A LOOK BACK AT 2017 BY DUTCH CONTEMPORARY ARTIST MICHIEL NAGTEGAAL

A look back at 2017 + my main goal for 2018

January 4, 2018

We are already 'on the road' for four days in 2018. But I still like to take a look back at 2017. What a year was 2017! I was in the fortunate circumstance to sell a fair amount of paintings. There were also a number of interesting commissions. And, as the proverbial ‘cherry on the cake’, I was selected for publication in of some nice art publications.

Highlights 2017

Let me show you some of my highlights of 2017, in chronological order;

Featured

Art

Dutch, Art, Voorburg, the Netherlands, portfolio, identity, MrUpside, Highlight2017, website

New online identity, new portfolio

Art

Dutch, Art, Voorburg, the Netherlands, portfolio, identity, MrUpside, Highlight2017, website

Art

Dutch, Art, Voorburg, the Netherlands, portfolio, identity, MrUpside, Highlight2017, website

01-Blogpost-Dutch-artist-MrUpside-Featured-Book-of-Excellence-Vol-III.jpg

book, CAE, Global Art Agency, Excellence, UK, publication, Highlight2017

Mr. Upside is featured in the Contemporary Book of Excellence Vol. III

book, CAE, Global Art Agency, Excellence, UK, publication, Highlight2017

Art

video, flamingo, morning, work-in-progress, Bold Lines, dibond, Highlight2017

Work-in-progress: abstract artwork 'Flamingo Morning'

Art

video, flamingo, morning, work-in-progress, Bold Lines, dibond, Highlight2017

Art

video, flamingo, morning, work-in-progress, Bold Lines, dibond, Highlight2017

Art

sold, white, molotow, Highlight2017

Abstract artwork 'Drone' sold via Instagram

Art

sold, white, molotow, Highlight2017

Art

sold, white, molotow, Highlight2017

01-Blogpost-Dutch-artist-MrUpside-Moving-New-Studio.jpg

Art

moving, studio, Leidschendam, SectorV, Highlight2017

Moved into my new studio in Leidschendam

Art

moving, studio, Leidschendam, SectorV, Highlight2017

Art

moving, studio, Leidschendam, SectorV, Highlight2017

Huishoudbeurs-2017-Stairz-traprenovatie-MrUpside-Kunst-Illustratie-01.jpg

Art

Stairz, convention, Huishoudbeurs, Highlight2017

Mr. Upside designs unique, special edition staircase

Art

Stairz, convention, Huishoudbeurs, Highlight2017

Art

Stairz, convention, Huishoudbeurs, Highlight2017

Commissioned-Art-Illustration-KPN-Rogier-Verkoren-by-MrUpside-artist-01-Front-view.jpg

Art

Commissioned, canvas, posca, Highlight2017

New commission 'Keep calm and think of new recipes'

Art

Commissioned, canvas, posca, Highlight2017

Art

Commissioned, canvas, posca, Highlight2017

Best wishes for 2018

I hope 2018 will be better, more beautiful and with more success for everyone! And all in good health ofcourse! Follow your passion and try to do things that matter to you as much as possible.

My main goal for 2018

One advice all the entrepreneurial guru's tend to give is to set goals. Small one and big ones. I have at least one goal for 2018:

At least five of my artworks are shown in a reasonable gallery (not my own Mr. Upside gallery) during a period of more than two weeks.

I have my strategy to get me there already worked out, but if you have any thoughts how to reach that goal, please let know! Use the comments below or feel free to send me an e-mail.

Finished: commissioned painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

December 21, 2017

The two painted sliding doors are finished! I talked about the work-in-progress of this awesome commission by Eva Lebens and family here. The doors close off two bathrooms in their newly renovated and soon-to-be open beautiful Airbnb location in Voorburg, the Netherlands.

In the past few days, after we brought our kids to bed, I would drive back to my studio to apply layers of varnish to the doors. This way my well-respected studio neighbours would have the least problems with the smell of the glossy varnish.

PICTURE 2 of 12 - One of The finished sliding doors with a blue background and pink side hanging in one of the bedrooms available in the airbnb location in voorburg, the netherlands

Yesterday I delivered the doors at the two-bedroom Airbnb location.

Refurbished

Eva took the opportunity to show Janette and me around and show the progress made in the past few weeks renovating and decorating the bedrooms, kitchen and living room. The interior is really unique and has an 'eclectic' vibe to it. Almost every object has a story and many of them are painted or refurbished.

Picture 3 of 12 - One of The finished sliding doors with a orange background and pink side hanging in one of the bedrooms available in the airbnb location in voorburg, the netherlands

Continuation of the painting process

The pictures below show the painting process where I left off in this previous blogpost on the sliding doors. Personally I always like to see how an artwork is made so I hope you like it that I am sharing lots of progress shots here.

