Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalia Rodriguez.
Hi Natalia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started painting when I was a kid. I have always loved crafts and doing things with my hands. Painting has always been an intuitive process to me, and it has always felt natural. I have stopped painting for long periods of time throughout my life, but I keep going back to painting. Painting is part of me. Painting means many things to me. Painting is my outlet, my therapy, my joy, my companion, my meditation, and my way of helping people too. I used to paint just for myself, but people around me started asking me to create paintings for them. Then, I started taking commissions from my immediate circle, and they spread the word… I’ve also been teaching drawing and painting lessons. Teaching has been a blessing to me. I’ve learned so much from my students; I’ve made incredible connections, I’ve been able to help them build and develop their artistic skills and to trust themselves. So, how did I get to where I am today? Literally, I got to this place just by doing what I love, for love and from love. No matter what happens in my life or what I go through, Art remains a constant in my life.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road hasn’t been smooth. I’ve had some challenging experiences in my life that have caused me to get in an emotionally bad place and to stop painting for long periods of time. Another thing that was tough, was loving this so much and not being able to make a living off it. It’s definitely hard, but not impossible. I believe a lot my struggles to make a profit came from my own thoughts and beliefs. I almost felt as if it was wrong to take money for my paintings. As I started changing my mindset and as I allowed myself to unlearn in order to re-learn, things started changing for me. Being an entrepreneur has many challenges, but it also has many rewards, and it’s totally worth it. I know it sound cliche, but I would say: do what you love, believe in yourself, follow your dreams, take action and make things happen, surround yourself by good people, and don’t give up.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Lately, my body of work has been about fantastic elements interacting with nature. There’s usually living things present in my paintings. I love feminine beauty, animals, storms, flowers, and how they coexist.
I love how nature communicates with us and takes care of us; it’s just about paying attention to the messages. Some of my paintings reflect my introspection and the examination of my thoughts and feelings. My paintings are all about the inner voice, intuition, messages, chaos, mutation, the possibilities, and resilience.
I believe my biggest strength and what I’m best at is portraiture. I have been doing commissioned human and animal portraits for a while now. I would not know how to describe my style… some define it as ‘realistic’, but I believe there’s no such thing, for me it’s just a representation of the subject matter and it could not be realistic because the medium is bidimensional.
Not only I love and enjoy painting portraits but knowing that my work brings joy to my clients is very rewarding to me. I’m grateful that I’m able to communicate and share who I am through painting.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
One of my favorite childhood memories is when my grandfather and I used to put coins on a train track. Then, I would wait excited and patiently for the train to come and press them. I loved doing that with my grandfather so much! It’s definitely the small, big things that make me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nataliarodriguezart.com
- Instagram: @nataliarodriguezart
