A look back at 2017 + my main goal for 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;

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.

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Finished: commissioned painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

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The finished sliding doors

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In the webshop: a personalised Gift Card for giving art

With the celebration of Christmas in just a few weeks, it's time to find some nice gifts for your friends, family and loved ones. If finding the right gift is hard, maybe you should think about giving a piece of art. It's unique, durable and personal. 

Personal gift

However, with art it is the same as with fashion. It's very personal. Artworks you like might not be that interesting to your friends or family. If suspect this is the case, consider giving a Art Gift Card then.

Commissioned art as a gift

By giving a Gift Card they can choose the artwork they like. And one that fits their home or office interior. It is possible to buy art directly from the webshop or one can decide to commission an artwork to their liking. 

Any amount

Each Art Gift Card can contain a personal written note.

Also, the amount of money can be anything up from € 10,- / $ 12. So even with a limited budget, there is always something to give. The amounts that currently can be selected in the webshop are:

• €10,-, 
• €15,-,
• €20,-,
• €25,-,
• €40,-,
• €50,-, 
• €75,-,
• €100,- or
• €250,-
  
  but ofcourse any amount is possible. If you just send me short e-mail with your contact details and the amount you want the Gift Card to contain, I will send you a payment-link which you can use to pay the wanted amount.

After payment, the card will be delivered to your mailbox (not e-mail) as soon as possible and as a nice package or even gift wrapped. If you want a personal written note from me in the card, I am happy to provide that. See also the blogpost on what goodies you get when you purchased an artwork in our shop or gallery. 

Discount code

Each card contains a unique discount code that can used during checkout in the webshop. Or if you bring the card with you during a gallery visit in Voorburg, the Netherlands, I'll lower the price of the artwork with the amount of discount.

Some gift ideas

Click the images for more information on that particular artwork.

Artwork 'Drone' as a Christmas Gift?

Even for smaller budgets one can consider giving a Gift Card. The Illustrations in the webshop have a bit of a lower price compared to the paintings. 

Not only illustrations or unique paintings can be bought with a Gift Card. Also art objects like the Art Bottles or this custom painted skateboard are available. 

If you any questions regarding this Art Gift Card don't hesitate to contact me anytime. 

And if you are interested in what I am working on right now, follow me on Instagram. 

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Work-in-progress - 8 new abstract paintings in the webshop soon

While working on a painting, I use my paint left-overs for other paintings. Common practice, I believe. It saves paint, improves the consistency between paintings and allows working on multiple paintings at a time while paint dries.

So when I was working on the sliding doors for the Airbnb location, I had various unfinished paintings nearby for using the left-overs.

Tomorrow Eva, the owner of the Airbnb location, will join me in my studio taking pictures and film me putting the final layers on the sliding doors. Therefor, in the past days I couldn't work on the doors and I had some time to spend on the progress of the paintings.

It thought it would be nice to share some insights on the process of making the paintings.

Painting 1

- Above left: white lines on black background

I really liked the larger (black) border around the white lines, the boxed feel, in this one. Hard to see on the picture but the background consists of a gradient, going from dark blue on the top to black on the bottom. Nice, but it makes improvements more difficult, :)

Painting 2

- Above right: white lines on a red brown and blue background  

Is a smaller one (50 x 50 x 4cm / 19.6" x 19.6" x 1.5") and almost finished.

It is exactly what I envisioned for larger paintings, and inspired by the popular 'Drone' painting. Just like many of the other work-in-progress paintings, I started this one with a first layer of white paint on the color background using a Molotow 60mm acrylic paint marker. Because this never gets me solid lines, I added a second layer of the Molotow acrylic paint / ink, applied with a Liquitex brush. 

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Picture 2 of 4 - Work-in-progress on several abstract paintings by Dutch artist Michiel Nagtegaal in Leidschendam-Voorburg, the Netherlands

Painting 3

- Above left: white lines on a pink and light blue background  

I started this painting in portrait orientation but during the painting I decided to switch to landscape. For some reason I have been making portrait orientated paintings since I started painting four years ago. Strange, because people buy horizontal paintings just as much as vertically orientated ones. 

