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View from a Sketchbook: Nature Through the Eyes of Marjolein Bastin by Bastin, Marjolein, Martin, Tovah(April 1, 2004) Hardcover
Marjolein Bastin's glowing, detailed illustrations have charmed nature lovers in the U.S. for more than a decade, as they have done for fans in her native Holland and throughout Europe. From the smallest bird, blossom, or leaf to the complex interaction of forest and prairie, Bastin's art demonstrates her unparalleled skill at capturing the fleeting beauty of the natural world. Now Bastin's many fans can follow her creative process through the seasons in View from a Sketchbook, an intimate portrait of the best-selling artist at work.Through numerous walks and talks with garden writer and editor Tovah Martin, the reader gets to know Bastin's homes and studios in Kansas City, Missouri, Holland, and the Cayman Islands; sees her gardens and natural surroundings; and comes to understand her early influences, and her passionate commitment to preserving and restoring the natural world. Author Marjolein Bastin is one of Hallmark's top three artists, and has garnered an enormous following, not only through her greeting cards, but also with everything from notebooks and journals to birdhouses, wallpaper, and furnishings. Marjolein continues to expand on her popularity in Europe as well, where she writes a monthly column for the Dutch women's magazine, Libelle, and where her children's books, calendars, and journals have sold well into the six figures. Tovah Martin, garden editor of the former Victoria magazine, is a frequent columnist for the New York Times. Her writing also appears often in Country Living, Country Living Gardener, and Garden Design. She was the recipient of the Quill and Trowel "Award of the Year for Writing and Photography" in 1994 for her work on Tasha Tudor's Garden.
Unknown Binding
First published April 1, 2004
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60 people want to read
About the author
Marjolein Bastin
161 books28 followersIt goes without saying that Marjolein loves nature. True happiness for Marjolein is a walk through the woods, bird watching in the dunes, touring through meadows or searching for shells on the beach. Marjolein is fascinated especially by the small details she observes during her walks. The fact that many people overlook these details motivates Marjolein to paint them. For instance, Marjolein has painted the bunny peeking out from under a bush along the bike-path, the pimpernel found blooming in a Swiss meadow, the wagtail feeding its young under the overhanging roof and also the raccoon who visits in the middle of the night to steal the contents of any birdfeeders left outside.
Marjolein’s fascination with that very small piece of earth immediately surrounding her started when she was only a few years old. In the garden of her parents John and Pia Uit den Bogaard in Loenen aan de Vecht Marjolein would often simply lay on her stomach in the garden enjoying every living thing around her: the yellow shiny flowers of the Lesser Celandine along the edge of the creek, the duckweed on the pond inhabited by several ducks, the flower garden, and the apple- and pear tree lined road leading to the Vecht river. Marjolein quickly realized that the closer you look the more things you see.
When Marjolein was nine years old her family, now including a second daughter Babette, moved to the Veluwe, a forest-rich area in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Her father, author of a very popular series of books about a mischievous vagabond named Swiebertje, had been promoted to editor of a national TV guide and so Marjolein got to see a different part of the country. Different plants, different birds, different smells, the dry sand of the Veluwe, the move provided a new series of discoveries for Marjolein. Sitting down on the ground she could now watch dungbeetles struggling to transport rabbit droppings to their underground tunnels, ground beetles running through the sand, small lizards and slowworms hunting for insects between the Heather plants.
It is clear that Marjolein has always felt a strong bond with everything that flies, crawls and grows. This bond, coupled with the urge to share it with others, motivated Marjolein early on to start drawing. At first just to show her mother what was happening in their family backyard, later to share her fascination with millions of others.
Following her studies at the Academy for Visual Arts, where she met her husband Gaston, Marjolein worked at a variety of advertising agencies and publishers. This proved a very busy time for Marjolein with little time to paint the nature around her. In 1974 Marjolein and the Dutch women’s magazine Libelle started a relationship that continues to this day. Then, in 1980, Libelle gave Marjolein the freedom to translate her enthusiasm for nature in a column that has appeared in the magazine every week for over thirty years now. Every weekly column provides a peek into Marjolein’s heart, which in turn reflects her desire to show people what they could observe in their own backyard, if only they looked.
