willowing.org

art classes. buy original art work. buy fine art prints. art journals. music . healing

ABOUT THE ARTIST

tam loves drawing girls with pink & black hair, seahorses, giraffes, and swirly, twirly trees. she studied music and art in holland for a while before running off to london where she developed her photography skills. she spent 10 years in london before moving to sri lanka for 2.5 years. it was there where her love for art journalling blossomed. her art became increasingly more mixed media, messy, complicated and layered which is how she likes it now. at present she is a student of non-violent communication and lives with her partner, the magical andy and her beautiful baby boy dylan, in brighton, england where she creates mixed media art daily. she likes pink bubblegum, avocados, humour and kindness.

she recently started running online art workshops! come join one if you like: www.willowing.ning.com

=0)

Materials

tam works with anything that sticks really, but to name the materials she uses most often:

:: watersoluble crayons - caran d'ache
:: watercolour pencils - staedler/ caran d'ache/ derwent
:: acrylic paint daler-drowner & galeria
:: a variety of gelpens from pilot & signo uniball
:: acrylic medium gloss & matte gel
:: good old fashioned graphite pencils
:: bookpages (currently: LOTR & HP)
:: magazine cutouts
:: glitter, salt, sequins
:: buttons, fabric, ribbon, wool, texture paste
:: feathers, scrapbook paper, vellum paper
:: beeswax, rubber stamps, ink

Journals:

:: moleskine large plain notebook
:: moleskine large watercolour notebook
:: a variety of larger A4 sized ones, no particular brand

Paintings:

:: watercolour on: canson, cold press, acid free, 300gsm
:: acrylics/ mixed media: daler-rowney canvas

FAQ

Your teaching methods don’t seem conventional, what underpins your method of teaching?
In addition to being an artist, I am also a student of Nonviolent Communication™. NVC is a style of communication that focuses on the quality of connection between people and inspires compassion in and for the self and others. Within the NVC model – judgement (both positive and negative) isn’t considered a helpful way of letting people know how they are progressing with their work (if you are interested in this theory read: “Punished by Rewards” by Alfie Kohn).

Therefore, when I teach, I aim to avoid using terminology such as “right” and “wrong”, “good” and “bad”. Instead I try to focus on the quality of the art experience. Feedback is given by looking at what makes us happiest in our art, not what might be considered ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ art. The emphasis is on the emotional rather than the intellectual experience of the creation process. While the two often overlap, I find that focusing on the emotional experience, opens people up more and often helps them progress with their art more than through receiving criticism conducted within the ‘right’/ ‘wrong’ paradigm. For more information on NVC: www.cnvc.org

My life style and healing approach is very much influenced by the teachings of Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie, contemplating the nature of being and practicing presence, awareness and acceptance. For more information on these teachers: www.thework.com – www.eckhartolle.com

I am also a qualified hypnotherapist and nlp practitioner and use some ideas/ healing methods of hypnotherapy and nlp in my art courses.
Where are you from?
I was born in Holland, Velsen (3rd May 1976). I left Holland in 1994/1995 and then lived in London for about 10 years (mostly in Brixton & Streatham), I then went to Sri Lanka for 2.5 years and I am now back in the UK.
Where are you based currently?
Brighton (Hove actually), UK
Do you do run workshops in person?
Not yet, I hope to do a few either in London and/or Brighton, but it takes a while to set up, and now that I have a small baby won't have energy/ time, but nag me and I might! :-) I’ve always wanted to go back to running an art/ music/ drama club for kids which is what I did in Sri Lanka, but that too is hard to organise here, maybe one day!
What is your art background?
I’ve been doing art since I was a wee one. I remember in junior school drawing a cat and being so so proud of it!I took art and art history as a subject in high school (Berger Scholen Gemeenschap – Bergen Holland) and majored (is that the word?) in it too. For Dutch people; I went to VWO and art was one of my final subjects in the final year. After highschool I auditioned for 2 art schools and was accepted for both, one in Enschede and one in Amsterdam, I went to the one in Amsterdam (Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Amsterdam). It was a mostly miserable experience (apart from meeting one of my best friends ever there!).

