Voyage Denver

"Women are pressured to give the illusion that their lives are perfect or their roles are easy, my work is free of all that. My life is messy, it is hard to keep it together most days. Despite these realities, my life is beautiful. I am finding joy in acceptance. I am finding happiness in the process of the mess."

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Smith.

Natalie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.

I grew up in Henderson, Nevada, and I was raised in a family full of artists. My grandma was an artist, and she has always been one of the biggest influences in my life. My family lived across the street from her. So, I would walk over to her house and she would share story after story about her life. She was named woman of the year in the newspaper. She had eight kids and was an early feminist. She chose to spend her time in her kitchen painting watercolor still life’s, instead of cooking meals. She showed me step by step how to paint a rose. She showed me how to use washes with watercolors. She showed me how to add depth in my watercolor of an underwater fish. She was my first art teacher.

I tell you these things about my grandma because she is a true inspiration to me. I am her legacy and my artwork reflects the impact she has made on my life. She showed me that it doesn’t matter how great of a cook you are, as a woman, you can choose the path you want. My grandma did not choose to perfect recipes, she chose to perfect her talents in painting.

In my artwork, I share stories of my childhood, my take on feminism, and memories of those I’ve lost brought back to life through foods. I paint on used plates, rolling pins, cooking trays, cutting boards, pots, pans and wooden panels. I use oil in a kind of loose impressionist style because I love the way the texture builds up so quickly. I believe food is nostalgic and when we prepare and share a meal with others it can create a memory and a connection. That is what I am trying to capture in my paintings.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

I struggle constantly with knowing when to be done with a painting and if the composition is speaking to my audience the way I want it to be. I am regularly asking myself if the foods I paint are speaking to me on a deeper level. I care extremely about the meaning behind a piece. I want my artwork to say something to the viewer. I want them to feel the love and care put into each piece. Sometimes, I have to completely start over with a concept I have in my mind when I know it’s not translating in my painting.

Please tell us about Recipes of Life.
I am an artist that paints still lifes as real as possible to real life. I tell stories through symbolic foods that are translated into self-portraits of those who have made a deep impact on my life. I paint at a company called Playtime. I am a professional trainer and airbrush artist for kids playground sculpts. My artwork sets me apart from others because I am able to create a story from the most ‘boring’ subject matter that could be considered “Still Lifes.” I find joy in the challenge to make still lifes more interesting for the viewer to look at on the wall.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?

My favorite memory from childhood is picking pomegranates from my grandma’s forest she grew in her backyard. She had lemon trees, peach trees, fig-trees, olive trees, grapevines. It was a kid’s paradise. I will never forget going over to my grandmas and ripping apart the pomegranate as the juice spilled in between my fingers and fun conversations that happened with my cousins in between those sweet moments.