Natasha Mott: A Journey Through Art, Feminine Strength, and Joy

If you've ever come across Natasha Mott’s art, you'll know that each piece is more than just a display of colours and forms. It’s a heartfelt expression of strength and joy, a testament to Natasha’s own journey through life. So, let’s delve a bit deeper into what makes her art—and her story—truly special.

Finding Her Calling Early On

Natasha grew up on a wheatbelt family farm near Dumbleyung, where she started exploring her artistic talents as a way to pass the time on weekends and holidays. Her high school years in Narrogin further nurtured this interest, thanks to an incredible team of female Art teachers who recognised and encouraged her talent. With their support, her passion for creating art was nurtured and bloomed. She pursued a Bachelor of Visual Arts at WAAPA, ECU, and dug deep into her artistic practice, encouraged another passionate female teacher.
 

The Making of Art

Natasha’s technique is fascinating in its simplicity and depth. She primarily uses custom-made wooden panels crafted by her neighbours, a husband-and-wife team. These wooden surfaces add an earthy texture to her art that distinguishes it from conventional canvas works.
The wooden panels are sealed and gesso’d, and an undercoat is applied. She layers patterns and textures using brushes and palette knives, then adds character with her limited but emotionally rich colour palette, often relying on analogous colours or complementary colours (her favourite being pink and green). The result? Artworks that aren't just pleasing to the eye but also full of life and story. The final touches usually include a matte varnish that seals and complements the qualities of the gouache paint she often employs. The smallest of her paintings may take only a few days to complete, whereas the larger ones take up to 2 months.

Balancing Acts

While Natasha’s long-standing career in education and her role as a mum keep her pretty busy, she still dedicates ample time to her art. It's not just a side hustle but a passion that she is deeply committed to. Currently she schedules one to two full days a week, night times and early mornings on the weekend to her art practice.

Overcoming Challenges

Natasha candidly admits that her biggest challenge has been deciding how to allocate limited time and resources to which projects. Any anxiety about investing in herself and the projects she chooses to say yes to is overcome by firstly “checking the numbers” in her excel planner then backing herself once the decision has been made. Another struggle is learning how to promote her art and put herself out there—a hurdle she's tackling with a "good enough" approach to social media, favouring authenticity over perfection.

Looking Ahead

Long-term, Natasha aspires to work full-time as an artist. Currently, she juggles her art practice alongside relief teaching at her local primary schools and working for a disability service registered training organisation. She already has a foothold in the local art community, thanks in part to the upcoming Upmarket Art Fair where she’ll be exhibiting for the first time.

Upmarket Art Fair

Upmarket Art Fair is the largest event in WA for lovers of art to discover and engage with new and exciting local artists, and their work, in a relaxing and beautiful setting. Natasha is really looking forward to meeting people in person to listen and see how they respond to her paintings. Natasha loves that the Upmarket Art Fair is a place where she can connect with art lovers and other local artists and grow her art community.

What to Expect

At the Upmarket Art Fair, Natasha will showcase a diverse range of her art, from original paintings to limited edition framed prints. She’s even offering a market day sale with a 10% discount on her artwork, making it the perfect time to invest in a piece that resonates with you.

So, if you're in the area, come by and say hi! Natasha will be more than happy to discuss her commission process, and you can even enter her exclusive Giveaway competition to win a limited edition framed print. Upmarket Art Fair will be running on Saturday 14 October from10am – 4pm.
To explore more about Natasha Mott and her beautiful work, check out her official website.