Natasha Danae Starn
"The Path To Sunrise" |
"Equinox" |
"Benevolent Guardian" |
"How would I describe my work? Fanciful! My paintings and collages evoke illustrations from a fairytale or scenes from a dream. I often portray animals to symbolize human experiences and emotions. Often, I am drawn to earth tones. They feel nostalgic and bittersweet, like recalling a memory that is partially faded but will never completely disappear.
I begin with a sketch of the vision I have in mind. Next, I paint color swatches on paper, from which I cut out pieces to make my composition. String and fabric add a final touch, evoking a fantastical, art nouveau aesthetic. Paper, acrylic, pen, string, fabric, and cardboard are the media I use to bring my scenes to life.
Another interesting characteristic of my process is the importance of music in carrying my vision. With each piece, there are songs I have played, dozens of times, to accelerate me into flow state and transport me into the mood of the piece. Examples of songs I use are “As the Crow Flies” by Timothy Vajda, “Heroin” by Lana Del Rey, and “Warrior” by Anilah."
In one way or another, Natasha has been involved in creative pursuits since the nineties. In the early days, she drew obsessively, which morphed into painting and mixed media over the years. She graduated with a BA in Theatre from Utah Valley University in 2014, and subsequently taught art, dance, and film classes to adults with disabilities until 2020. You might see her traipsing around town on foot, as she is also an avid runner. She loves living in Cache Valley, where she lives with her husband, Jon, and her 2 beautiful small humans, Rowan and River.
I begin with a sketch of the vision I have in mind. Next, I paint color swatches on paper, from which I cut out pieces to make my composition. String and fabric add a final touch, evoking a fantastical, art nouveau aesthetic. Paper, acrylic, pen, string, fabric, and cardboard are the media I use to bring my scenes to life.
Another interesting characteristic of my process is the importance of music in carrying my vision. With each piece, there are songs I have played, dozens of times, to accelerate me into flow state and transport me into the mood of the piece. Examples of songs I use are “As the Crow Flies” by Timothy Vajda, “Heroin” by Lana Del Rey, and “Warrior” by Anilah."
In one way or another, Natasha has been involved in creative pursuits since the nineties. In the early days, she drew obsessively, which morphed into painting and mixed media over the years. She graduated with a BA in Theatre from Utah Valley University in 2014, and subsequently taught art, dance, and film classes to adults with disabilities until 2020. You might see her traipsing around town on foot, as she is also an avid runner. She loves living in Cache Valley, where she lives with her husband, Jon, and her 2 beautiful small humans, Rowan and River.