Because of the larger contrast in that part, I expected the lines to work better there. But today I re-discovered all the details and all the layers of paint in the right part and decided that right part has way more depth and is in fact much more interesting.

The right part looks more like a recently sold painting, Soft Skin. And I have been trying to repeat the process behind Soft Skin many times since it sold but with unsatisfactory results so far.

Painting 4

- Above right: white lines on a light and dark blue background

This painting is made, exceptionally, on wood. The wooden plate is part of a set of two plates, bought several years ago. The first one was used for the colorful illustration 'Mad men' and this second, blank one has been moved around our house, shed and my studio for years. 

The plate already has several layers of paint as a result of my attempts to re-create the process used with the 'Drone' and 'Soft Skin' paintings. I am still not happy with it, so I leave it for now. Inspiration will come.

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Picture 2 of 4 - Work-in-progress on several abstract paintings by Dutch artist Michiel Nagtegaal in Leidschendam-Voorburg, the Netherlands

Painting 5

- Above left: white lines on a blue and purple, toned down background

I really dig the composition on this one. The margins are fine. And I like the layered background. So far so good.

First, this painting had some dark layers of paint on it, before I decided to treat it with a 'white wash' to make the background brighter and lower the contrast with the white lines. It already had a first layer of extra bold white lines but this layer has been partially covered with layers of colored paint. Today I added the top layer of bold, white lines. In the next few days I'll make the contrast of those lines a bit higher, by adding an extra layer of white.

Painting 6

- Above right: white lines on a blue and pink background

The white lines I added today are, in fact, layer 5 or 6. Below the white lines you see, there is a layer of a 'blue wash' with a layer of white lines and a layer of pink lines beneath it. But I like the composition and just the right amount of complexity. 

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Picture 2 of 4 - Work-in-progress on several abstract paintings by Dutch artist Michiel Nagtegaal in Leidschendam-Voorburg, the Netherlands

Painting 7

- Above left: white lines on a black background

Painting 7 and 8 are a continuation of the previously made 'Back in Black'-paintings. In those dark paintings I explore a minimum of contrast between dark lines and a black background. Check out the Instagram posts here and here on the subject.

I really like the 'white space' in the painting. And I intend to leave it like this. For months I have had ideas to leave the concept of a 'fully covered'-painting. This way the set of lines itself forms a shape, a composition. And this makes the painting way more interesting. Especially if I add extra layers of (colored) lines to the shape. Can't wait to proceed on this one!

Painting 8 

- Above right: white lines on a dark blue background

Although I am not fully satisfied with the result so far I still consider this as a successful experiment. As I said in the comment on painting 7, by leaving spaces open, the painting becomes more interesting. But I am thinking of adding more color to it. To be continued!

 I'll keep you posted on further progress, on my Instagram account.

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

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

Picture 5 of 16 - Overview of painting I am currently working on - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

Picture 6 of 16 - Extending the first Bold Lines on the sliding door - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

Picture 7 of 16 - Preparing the second sliding door with orange paint - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

Picture 8 of 16 - The first under layer of thicker Bold Lines is finished - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

Picture 9 of 16 - Statusupdate - The painted sliding doors next to eachother - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

Picture 10 of 16 - Added some paint to the blue sliding door and prepared the orange door - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

Picture 11 of 16 - Painting the Bold Lines on the second sliding door - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

PICTURE 12 OF 16 - Thicker BOLD LINES on both sliding doors - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

PICTURE 13 OF 16 - I USE THE LEFT OVERS OF PAINT FOR OTHER PAINTINGS - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

PICTURE 14 OF 16 - CLOSE UP 1 of ONE OF the painted sliding doorS - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

PICTURE 15 OF 16 - CLOSE UP 2 of ONE OF the painted sliding doorS - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

PICTURE 16 OF 16 - CLOSE UP 3 of ONE OF the painted sliding doors - Work-in-progress - Painted sliding doors for bathroom Airbnb location

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What you get when purchasing art at the Mr. Upside gallery

One beautiful painting (‘Soft Skin’) ready for delivery at the clients home, in Voorburg, the Netherlands! The painting, together with a signed Certificate of Authenticity, an invoice, two wooden flyers, business cards and a handwritten personal note on a @moo Deluxe Postcard makes a nice set of 'goodies'.

