On the Other Side: Natalie Wiseman

I received my bachelors of art with emphasis in painting in 1991 from Missouri Southern. By 1995, the paintings were piling up and I began painting murals in area homes and businesses. I have only just recently started painting for myself again, and have tried to be more involved in what's going on with art locally. I have to thank Tricia Courtney at Rose Gallery for showing an interest in my recent work.

I was motivated to participate in Spiva's "On the Other Side" show because I had already begun work on the piece when I found out about the specifics. It was a natural response to the event, but I feel that area artists will be creatively impacted by the storm for years.

My piece, an acrylic titled, " Life in 3D" began as a pretty literal interpretation of the event. The items that I included were those that reveal a sense of vulnerability. No matter how personal the items, they were all scattered and blended then placed on display for the rest of the world. Some of the items included in the still life were directly related to things my family and I had seen in town. As I thought about the show's name, though, it made me think more of how clearly I remember the events of that day, leading up to the storm. Almost like a windowpane, the rough frame irepresents the " present" conditions through which we have to
look back through. My intention is to focus on that moment, day, hour directly before the storm that we cannot undo, we just have to examine.

I am for an art...masters program at Missouri Southern.