Since then I’ve been doing art on my own. The materials I used in the past most were acrylics/ pastels/ watercolours on canvas or canvas board (in art school we used oils but the turpentine drove me mental). My art has in the past 4-5 years become more mixed media. I started art journaling in 2005-06 after I found an art journaling community on livejournal where I blog.

I taught drama, music and art to 2.5 – 11 year olds in an International Junior School in Sri Lanka for 2.5 years (Elizabeth Moir School). My main role there was; extra curricular coordinator, I organised sporting events, the schools art exhibition, directed (and at some point wrote!) the main school play and taught drama/ music and art to all age levels). I miss the kids and teachers there TREMENDOUSLY. ♥
What is up with your hands? They look odd sometimes when I watch your videos.
I have an illness called rheumatoid arthritis. It is an autoimmune disease in which my immune system attacks my own joints (fun eh!) I’ve been lucky enough to not have been crippled by it, but my hands have suffered some deformities which is what you may notice in the videos. I often wear my little finger-less gloves to ‘hide’ the deformities. While I have mostly accepted that my hands look different, I still sometimes wish they looked “normal”. However, I love my hands for what they are still able to do and I am extremely thankful for the mobility they still have. : )
How can I contact you?
Either msg me on ning or youtube or email me: tam[at]willowing[dot]org.
Who are your influences?
There are many fantastic artists out there who I have drawn inspiration from! In no particular order: Audrey Kawasaki, Lori Early, Tascha (timewithtascha), Ann-Julie (thenebulouskingdom), Suzi Blu, Stephen Mackey, Josee Savaria, Teesha Moore, Liz (primoriginals), Paulette Insall, Kelly Rae Roberts, Milliande, Claudine Hellmuth, Beryl Taylor, Karen Michell, Gwen Diehn, the list goes on.

From the old masters I’ve been influenced by the work of: Gustav Klimt, Gaudi, Hundertwasser, Franz Marc, Matisse, Chagall, Kandinsky and Odilon Redon, but again the list goes on.

Have more questions? Ask me anything HERE.

tams tams

home \| blog \| join my art network \| books \| art videos \| about \| testimonials \| contact/ sales

