I am Natalie and I grew up in Minnesota. While I was a child, I always had art supplies available. I would often spend many hours drawing, or painting with Tempera Paint outside when it was warm. A few of my teachers in elementary school even gave me bad marks and had a few words with my parents at Parent-Teacher Conferences because I spent too much time drawing.
In the summers, I was often placed in Community Education classes where the talents I was developing were cultivated in a classroom.
When I was about eight years old, my parents organized private watercolor lessons with a family friend and it was in these lessons where I learned the basic skills of painting. I have always enjoyed painting with watercolor and it’s because of this early painting education that have chosen to paint quite extensively with it until college.
I continued to paint throughout growing up, and even participated Art Club in middle school, where I painted constellations on a ceiling in the school. Regrettably, due to other extracurricular activities that I focused on, I did not take any art classes (other than a ceramics class to help subside senior-itis) throughout my high school years.
It wasn’t until I attended Brigham Young University, when I really began to understand the
art of making art. I have always loved art, but I have only started to understand the true potential of all of unmade art bottled inside of me.
I majored in Studio, drawing and painting, where I also explored, and found that I love, oil paint and printmaking. I really enjoy being able to layer up the patterns and designs in a painting, creating depth in texture, design, and concept. At first, I hated oil paints, being so different from the watercolor that I was used to. Slowly, I began to see all of the beauty in the different mediums. My skills and talents have increased immensely from the great teachers that I was surrounded by while studying at BYU.
I got married and am also a mom to an adorable baby boy. I feel that I have grown as an artist, as well as a person, through the the love and support I have at home. Having a family that allows me to explore all of the facets of my creativity has really allowed my imagination and skills to blossom.
Along with painting and printmaking, I also love to quilt. I started quilting in high school and just love how the geometric pieces of a quilt create gorgeous patterns. As it is quite evident, I use a lot of the same ideas in my paintings. The beauty that I find in geometry is mirrored in nature all around us; I just enjoy making it more obvious.
With all of this, one idea stand above the rest, I absolutely LOVE creating things and this blog is a visual representation of that love.
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