp; Refreshments will be served, and you will love thenbsp;creativity!br //div

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Setting up the Cancer Resource Center Space for October 25th Event!

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Artimagination

We wanted a room full of inspiration, to set the tone of combining art with words with all our creativity. Here is the room in progress, waiting for our fun October 25 creativity event:

-And a closeup of what is on the walls:

The canvas is all prepped, waiting for the event to start – here is a sneak peak of a part of the canvas, enhanced for easy viewing.

Please RSVP to (805)652-5459 for the October 25 workshop! Refreshments will be served, and you will love the creativity!

Posted in Community Service & Volunteer Work | Leave a comment

Next Session of Creativity Central for the Cancer Resource Center Scheduled

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Artimagination

div class=”MsoNormal” style=”mso-pagination: none;”span lang=”en-US” style=”font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; font-size: 16pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-cyrillic-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-default-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-greek-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latin-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latinext-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;;”We have scheduled the next session of Creativity Central!nbsp; Please join us Monday, November 15th, 6:00pm—8:00pm at the Cancer Resource Center of Community Memorial Hospital for anothernbsp;colorful exploration of the creative spirit that lies within each of us.span style=”mso-spacerun: yes;”nbsp; /spanAt this session, we will also be joined by /spanspan lang=”en-US” style=”font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; font-size: 16pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-cyrillic-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-default-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-greek-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latin-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latinext-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;;”Multi-talented Musician (and Doctor!) /spanspan lang=”en-US” style=”color: #cc0066; font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; font-size: 16pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-cyrillic-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-default-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-greek-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latin-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latinext-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;;”Dr. Kenneth Kafka.nbsp;/spanspan lang=”en-US” style=”font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; font-size: 16pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-cyrillic-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-default-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-greek-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latin-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latinext-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;;”span style=”mso-spacerun: yes;”nbsp;Thanks to the generous support of the Cancer Resource Center, each session is free.nbsp; /spanAt each session, we will share our creativity in all its forms—art, handcrafts, written, music—and learn together to embrace our creative inner selves.span style=”mso-spacerun: yes;”nbsp;nbsp; /spanAs time goes on, Nicole will curate ongoing exhibits of our creations in our new building, so that we can share with our community our growth and spirit.span style=”mso-spacerun: yes;”nbsp; /spanPlease join us for this creative adventure!span style=”mso-spacerun: yes;”nbsp;nbsp;span style=”font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;” /span/span/spanspan lang=”en-US” style=”language: en-US;”/span/divdiv class=”MsoNormal” style=”mso-pagination: none;”span lang=”en-US” style=”color: #cc0066; font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; font-size: 18pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-armenian-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-ascii-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-bengali-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-bopomofo-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-currency-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-cyrillic-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-default-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-devanagari-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-georgian-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-greek-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-gurmukhi-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-halfwidthkana-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-han-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-hangul-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-hebrew-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-kana-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-kannada-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-lao-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-latin-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latinext-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-malayalam-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-oriya-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-tamil-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-telugu-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-thai-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;;”**Please RSVP to 652-5459 by Friday, November 12, 2010 **/spanspan lang=”en-US” style=”color: #cc0066; font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; font-size: 18pt; language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-armenian-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-ascii-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-bengali-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-bopomofo-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-currency-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-cyrillic-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-default-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-devanagari-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-georgian-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-greek-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-gurmukhi-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-halfwidthkana-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-han-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-hangul-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-hebrew-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-kana-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-kannada-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-lao-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-latin-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-latinext-font-family: quot;Monotype Corsivaquot;; mso-malayalam-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-oriya-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-tamil-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-telugu-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;; mso-thai-font-family: quot;Arial Unicode MSquot;;”/span/divdiv class=”MsoNormal” style=”mso-pagination: none;”br //div

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Next Session of Creativity Central for the Cancer Resource Center Scheduled

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Artimagination

Posted in Nicole's News Hot Sheet | Leave a comment

Next Session of Creativity Central for the Cancer Resource Center Scheduled

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Artimagination

We have scheduled the next session of Creativity Central! Please join us Monday, November 15th, 6:00pm—8:00pm at the Cancer Resource Center of Community Memorial Hospital for another colorful exploration of the creative spirit that lies within each of us. At this session, we will also be joined by Multi-talented Musician (and Doctor!) Dr. Kenneth Kafka. Thanks to the generous support of the Cancer Resource Center, each session is free. At each session, we will share our creativity in all its forms—art, handcrafts, written, music—and learn together to embrace our creative inner selves. As time goes on, Nicole will curate ongoing exhibits of our creations in our new building, so that we can share with our community our growth and spirit. Please join us for this creative adventure!

**Please RSVP to 652-5459 by Friday, November 12, 2010 **

Posted in Community Service & Volunteer Work | Tagged cancer center, community service, creativity therapy, exhibition, M. Nicole van Dam, volunteer | Leave a comment

Moonlight

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Artimagination

Following is a poem, entitled “Love’s Adventure,” which I paired below with the “Moon” painting. This struck me as a fun combination. “Love’s Adventure” is one of the poems in the “Tempo – The Rhythm & Rhyme of the Artist” book (now available in full color paperback on Amazon and elsewhere, as well as on the Kindle and for the Apple iPhone, iPodTouch, and iPad (via the free “Kindle for the iPhone” app)), while “Moon” has been used on several products, including glass plates (12″ square) and coasters. The reality is, though, that when I create these things, I create them for fun, and when they actually can grow into other things, that’s an especial delight, a mystery, and a joy for me.