art classes. buy original art work. buy fine art prints. art journals. music . healing
	ABOUT THE ARTIST tam loves drawing girls with pink & black hair, seahorses, giraffes, and swirly, twirly trees. she studied music and art in holland for a while before running off to london where she developed her photography skills. she spent 10 years in london before moving to sri lanka for 2.5 years. it was there where her love for art journalling blossomed. her art became increasingly more mixed media, messy, complicated and layered which is how she likes it now. at present she is a student of non-violent communication and lives with her partner, the magical andy and her beautiful baby boy dylan, in brighton, england where she creates mixed media art daily. she likes pink bubblegum, avocados, humour and kindness. she recently started running online art workshops! come join one if you like: www.willowing.ning.com =0) Materials tam works with anything that sticks really, but to name the materials she uses most often: :: watersoluble crayons - caran d'ache :: watercolour pencils - staedler/ caran d'ache/ derwent :: acrylic paint daler-drowner & galeria :: a variety of gelpens from pilot & signo uniball :: acrylic medium gloss & matte gel :: good old fashioned graphite pencils :: bookpages (currently: LOTR & HP) :: magazine cutouts :: glitter, salt, sequins :: buttons, fabric, ribbon, wool, texture paste :: feathers, scrapbook paper, vellum paper :: beeswax, rubber stamps, ink Journals: :: moleskine large plain notebook :: moleskine large watercolour notebook :: a variety of larger A4 sized ones, no particular brand Paintings: :: watercolour on: canson, cold press, acid free, 300gsm :: acrylics/ mixed media: daler-rowney canvas FAQ Your teaching methods don’t seem conventional, what underpins your method of teaching? In addition to being an artist, I am also a student of Nonviolent Communication™. NVC is a style of communication that focuses on the quality of connection between people and inspires compassion in and for the self and others. Within the NVC model – judgement (both positive and negative) isn’t considered a helpful way of letting people know how they are progressing with their work (if you are interested in this theory read: “Punished by Rewards” by Alfie Kohn). Therefore, when I teach, I aim to avoid using terminology such as “right” and “wrong”, “good” and “bad”. Instead I try to focus on the quality of the art experience. Feedback is given by looking at what makes us happiest in our art, not what might be considered ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ art. The emphasis is on the emotional rather than the intellectual experience of the creation process. While the two often overlap, I find that focusing on the emotional experience, opens people up more and often helps them progress with their art more than through receiving criticism conducted within the ‘right’/ ‘wrong’ paradigm. For more information on NVC: www.cnvc.org My life style and healing approach is very much influenced by the teachings of Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie, contemplating the nature of being and practicing presence, awareness and acceptance. For more information on these teachers: www.thework.com – www.eckhartolle.com I am also a qualified hypnotherapist and nlp practitioner and use some ideas/ healing methods of hypnotherapy and nlp in my art courses. Where are you from? I was born in Holland, Velsen (3rd May 1976). I left Holland in 1994/1995 and then lived in London for about 10 years (mostly in Brixton & Streatham), I then went to Sri Lanka for 2.5 years and I am now back in the UK. Where are you based currently? Brighton (Hove actually), UK Do you do run workshops in person? Not yet, I hope to do a few either in London and/or Brighton, but it takes a while to set up, and now that I have a small baby won't have energy/ time, but nag me and I might! :-) I’ve always wanted to go back to running an art/ music/ drama club for kids which is what I did in Sri Lanka, but that too is hard to organise here, maybe one day! What is your art background? I’ve been doing art since I was a wee one. I remember in junior school drawing a cat and being so so proud of it!I took art and art history as a subject in high school (Berger Scholen Gemeenschap – Bergen Holland) and majored (is that the word?) in it too. For Dutch people; I went to VWO and art was one of my final subjects in the final year. After highschool I auditioned for 2 art schools and was accepted for both, one in Enschede and one in Amsterdam, I went to the one in Amsterdam (Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Amsterdam). It was a mostly miserable experience (apart from meeting one of my best friends ever there!). Since then I’ve been doing art on my own. The materials I used in the past most were acrylics/ pastels/ watercolours on canvas or canvas board (in art school we used oils but the turpentine drove me mental). My art has in the past 4-5 years become more mixed media. I started art journaling in 2005-06 after I found an art journaling community on livejournal where I blog. I taught drama, music and art to 2.5 – 11 year olds in an International Junior School in Sri Lanka for 2.5 years (Elizabeth Moir School). My main role there was; extra curricular coordinator, I organised sporting events, the schools art exhibition, directed (and at some point wrote!) the main school play and taught drama/ music and art to all age levels). I miss the kids and teachers there TREMENDOUSLY. ♥ What is up with your hands? They look odd sometimes when I watch your videos. I have an illness called rheumatoid arthritis. It is an autoimmune disease in which my immune system attacks my own joints (fun eh!) I’ve been lucky enough to not have been crippled by it, but my hands have suffered some deformities which is what you may notice in the videos. I often wear my little finger-less gloves to ‘hide’ the deformities. While I have mostly accepted that my hands look different, I still sometimes wish they looked “normal”. However, I love my hands for what they are still able to do and I am extremely thankful for the mobility they still have. : ) How can I contact you? Either msg me on ning or youtube or email me: tam[at]willowing[dot]org. Who are your influences? There are many fantastic artists out there who I have drawn inspiration from! In no particular order: Audrey Kawasaki, Lori Early, Tascha (timewithtascha), Ann-Julie (thenebulouskingdom), Suzi Blu, Stephen Mackey, Josee Savaria, Teesha Moore, Liz (primoriginals), Paulette Insall, Kelly Rae Roberts, Milliande, Claudine Hellmuth, Beryl Taylor, Karen Michell, Gwen Diehn, the list goes on. From the old masters I’ve been influenced by the work of: Gustav Klimt, Gaudi, Hundertwasser, Franz Marc, Matisse, Chagall, Kandinsky and Odilon Redon, but again the list goes on. Have more questions? Ask me anything HERE.
	© 2005 - 2011 copyright - tamara laporte - willowing.org