About
With a BFA from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and an MFA in Textile Design from Rhode Island School of Design, Natalie Jo Wright has dedicated her artistic life to her passion. Originally from Central Illinois and after many years of living on both coasts, Wright is currently settled in a small town outside Madison, Wisconsin.
Contemporary and playful, Natalie Wright’s animal paintings have been referred to as “intimate portraits that capture the sweet and wild nature of animals.” Through color pallet and application of medium, her paintings capture the inner soul of her subjects and open up a dialog between them and the viewer.
Wright’s large scale animal paintings form the foundation for her larger than life portraits of Pop Culture icons. Colorful and bold, these pieces project and magnify heroes of Natalie’s adolescence, and current admiration for musicians, through her unique artistic lens. Wright established herself in the Maker Movement in 2003 with her business Pancake Dinner, making and selling hand-stitched pillows in the shape of meat, which sold internationally. Wright’s design work can be seen on wallpaper, apparel, housewares and most recently an album cover. Her wallpaper design titled Mustachio has become a Flavor Paper favorite and can be custom printed by the team in Brooklyn.
In her own words…
Through the process of painting large scale portraits of animals, I have learned about my own strengths and weaknesses as a mom and an artist. Painting other people's pets has brought me great joy in knowing I am expressing the gratitude of unconditional love. When I am painting a musician, this is my own celebration of a life devoted to emotion. When my audience views my work, I want their values to be looking back at them. Do you see your strength in the Bear? Do you see your endless capacity for love in the painting of your pet? Do you celebrate a life dedicated to poetry and emotion (or maybe just one really good night. One sparkly moment?) when you look at my painting of Tom Petty? My work is big and unavoidable and often looks at you in your eyes. What do you see reflected back at you? Do you see how much you are valued? Do you see how similar we all are? Bison, Fox, Dog, Sparrow, Human. We all have more in common than not. We all need love and to feel valued. We all need to celebrate the good times and to know our strength exists to get through the tough times.
