DAFT: Municipality Registration

Dutch Immigration Part II

It's not as ominous as it looks here...

When I moved to the Netherlands, I was also moving in with my boyfriend so I was lucky enough to be able to skip the hunt for housing. If you intend to reside in the Netherlands, you must, like any Dutch resident, register with your city (gemeente). The guideline is to do this within 3 business days of moving.

To accomplish this I made sure to have my passport, birth certificate,

Shades of Gray

 Two New Pencil Drawings

Light Study

I haven't played with graphite for a long time, but I suddenly remembered how great it is to make different lighting effects. I came across a photo of a 1940s industrial scene in the Library of Congress collection which begged to be depicted in pencil.

Introduction to the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT)

Dutch Immigration Part I

Image courtesy Wikipedia

 When I embarked on the pursuit of a Dutch residence permit, I had no idea what to expect. I read a few accounts of other people's experiences to get the general gist of what the process entails, but I think each application is a personal experience depending on the timing, the current laws, where you are moving, what kind of work you will be doing, and the type of permit required. Nevertheless, my experience may be helpful, particularly to Americans wishing to immigrate under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty.

The Dutch-American Friendship Treaty was enacted in the 1950s as a way to allow Americans to start businesses in the Netherlands. It has several basic requirements to qualify. First of all, applicants must be American citizens.

Great Basin National Park

Tour the US: Nevada

Wheeler Peak is one of the hikes in the park.

Vast stretches of open sage brush desert bordered by steep, pine covered mountains. This is the landscape that spans before anyone who ventures out of Las Vegas to explore the northern and eastern parts of Nevada. This area is part of the Great Basin, a region of the United States named for the fact that precipitation stays in the Great Basin rather than flowing to the ocean. Great Basin National Park was established to preserve several notable features of the region and to introduce visitors to some of its wonders.

Tiptoe Through the Tulpen...Part II

I used a previous post to show off my latest Postmarked Holland postcard (could I fit anymore "posts" in this sentence?), and subsequently was inspired to create several posters (yep!) based on the tulip design.

On a Roll With Classic Cars: 1950s Edition

I have a bit of a love affair with old cars. On the simplest level, I appreciate their classy retro style, but I also like what they represent in a more abstract sense. Each mile (or kilometer!) on that odometer is a journey. Maybe it's a trip to the store, or maybe it's a cross country trek on Route 66. They have a romanticism that conjures up an image of travel...adventure...freedom.

I'm excited to have a couple more additions to my Classic Car ACEO series. I've done my best to catch the shine of the chrome and the flowing lines within a trading card sized space. The small format is a fun challenge because cars have so much detail but there is only limited space to capture the essential form! As tempting as it is to try to add each glint, each reflection, each color shift, the small format forces me to focus and simplify.

1950 Mercury. Available on Etsy

Tip-toe Through the Tulpen

This postcard is available on Etsy.

My postmarked Holland series now includes the signature Dutch tulips--or tulpen around these parts. I'm saying my inspiration was our visit to the famous Keukenhof gardens near Lisse, but really, the whole countryside is covered in blooming flowers like one continuous garden.

I must say, I really enjoyed making this one. I love how the light and dark came together. There is something very satisfying about laying down such bold, thick lines with the marker. I am very tempted to make another version as a poster and throw in a splash of red. The black and white is very elegant, but red could be quite dramatic, no?