I always tend to forget how much time, effort and care goes into delivering a painting, :)

But I also remember ordering something at a small Dutch webshop to find a personal, handwritten note added to the box. Someone who I looked up to, had taken the time to write a really personal note. So cool!

Since then I try to incorporate at least a small note, written on Moo Deluxe Postcards, to make the sale even more personal. Giving feels good.

More info on the painting and the sale in this blogpost on the sale in the Mr. Upside Gallery in Voorburg.

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Painting 'Soft Skin' sold

This nice couple came by the Mr. Upside gallery yesterday and decided to become the new owners of this beautiful, relatively new 100x150cm painting. It's a birthday present for the lady on the picture.

More info on the painting here:

Interested in a unique painting yourself?

If you are interested in having a unique abstract painting, like 'Soft Skin' on your wall too, please feel free to contact me. I am happy to discuss the possibilities.

Art newsletter

If you like to stay up to date with the most recently finished paintings, leave your name and e-mail address here and I'll send you updates conveniently to your inbox every month. You can unsubscribe anytime. 

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New online identity, new portfolio

In the past months I've been working 'silently' on a visual and functional overhaul of my existing art webshop.

Why? 

Three reasons. 

Reason 1

Because the initial concept of my art, 'bringing happiness and joy through lots of colours', limited my creative progress. I know that the common belief is that limitations enhance your creativity and I can endorse that belief. But I had lots of ideas for paintings and art objects that didn't fit the concept and it is way to early in my career to limit myself.

Reason 2

Besides a concept that didn't fit my art anymore, my online presence was scattered. With four separate online identities, all offering services in the fields of design, art and interior styling, my online presence was scattered. 

I had four websites up and I only updated my art webshop. My freelance Visual + UX/UI Design and Illustration portfolio could be reached at Designia.nl. I had a sleeping personal blog at MichielNagtegaal.nl and I still have a Dutch interior design blog because of the small amounts of money I receive from affiliate links. And it is still online because it takes massive amounts of time and effort to transfer the hundreds of blogposts to this new website, :)

 

Reason 3

And last but not least, in the past several years lots of Youtubers and Instagrammers cleverly managed to set up a business around nothing more than their own person. Becoming a so-called Influencer. Very admirable and inspiring.

I am not the kind of person that likes to have a camera on their face each and every moment of the day but this trend in Social Media got me thinking about 'being my own brand'. Why not just sell 'me' as a creative package? What do I have to offer? Would it even be possible to cross sell my creative disciplines? With analytical UX Design on one end and the total freedom of fine art on the other end, there is a real risk of not selling anything at all because clients don't know what your expertise is.

So I decided to combine it all into one online presence; MichielNagtegaal.com. And time will tell which of the four 'brands' survive. 

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Featured in the Dutch 2018 Artists Yearbook

Each year the Stichting Kunstweek (Dutch Foundation Art Week) publishes the 'Dutch Artists Yearbook' that features Dutch established and upcoming artists. I had a feature in the 2017 edition and decided earlier this year to also signup for the 2018 edition.

Four artworks

Applications are reviewed by a committee. I was glad my application was accepted this year. This time I am presented on four pages, with pictures of 'Flamingo Morning', 'Drone', 'King Candy' and 'Don't talk, listen'. The artworks 'Flamingo Morning' and 'Don't talk, listen' are not sold yet at the time of writing this blogpost.