For more work-in-progress shots, follow my Instagram account.

As with many of my paintings, the layers I started with aren't visible in the final artwork anymore. It also took several layers of paint to find the appropriate colours.

Picture 4 of 12 - The finished sliding doors WAITING TO GET THEIR VARNISH.

The Gap

When I see final paintings I always think of an article I once read, about the creation of art.

An experienced artist described how he, as a beginning artist, experienced a large 'gap' between the vision in his head and the things he actually produced. Most beginning artists struggle to re-produce their vision in their first few years. But as the experience of the artist grows, the gap between imagination / vision and the final end result gets smaller and smaller.

Three visible layers

My initial idea was to combine three visible layers. A coloured background, a middle layer with extra large, semi-transparent Bold Lines and a top layer with white 'regular' Bold Lines. But while I applied the final layer of white lines, I noticed that the middle layer probably wouldn't be recognisable anymore. No problem at all, but certainly different from what I had envisioned.

Picture 5 of 12 - the orange version of the sliding doors on the improvised bench - the doors are too large to paint standing up

Picture 6 of 12 - The first layer of the bold lines in the sliding doors together with two other paintings i am currently working on

Picture 7 of 12 - Nice overview of various steps in the painting process of the sliding doors.

Picture 8 of 12 - Progress shot while I am applying the final layer of white paint

Picture 9 of 12 - CLOSE UP OF THE BLUE VERSION OF THE finished sliding doors

Picture 10 of 12 - CLOSE UP OF THE ORANGE VERSION OF THE finished sliding doors

Picture 11 of 12 - THE SIDES OF THE DOORS PAINTED PINK.

Pink sides

I remember seeing the sides of a door painted in a neon color once in an interior design magazine. Really cool because of the small area that's covered in a striking color. Not to obvious but enough to attract a bit of attention. The small strip of striking pink coincidentally happend to also match some of the interior accessories.

Glue

Although the pink sides are just a small part of the painting, pulling the tape off that protected the front and back side of the doors, still was an exciting moment. I wasn't sure the tape that I had used would leave glue residue. Or worse, would damage parts of the painted surface. Fortunately none of this happend and I had more trouble brushing away pink paint on the front and back.

PICTURE 12 OF 12 - ME TAKING A TERRIBLE SELFIE WHILE PREPARING TO APPLY THE VARNISH LAYERS

Work-in-progress - Painting sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

November 21, 2017

Let me give you a look on the creative process of painting two wooden sliding doors. It’s a super nice commission by Eva Lebens and family. The doors close off two bathrooms in their newly renovated and soon-to-be open beautiful Airbnb location in Voorburg, the Netherlands.

Eva is one of our neighbours and a few weeks ago she walked in the Mr. Upside Gallery, wondering if I would be interested in painting two sliding doors of her soon-to-be-ready Airbnb location in our street.

Ofcourse I couldn't refuse such an awesome request! So later that day, she and her husband Joost gave me a tour in their newly renovated apartments behind their house.

PICTURE 1 of 16 - THE TWO BLANK SLIDING DOORS - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

In the picture above you see the two bathrooms with the doors open. The Airbnb apartments are super cool and stylishly decorated. With underlayment wooden plates on the floor and the exposed brick walls, the apartment has a contemporary and cosy feel.

Picture 2 of 16 - Preparing the doors by painting Gesso on them - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

Eva and Joost had the idea to work to collaborate with local people as much as possible. The first idea of Joost was to use a local graffiti artist but they decided they needed a less 'busy' and more toned-down image.

Eva had seen my work hanging in the gallery before and gave me carte blanche with the art on the doors. I thought of adding a more figurative, local or bathroom theme but decided to keep it abstract. It would leave more to the imagination of the visitors of the Airbnb location.

Picture 3 of 16 - Taping the sides where I don't want paint to touch the wood - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

I started by applying a layer of white Gesso to both doors, to improve the adhesion of the acrylic paint. Then I added some color, knowing that this color probably wouldn't be visible in the end result because of all the layers of paint on top.

Picture 4 of 16 - First layer of paint and the first set of Bold Lines on it - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

I liked the idea of layering, of another layer of Bold Lines shining through the top layer. During the painting, the concept of combining the 'old' (house build in 1922) with the 'new' (renovated Airbnb apartments), popped in my head.

So I decided on a toned-down background with an 'old', less organised feel and a 'new', more structured and tighter top layer with brighter Bold Lines.

The images in this work-in-progress article show only the layers that form the background of the paintings. Somewhere in the next two weeks I'll be posting images of the finished sliding doors with the Bold Lines top layer here.

In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on the progress on my Instagram account