Natalie Featherson

PORTALS LTD

CHICAGO

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Natalie Featherston

Natalie Featherston is a native southerner born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1969 and is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Arts. Ms. Featherston is an accomplished cellist who abandoned her musical aspirations to pursue a painting career in the early 1990’s. The disciplined training required of a cellist was a natural segue into the realm of classical realism and the focus needed to execute her exquisite still lives. After moving to New York City, she studied at the Art Student’s League, the National Academy of Design and the Drawing Academy of the Atlantic. Among her teachers were Hillary Holmes and James Childs, both trained by the renowned painter Ives Gammel. This solid foundation in academic technique involved cast painting, anatomical studies, copying old master drawings, and working from the live model. In 1995 Natalie began her private studies with Michael Aviano, a relationship that would last for the next six years. With Aviano she learned the more advanced aspects of picture making such as color theory and composition, while reinforcing the basic principles of drawing and painting. Her paintings have been exhibited in numerous national and international juried competitions and have received awards from some of the most distinguished art organizations in the country, including the Salmagundi Club and the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Club. In addition, Natalie was chosen as the first place winner of the Artist’s Magazine Still Life Competition in 2001. She considers this a notable achievement, as her painting was selected from among thirteen thousand entries. Another highlight was when her work was featured at the Arnot Museum as part of its “Representing Realism VI” exhibition; an international show of the very best in contemporary realism. Ms. Featherson’s work is sought after by many notable collectors. Her painting evolves from highly realized objects placed within a narrative context to form strong patterns of color and design. Through the continuing exploration of a narrative format, she strives to impart relevance to contemporary realism for modern viewers.