12 Countries Spotlight in Holland : Harriet Damave

While in Amsterdam, I had the pleasure of meeting illustrator and ceramic artist Harriet Damave. As we sipped fresh mint tea in her home studio, Harriet showed me the intricate process of how she creates her lovely hand-painted ceramic artwork using white porcelain and the traditional Dutch Delft technique with cobalt blue pigments to create modern, whimsical, illustrative pendants, jewelry, and ornaments.

First, Harriet rolls out the white porcelain clay quite thinly

and creates the basic shapes for her work using tins and cookie cutters.

After the clay dries it is placed in the kiln

where the clay is fired and is the ready to paint.

Now the real fun begins! 

Harriet is trained as a professional illustrator, and she paints gorgeous, intricate unique patterns and details onto each ceramic piece. The way she works with cobalt oxide pigment is almost like using watercolor pigments, and it is a powdery gray color before being fired again in the kiln - when it turns into the deep cobalt blue that is traditional for Dutch Delft ceramic art. 

This group shows the contrast between the gray painted pieces - not yet fired in the kiln - and the brilliant blue and white pieces that are fired a second time at 1260° Celsius or 2300° Fahrenheit then coated with a transparent glaze and fired once again.

I was very impressed by Harriet's dedication to her art and the huge amount of time and thought that goes into each individual piece!

She creates a wide variety of pieces, some featuring Dutch canal houses

which bring back wonderful memories of strolling around Amsterdam.

She also paints romantic hearts

sweet angels

fanciful butterflies

playful tea pots

unique Christmas ornaments (not too early to shop for next year!)

adorable rabbits

intelligent elephants

wise owls

leaping cats

in an amazing variety of styles - as brooches, rings, and pendants. 

Be sure to visit Harriet's shop to see her full collection. 

These make perfect one of a kind handmade gifts for someone who is a collector!

Harriet packages everything personally with love

and I can tell you that Harriet is a lovely, fun, and generous person too!

Thank you Harriet for taking the time to drink tea and show me your Amsterdam studio, it was a real treat! I wish you all the best with your many artistic and creative projects and Happy New Year!

xoxo

Stephanie

12 Countries Spotlight in Holland : Nina Van de Goor

Last year, I travelled to the Netherlands, visited Amsterdam, and made a day trip out to Den Bosch to meet  Nina Van de Goor, a delightfully talented Dutch mixed media artist. I took the above photo of Nina and her daughter Rosa in Nina's lovely, colorful apartment.

This is a more recent photo of Nina with a swinging Rosa made only a couple of weeks ago. Yes, Nina is now pregnant with baby number two, due to arrive this month, congratulations! Or maybe the new baby is already here? How time flies...

Nina showed me several examples of her gorgeous ceramic work, which she creates using vintage ceramic pieces and her own screen printed illustrations and designs.

We had tea and cookies while I marveled at Nina's delightful cups and tiles

sometimes personalized

sometimes whimsical

and sometimes incorporating the vintage designs with the new.

Nina also creates cheerful illustrations, posters, and cards

and even adorable children's clothes (lucky Rosa!)

Every corner of Nina's apartment is thoughtfully composed

each shelf with its own character

 

the window sills brightened by still lives

an eclectic mix of modern design and antique furniture

and me busily trying to get photos of it all.

I had the privilege of peeking into Nina's home studio

and seeing first hand the collage method of how she creates her designs

as she demonstrated her interesting work process.

We had a lively conversation throughout our interview, then we took a stroll through Nina's hometown of Den Bosch

where I admired the historic architecture

the cute boutique shops

and the peaceful atmosphere outside the local cathedral.

Nina insisted that I try the local specialty of Den Bosch, called a "Bossche bol" - a cream filled pastry shell covered with dark chocolate! It was huge, so we agreed to split one.

Rosa was not impressed, but I will admit that the Bossche bol was very decadent and delicious.

After our treat, I said goodbye to Nina and Rosa, my head still spinning with sugar, and I took the train back to Amsterdam. 

I had some time to gaze out at the vast sky and open spaces, and I was reminded of the many Dutch landscape painters of the past. I could understand why they were inspired to capture these views in paint, breathtaking in their depth.

*****

You can connect with Nina on her popular blog, pinterest, and Flickr, then see more of her work in her Etsy shop. Nina is on maternity leave at the moment, but you can leave a message to be notified when she returns.

You'll also find more of Nina's artwork and many photo tours of her inspiring home on IKEA Family, sfgirlbybay, decor8, apartment therapy, and artists who blog. Nina was even featured on a Dutch design tv show - you can see the video here.

Thank you Nina for your time and generous hospitality in Den Bosch, and I am wishing you lots of love and joy with your growing family!

xoxo

Stephanie