ARTIST STATEMENT

Art is dreaming. We are the dreamers of dreams, and I hope to remind us all how precious our life is. Life happens in the blink of an eye. One of the reasons I love painting on bones and skulls is to bring life back to death, to remind us all of the impermanence of life, and to live it to the fullest every single day. Catch your dreams and bring them to life, fearlessly and without hesitation.

My art is about merging the unseen with reality, the spiritual, mystical side of life with what we can see. This is often called magical realism, which describes but doesn’t fully encompass the scope of what I’m painting. The artwork I create is documentary fiction, telling a personal story of my life journey. Using symbolism, metaphors and ancient wisdom to share my reality, it parallels other peoples realities and speaks to them in a different way.

People ask if all the women in my paintings are me, and the answer is, yes they are all a bit of me, but they also represent a piece of the divine feminine in each of us. I paint women because we all come from women, and spiritually, the sacred feminine energy is being called to remember their power. This power is the mysterious source of all life, the wellspring of all creation, and we have forgotten this. This creative power exists in men as much as it does in women. The Sacred Feminine carries great wisdom, sensitivity, and a tender love for all life. It asks that we embrace life and preserve it. Women are not gaining power over men, but within themselves. When women regain their power, it restores love in all living beings, and as Gandhi said,

“The day the power of love overrules the Temple of Junolove of power, the world will know peace.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Spirit animals have always come to me in my dreams, especially white animals such as owls, wolves, and foxes. Every time I dream of an animal, I make note of it and thank them for visiting me. I believe there is a lesson to be learned from each animal, and study the characteristics and symbolism of each animal carefully. Native Americans used animal symbology to understand life in general, and many of my core beliefs and experiences parallel this ancient wisdom.

Native culture fascinates me. Since I was little I always thought it made more sense to live under the stars, among plants and animals, and as close to nature as possible. My mother is from Chile and has Mapuche Indian ancestry. Our modern life always felt a bit strange to me, it was as if I could feel the wisdom of my ancestors lives and what felt right was swimming in natural water, celebrating life around a fire, dancing under stars, and gathering beautiful natural artifacts to make sacred altars with.

Often the meaning of a painting doesn’t fully surface until the piece is completed. Reflecting on my past, present and future experiences, hopefully the messages being sent through me will bring inspiration, healing, love and beauty to those around me.

From my heart to yours,

Hannah Natali