Meet Natalia Rodriguez | Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia Rodriguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by living things, fantasy and nature. I am inspired by the sky, flowers, animals and human beings. But mostly, I am inspired by the coexistence and relationship between living things and fantastic creatures or elements. I’m also fascinated with feminine beauty.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

By painting, I share my vision of nature and life. I paint mainly figurative art and even if I lean more towards portraiture, I work with multiple subject matter, for the most part living things. My favorite mediums are oils and charcoals.  However, I work with acrylics, pastels and watercolors depending on the result that I’m looking for.

I have been painting since I was a kid. I had fun coloring, drawing, making crafts, reading and painting. I also loved standing in front of the mirror to sing, dance and act.

When I was a teenager, one afternoon after school I was at my grandma’s house and one of my aunts got there with new Art supplies because she was just starting painting lessons. She let me try some of her supplies and I was very excited. We started painting together a few times per month…

I grew up, and soon it was time to decide my professional path and to go to college. My dream was to be a painter, but I pursued my engineering career instead. I was painting here and there, but only as a hobby.

Painting has always been intermittent in my life but still very important to me. Throughout the years I have participated in several collective exhibitions. I was often reading and learning about perspective, composition, pigments, chemicals in pigments, color theory, Art periods and Art history. It was around 2014 that I decided to take my painting to the next level. I started selling commissioned portraits while participating in collective shows. I also had my first solo show and I launched my small Art studio in Mexico, while still doing Engineering. I moved to Dallas in 2018 and there have been many changes in my life since I moved here. I stopped creating new artworks and I was just focusing on teaching Art lessons and doing commissioned portraits while I went through an exploratory stage as a painter.

I’m grateful for that period of experimentation because I learned a lot about myself and I fell in love with painting once again. For me, painting has been a process of discovery and of personal growth. I started putting together a body of work this year and I’m very excited for what’s coming!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would for sure take them to the White Rock Lake for a nice walk! I would also look for flamenco or ballet performances in town. I would definitely take them to the Dallas Museum of Art, to Klyde Warren Park and to a few nice bars uptown.   

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

Every person I’ve ever met deserves credit for my success because I’ve learned something from every experience in my life.

My parents have always supported my goals and interests and they are key in who I am today.

I would like to thank my friends because they have supported me at my toughest moments.
Special thanks to my friends Jaquie, Lore, Andres and Haley who have been unconditional to me. Their friendship is invaluable.

I have this one dear Artist friend that I want to thank for cheering me up, for pushing me to keep painting, to getting involved in events and for connecting me with more Artists in Dallas. Without this friend’s support and encouragement, I know things would be different for me.

The list could be endless, but really everyone who has crossed my path has contributed to my personal or professional growth in some way. It’s incredible how sometimes people who you believe are ‘strangers’ do something for you when you need it the most and you might not ever see them again, but they made a difference in your life. For all of them, I am grateful too.

I could keep going…

Website: https://nataliarodriguezart.com

Instagram: nataliarodriguezart

Facebook: nataliarodriguezart

Image Credits
I have the rights for all the images.