Since the early nineties people in the United States of America have taken note of Marjolein’s work. Working with several companies in the US has opened up a new world for Marjolein as well. Just like her first visits to the Veluwe, Marjolein’s visits to the US were an opportunity to discover something new and proved a huge source of inspiration. “Unknown birds, new flowers, unfamiliar butterflies – I had to start all over, I had to look up everything! And now I want to share the beauty of American nature with my friends in Holland and show people in America how beautiful Dutch nature is.”
Her passion for the natural world is of a universal quality that appeals to people the world over. You can find Marjolein’s artwork on greeting cards, calendars, dinnerware, bedding, gifts and many other products.
Marjolein’s fascination with that very small piece of earth immediately surrounding her started when she was only a few years old. In the garden of her parents John and Pia Uit den Bogaard in Loenen aan de Vecht Marjolein would often simply lay on her stomach in the garden enjoying every living thing around her: the yellow shiny flowers of the Lesser Celandine along the edge of the creek, the duckweed on the pond inhabited by several ducks, the flower garden, and the apple- and pear tree lined road leading to the Vecht river. Marjolein quickly realized that the closer you look the more things you see.
When Marjolein was nine years old her family, now including a second daughter Babette, moved to the Veluwe, a forest-rich area in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Her father, author of a very popular series of books about a mischievous vagabond named Swiebertje, had been promoted to editor of a national TV guide and so Marjolein got to see a different part of the country. Different plants, different birds, different smells, the dry sand of the Veluwe, the move provided a new series of discoveries for Marjolein. Sitting down on the ground she could now watch dungbeetles struggling to transport rabbit droppings to their underground tunnels, ground beetles running through the sand, small lizards and slowworms hunting for insects between the Heather plants.
It is clear that Marjolein has always felt a strong bond with everything that flies, crawls and grows. This bond, coupled with the urge to share it with others, motivated Marjolein early on to start drawing. At first just to show her mother what was happening in their family backyard, later to share her fascination with millions of others.
Following her studies at the Academy for Visual Arts, where she met her husband Gaston, Marjolein worked at a variety of advertising agencies and publishers. This proved a very busy time for Marjolein with little time to paint the nature around her. In 1974 Marjolein and the Dutch women’s magazine Libelle started a relationship that continues to this day. Then, in 1980, Libelle gave Marjolein the freedom to translate her enthusiasm for nature in a column that has appeared in the magazine every week for over thirty years now. Every weekly column provides a peek into Marjolein’s heart, which in turn reflects her desire to show people what they could observe in their own backyard, if only they looked.
Since the early nineties people in the United States of America have taken note of Marjolein’s work. Working with several companies in the US has opened up a new world for Marjolein as well. Just like her first visits to the Veluwe, Marjolein’s visits to the US were an opportunity to discover something new and proved a huge source of inspiration. “Unknown birds, new flowers, unfamiliar butterflies – I had to start all over, I had to look up everything! And now I want to share the beauty of American nature with my friends in Holland and show people in America how beautiful Dutch nature is.”
Her passion for the natural world is of a universal quality that appeals to people the world over. You can find Marjolein’s artwork on greeting cards, calendars, dinnerware, bedding, gifts and many other products.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 1, 2015
The illustrations are, of course, gorgeous and painstakingly detailed. I enjoyed some of the insights I gained about the wildlife Bastin watches so intensely, and was fascinated by her attempt to recreate a prairie on heavily farmed land in Missouri and how to go about. But by the end of the book I was jaded by the writing of Tovah Martin, whom I usually enjoy reading. It seemed repetitive and too gushing about Bastin.
June 28, 2022
The narrative consists of what can best be described as a journalist’s extended magazine article about the life of artist, Marjolein Bastin, in three of her homes during the year 2003 and how nature, as viewed from each of those homes, influences her work. Excerpts from the artist’s personal diary are interspersed along with sketches and watercolors drawn by her. Unfortunately none of the illustrations include any names or identification of the species depicted.