Some numbers on the book;

• a minimum of 5000 editions in the first run
• 250 pages
• hardcover
• sold for € 19,95 ($23 approx.)
• size: A4 (210 x 297mm / 8,2" x 11,6")
• paper inside: 115 grams half mat mc silk 

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Dutch Annual Open Studio Weekend 2018 is on for studio visits

Once a year, the Dutch Foundation Art Week (Stichting Kunstweek in Dutch) promotes an art event called the National Art Week. During the first weekend (4 + 5 november 2017) the National Open Studio Weekend takes place. During this weekend (professional) artists open their studios to interested parties. This is the opportunity to see artists at work in their studio and to the artists the opportunity to show their work to new audiences.

Earlier this year I decided to participate. It is the first time I participate in such an event and I am curious how many people will actually stop by, come in and take a look. I believe such an event works best if the visitors already have a sense of the kind of art the artist is making and maybe even are interested in buying an artwork from the artist. 

So, if you have no particular plans this weekend and would like to take a look in my art sanctuary, you are most welcome to visit! All kinds of drinks and snacks are available to make the visit even more pleasurable.  

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Five Mr. Upside artworks on view in Strasbourg, France

The Mr. Upside European Tour continues with the shipping of five of my artworks to Strasbourg in France. Previously my paintings where on view in Paris, Hamburg (Germany) and Stockholm (Sweden).

The paintings are hanging in the lobby of Hilton Meetings, a part of Hilton Strasbourg. A smart choice because Strasbourg is home of the European Parliamant and other European institutions. So the hotel is located in the European institutions district in front of the Congress Centre there. The hotel has quite a few large conference and event rooms.

My daughter Zoë liked to help packing the painting properly. Here with painting 'Blood Lines', also available in the art webshop of Mr. Upside

Luckily I had some help from my daughter Zoë with the packing of the various paintings.

Picture 1 - Mr. Upside paintings hanging on the walls of Hilton Meetings inside Hilton Strasbourg, France. Lots of space to hang the larger artworks.

Picture 1 - Mr. Upside paintings hanging on the walls of Hilton Meetings inside Hilton Strasbourg, France. Lots of space to hang the larger artworks.

Picture 1 - Mr. Upside paintings hanging on the walls of Hilton Meetings inside Hilton Strasbourg, France. Lots of space to hang the larger artworks.

Picture 4 - One of the large meeting rooms of Hilton Meetings inside Hilton Strasbourg, France. Lots of space to hang the larger artworks.

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

I thought it would be nice to share some work-in-progress shots. I always like those short videos about the creative process on Vimeo and although this video doesn't come close to those beautiful inspirational ones, I still wanted to share mine. At least on Instagram.

On May 24th I had just received some new Molotow markers and ink. And although I had other, way more responsible plans for that evening, I couldn't resist filling an empty marker with some neon pink ink.

Aluminum Dibond

A few days earlier I had recieved a 80 x 120cm (31.4" x 47.2") print of 'Working Day' on aluminum Dibond. It was one of my experiments to make the larger, original Mr. Upside paintings available to a wider range of people, at a lower price. The experiment wasn't 100% successful. I didn't like the result because of the less saturated colors. I did like the thin aluminum plate though. And I can imagine it hanging on a wall.

Splice app

On that particular evening in my gallery, with fresh bright neon pink refills of Molotow ink in my hand, I suddenly realised the aluminum dibond print was perfect as a background for neon pink Bold Lines. I asked Janette to make the short video you see in this post. She used the mobile app Splice.

At the time of writing this blogpost I am waiting for some materials I ordered to hang the artwork properly on a wall. And to have some decent pictures of the artwork in the Mr. Upside webshop, a painting must be hung on a wall. I'll write a blogpost on it once it is available in the webshop.

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New in the webshop: artwork 'Honesty'

Many of my artworks go through the same process before ending up as the final artwork you get to see. They are actually several other paintings before the become the final artwork that is ready for sale.

