From that day forth I drew animals on everything I owned: my room walls, books, the newspaper my dad was reading, everything! This love for animals, especially horses, and it’s expression through art set me on a life long quest. I eventually formalized my desire to be an artist and entered art school at the age of nine. It was magical to me as a child to be able to create with something as simple as a pencil or watercolors. I have the most warm and wonderful memories of my art school years and university where I continued to study fine arts and design.
After graduating I moved to Prague to try my hand at making a living through art; it was not an easy goal to achieve. In fact it took six years and a battle with self-doubt to keep my dream alive. I had lost touch with my passion for art as the struggles of early life and the need to establish one’s self took hold of me. It was not until 2003, when an opportunity to move to the US, did my connection to art and animals re-emerge.
My husband said that I was asking the wrong question. “What do you want to do?’ he asked and I answered ‘draw animals’, so ‘do it and the rest will come into focus’ he said. We all need help at some point in our lives and I'm grateful to have had his perspective. So began my journey to draw whatever inspired me and how I drew. I was filled with joy and contentment, producing my art and being an artist with no care or concern for the outcome. Then one day I visited a horse farm and memories of my childhood came rushing back to me.
I took dozens of pictures that day of all the horses and ran home to draw my first portrait of a horse in a long while. Wow! My heart was filled with joy to have my love of horses and art meet again. What followed next was unexpected and wonderful. A friend of ours saw the horse art I created and asked if it was for sale. For sale I thought, well sure, why not ‘yes’ I replied and my first art sale was made.
I had come a long way from the family farm to this moment and I knew that this is what I was working towards all these years. From that day on I became an animal portrait artist for hire. I accepted my first commission from the owner of that same horse farm the very next day.
Till this day when I see a horse I feel like that little five-year-old girl all over again. Their spirit, always striving to capture them in my drawings, consumes me. I am driven to convey this to those who see my art. To know that I’m sharing my love motivates me to create and share the beauty of these magnificent animals.
I like to work with pencil for its vivid detail, and depth, with pastels for its rich harmonious colors and textures, and with charcoal for its bold contrast, and character. These mediums provide a tactile sensation, where I can imagine my hands moving down the neck of a horse as I’m drawing. When you look at an animal’s coat you see a multitude of underlining colors that I look to convey. Within these details I see the spirit come alive.
I look forward to being able to share my passion with you through my portraits. To all of you who take an interest in my work and to those who have the prescience and generosity to commission a portrait from me, thank you.
Natalia