The book although themed by seasonality, is not in accord chronologically. The last section of the book, which is set during the winter, occurs according to the diary excerpts before the author engaged with the artist according to the opening segment. This makes for a disconnect that a deft editor should have spotted and corrected.
The book although themed by seasonality, is not in accord chronologically. The last section of the book, which is set during the winter, occurs according to the diary excerpts before the author engaged with the artist according to the opening segment. This makes for a disconnect that a deft editor should have spotted and corrected.
April 15, 2022
Absolutely wonderful! The combination of Marjolien's drawings and Tovah's prose is transporting. I was there with them discovering the prairies of Missouri and gardens of Holland, I both want to go there myself and feel like I already have.
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January 29, 2024[My edition is 1994 Hallmark Cards, Inc., with a great tit, white, and tortoishell on the cover (image on pgs. 45-46 inside -- in last third of book) and rainbow title and author text.]
March 22, 2009
I read this book in bits and pieces over a year or so. It's a mixture of watercolors by Marjolein Bastin, snippets from her journals 2002-2003, and narration by Tovah Martin about MB's connections to nature and inspirations for painting.
Tovah Martin was garden editor for the former Victoria Magazine. She also wrote a coffee table book in 1994 called Tasha Tudor's Garden.
Marjolein Bastin I first encountered in Hallmark stationery and greeting cards. Her line is called "Nature's Sketchbook." View from a Sketchbook explains MB's way of seeing nature, and explains that her goal in painting and drawing is to show the audience the same 'ordinary' nature that we pass every day--cardinals, robins, Canadian geese, grass, Queen Anne's lace, berries, bumblebees--but to show it to us in a way that says "Stop and look," pointing out the beauty we often miss in simple things.
MB has a home in Missouri, where she walks on the prairie each day, but also a home in the woods in her native Holland, and even spends a few weeks each year in the Cayman Islands. Most of her painting and drawing depicts nature in the temperate zones rather than the tropical.
The back dust jacket says that MB is "one of Hallmark's 3 premier artists." How can I find out the names of the other 2?
Tovah Martin was garden editor for the former Victoria Magazine. She also wrote a coffee table book in 1994 called Tasha Tudor's Garden.
Marjolein Bastin I first encountered in Hallmark stationery and greeting cards. Her line is called "Nature's Sketchbook." View from a Sketchbook explains MB's way of seeing nature, and explains that her goal in painting and drawing is to show the audience the same 'ordinary' nature that we pass every day--cardinals, robins, Canadian geese, grass, Queen Anne's lace, berries, bumblebees--but to show it to us in a way that says "Stop and look," pointing out the beauty we often miss in simple things.
MB has a home in Missouri, where she walks on the prairie each day, but also a home in the woods in her native Holland, and even spends a few weeks each year in the Cayman Islands. Most of her painting and drawing depicts nature in the temperate zones rather than the tropical.
The back dust jacket says that MB is "one of Hallmark's 3 premier artists." How can I find out the names of the other 2?
May 20, 2011
I loved Marjolein Bastin's Hallmark Nature Cards so much that I searched for a book illustrated by her. I wasn't disappointed. This is a beautiful book. However, when I went on my search for it, there were no new copies available. I had to settle for a used one, but it was in perfect condition, and I'm thrilled to have it in my library.
September 13, 2011
A beautiful gift from a painting buddy which is a joy to look at and the text enhances the experience. The art work of Marjolein Bastin becomes more appealing to me as I learn more about her. If you are craving fresh air pick it up.
December 28, 2010
Out of print! My aunt has this book and I love it; went to order it and it's out of print.
March 23, 2017
I read Nature's Sketchbook 2004, a small book I had laying around the house. What a treasure! Trips to Holland, Finland, Switzerland and of course her farm in Missouri- all told in gorgeous paintings of birds, bees, butterflies, and plants. Her notes and memories warm your heart.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews