Had the pleasure of having High Riveritte artist Natalie VonRaven join us on the 99.7 Sun Country Afternoon Show on Wednesday February 8th.

I came across her paintings at the High River Library as she has an exhibit on display there for the month of February.

What a treat getting to learn about her craft.  Natalie is self-taught, paints every day and continues to explore different painting styles.

"Ever since I was a teenager I loved making art and creating and doodling.  I work with acrylics most of the time.  Sometimes I work with different mediums like pen, inks, stuff like that.  I used to actually use makeup in some of my paintings, nail polish, whatever it takes to get the desired effect."

She also is focused on the eyes of the animals, people, whimsical pictures she paints.

"The eyes are the window to the soul...eyes say so much, they can tell you just about anything and yet they're like deep oceans of secrets.  It can convey a lot and I like to portray that in my work."

And we learned she doesn't like painting from photos or still life.  She loves to paint from her vivid imagination.

"I'm better at painting from my imagination. I like vibrant colours and contrasts."

While she's open to commissions and selling anything she creates.  There's one painting hanging in her home she'll never sell.

"I have a portait I did of my son that I would never sell."

And when asked about what inspires her to paint, she says "I love animals, eyes of course, I love colour combinations...watching movies, listening to music, anything out in nature.  It can come just totally out of nowhere.  I like contrasting colours and I like contrasting ideas and bringing them together to form a kind of cohesive vision."

If you want to see Natalie's work you can visit the High River Library until the end of February or visit her website or Facebook page. 

You can also see her at the High River Arts Society's Spring Show at the United Church on May 12th and 13th.