‘I Think The Peaceful Aspect Of My Work Draws People In’
Natasha Newton is a popular British artist, known for her iconic nature illustrations featuring a little white house. To celebrate our new collection of art prints with Natasha, she’s sharing behind the scenes of her art career, her process and what inspires her to create.
How did your art career begin and how has it adapted over the years?
My art career began in the early 2000s; initially I was a fine artist exhibiting at galleries and in various shows. When I started posting my work online from around 2006 onwards, I was contacted by publishing companies and businesses who commissioned me to produce illustrations for them and I became an illustrator almost by accident! I never set out to be an illustrator, but for many years much of my income came from commissioned illustration work. I'm now moving away from illustration to concentrate on my personal work once again.
Can you tell me more about the art style and how it developed?
I'm not entirely sure exactly how I developed my art style, as it just seemed to evolve over years of practice. I've always been drawn to folk art and I think that you can see the influence of that in my own work. I painted a lot of still life subjects early in my career, but then moved on to landscapes, which is when I really found and then developed the current style of my work.
What inspires you and your art?
I'm endlessly inspired by nature, the landscape of the UK, and my love of old buildings, in particular cosy country cottages. Through my paintings I hope to bring a sense of peace to the viewer, and also a deeper appreciation of the beauty and wonder of the natural world.
What does your creative process look like?
I take a lot of photos of anything that inspires me when I'm out walking in the countryside, and I've also started working regularly in sketchbooks too. Noticing little details and really allowing myself to feel the atmosphere of a place is very important when it comes to depicting that scene in a painting.
That said, my final paintings are often a combination of remembered scenes and my imagination, with elements of actual locations included from reference images here and there.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I would say the thing I enjoy most is that I'm never bored! There's always something new to learn, whether that's a different technique or new materials to explore, or a fresh way of seeing and communicating. I wake up excited and eager each day to work on my current project. I can't believe that I get to do this every day and I get paid for it! It's a lot of hard work and of course there are ups and downs, but I'm so grateful that this is my career.
What do you think it is that draws people in to your art?
From what people tell me, it's the way my paintings make them feel. They often say things like, "I want to live there!" or "I wish I was in that landscape!". I think the peaceful aspect of my work is what draws people in. Even though they're contemporary paintings, they have a slightly nostalgic feeling to them sometimes.
They depict the beautiful countryside, away from the noise of city life, or modern life in general. Many of them also have a strong element of home, safety, and cosiness, which I think resonates with people and is probably much needed in our current world.
What do you enjoy doing outside of your work?
When I'm not working, I love to walk in the countryside, and as my fiancé Dominic and I are members of the National Trust, we love visiting historic properties and castles, and visiting beautiful villages. I've recently got into bird watching and I'm becoming a bit of a bird nerd!
I enjoy photography (although I don't understand all of the technical jargon!) and I have a huge collection of art and design books that I love to flick through for ideas and inspiration. I've also recently become a member of the Woodland Trust, and I'm excited to learn more about all of the different trees and visit more of their woodlands.
The Natasha Newton Art Print Collection
The Natasha Newton art print collection contains an exclusive set of 14 nature art prints. Every art print features a atmospheric nature scene and is printed on luxury Etching Cotton Rag 315 GSM fine art paper, using a 12-colour printer. You can explore Natasha's full collection of prints in the Natasha Newton art print collection.