Artwork 'Honesty' is no exception, it has been three other paintings at least before she became what she is now. And she got her name not because of that. But because of the transparency of the white lines on the upper layer. Transparency for me is a metaphor for honesty. No hidden agenda's.

The first layer is fierce red glossy paint, bought in a hardware store. I loved it because of its opacity. Then I decided to give it black lines, similar to 'Drone' and 'Field portrait'. Because I still felt it was missing something, I used the white Molotow Speedflow Ink for the last layer, knowing that white has always some transparency.

The painting adapts easily to every interior because of its shape and size.

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Five artworks ready for shipping to Munich (Germany) and Strasbourg (France)

The Mr. Upside European Tour continues. Five abstract paintings are ready for shipping to Munich (Germany) and Strasbourg (France). The Mr. Upside European Tour is a series of exhibitions in Hilton Hotels in Europe.

Mr. Upside European Tour

Previously, a few other paintings travelled to Stockholm (Sweden), Hamburg (Germany) and Paris (France) for exhibitions. As you can see the paintings Working Day, Bits and Pieces, Blood Lines, Bold Pink and White Noise are all wrapped up in shrink foil.

Temporarily reduced price on art

For a few months, due to the exhibition the paintings won't be available in the gallery for viewing but they will be still available in the webshop. I even temporarily reduced the price a bit. The empty spaces on the gallery walls will be filled with new works soon. Check out my Instagram account for more updates on the freshed and newest paintings. Or subscribe on my newsletter.

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Now available in the webshop: artwork 'Yoga (Position)'

Now available in the Mr. Upside webshop: abstract painting 'Yoga (Position)'. It is a relatively small artwork (60 x 90 cm / 23.6" x 35.4") with a blue gradient background and white and black Bold Lines on top.

It is made with acrylic paint (background), Molotow Speedflow Ink in Masterpiece 60mm wide markers for the white and black lines. The process is similar to the 'Drone' and 'Field Portrait' paintings but differs from those artworks because the black lines on top don't fill the whole canvas.

Just like in my other Bold Lines paintings I searched for a certain balance between the graphical elements on the canvas. The lines reminded me of practicing Yoga, which in a way is also about balance.

The painting is available for just € 219,00 or $ 245. Check out the 'Yoga (Position)' product page for more info on the specifications.

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Artwork 'Field Portrait' sold!

Painting 'Field Portrait' has a lot of similarities with another recently sold painting, 'Drone'. This one is a bit smaller but has a similar background and similar lines.

Even the way it sold, via Instagram, is similar to painting 'Drone'. I try to post my work-in-progress as often as possible on Instagram. Some paintings and artworks get a lot of likes, others don't. Painting 'Field Portrait' got a like and a nice comment from Anna Green, a photographer who has her studio in the same building as me. She also moved when the old building was demolished and we had to move to our current location.

Side view of the abstract painting 'Field Portrait' by Dutch urban artist Mr. Upside / Michiel Nagtegaal, which was sold

We have had a minor misunderstanding in the past about a painting I intended to give away. Luckily that is all solved now and we get along great. With the misunderstanding in my head I offered her a discount for the painting and she decided to buy it.

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Photoshoot Mr. Upside and collaboration with local discount card De Hofpas

De Hofpas is a much more than just a discount card. It's an initiative by two Dutch companies, care center Florence and cooperation De Volharding and it offers discounts and benefits of local businesses in the Dutch The Hague region. It is a non-profit organisation. The card is distributed among 50.000 people.

Free of charge

One of our employees advised Janette and me to register an account at the Hofpas website. It is free of charge for the first year and offers nice possibilities for promoting our products.

Photoshoot

Part of the service offered by De Hofpas was a photoshoot by photographer Renske Derkx, taking place at the Mr. Upside gallery and the leather bags studio of Janette.

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We had a fun morning and some nice pictures where taken of both our businesses. Below you'll find a selection of those pictures* showing Mr. Upside art products.

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* Copyright managed by De Hofpas

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Abstract artwork 'Drone' sold via Instagram

And quickly too! The abstract painting wasn't even for sale yet on the webshop. But one 'work-in-progress' picture on Instagram triggered the new owner to comment on the picture. We had some contact and after sending some higher quality pictures the artwork was sold.

Black Molotow marker

Earlier I did some experiments on paper with black 60mm wide Molotow Masterpiece 760PI markers, as shown in the video below. The experiments with black where promising but I was especially interested in the result of the white markers on a darker painted background, because this result is more in line with the 'positive' theme in my art.

White Bold Lines

So the moment I had some little spare time inbetween design projects, and a small bottle of white Molotow ink still in a box somewhere, I decided to try out the white Molotow Masterpiece 760PI marker on a painting I had prepared weeks before.

While I was making the lines really slowly, I got that sweet feeling again. It is a feeling that only comes up when I know it is going to work out fine. Everything on that moment falls into place. The notion of time disappears. The combination was just right. The semi-transparent white lines with exactly the right stroke width, the amount of space between the lines and the darker background all worked together beautifully.

And then I got too confident.

I wanted to add some minor imperfections. So after pushing the marker firmly on a piece of paper to get the ink flowing, I swiped the marker back and forth above the painting. Some spatters appeared. And then the whole tip got loose and landed on the painting. I cursed. This was not what I had in mind.

Dismissed

And it got worse. Later on, when the marker ran empty on ink and I wanted to force the last bit out, I pushed the marker a few times too many. The ink gushed out. Causing the ink to drip.

This was also not what I had in mind.

But I decided to continue anyway. I could always cover the painting with a new layer of paint when I felt like it.

I posted a picture on Instagram and described my frustration in the caption. Not much later, a former colleague responded to my frustrated post. What the price of the artwork was. And since I had the intention to dismiss the painting, I was surprised. I could see the obvious beauty of the painting but wasn't able to look past the two larger imperfections.

The potential buyer and I had some contact via Instagram Direct Messages and e-mail. And after I sent some better pictures with higher quality, the customer still had not lost his interest in the painting and bought it.

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Eight fresh new Mr. Upside artworks online - Artwork 8 of 8: Icecream Popsicle

Recently I re-discovered some archived artworks that weren't available on the Mr. Upside webshop yet. This article describes the last of eight artworks, 'Icecream Popsicle'.

8. Icecream Popsicle

Iconic painting 'Icecream (Popsicle)' once started as the first artwork in a series of five.

Unfortunately too many other ideas condemned this finished painting to solitude. But for long it was the striking masterpiece of the Mr. Upside gallery and in a way 'proof' of the more urban style I like.

It depicts consumerism and the never-ending search for the metaphoric sugar. The graphical look&feel, together with the bright colors and the 'happy-happy-joy-joy' subject make this painting a true icon.

Painting 'Icecream Popsicle' is available in the webshop for € 299 / $ 320 *

* The price in dollars is calculated on the exchange rates at the time of writing this blogpost. Shipping costs depend on the shipping method and delivery address.

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Eight fresh new Mr. Upside artworks online - Artwork 7 of 8: 'Unfinished Sympathy'

Recently I re-discovered some archived artworks that weren't available on the Mr. Upside webshop yet. This article describes the seventh artwork ('Unfinished Sympathy') as part of a series of eight blogposts on the new paintings and illustrations.

7. Painting 'Unfinished Sympathy'

What do you think? Is the piece finished? Or does it need some extra work?

I like the idea of something that leaves room for interpretation. Which shapes (or colors) would be there if the painter didn't stop? When is an artwork 'finished'? Artwork 'Unfinished sympathy' is unpretentious. It doesn't have a complex concept. The image itself is complex enough.

Together with the white frame and passe-partout, the pink lines radiate softness and kindness. Sympathy.

Artwork 'Unfinished Sympathy' is available in the webshop for € 69 / $ 74 (frame included)

* The price in dollars is calculated on the exchange rates at the time of writing this blogpost. Shipping costs depend on the shipping method and delivery address.

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