In today’s Partner Spotlight, we talked with Natasha Patel about her artistic process and influences. Natasha is a self-taught abstract artist based in Southern California. Influenced by her artistic upbringing and a desire to escape the corporate grind, she now passionately crafts bold and colorful abstract art as a full-time creative entrepreneur. Her work is inspired by the natural world and the universe’s patterns, resulting in contemporary paintings that combine abstract expressionism with scientific elements. Using fluid acrylics, alcohol and acrylic inks, sand, and epoxy resin, she creates multi-layered compositions rich in texture and depth. Her palette – featuring purple, green, blue, and gold – draws from her Asian Indian heritage and personal connections, symbolizing feminism, community, heritage, and wealth. To ensure the highest quality prints for her customers, Natasha has partnered with Lumaprints as her trusted print provider.
- What media do you use for your art style? Is there a specific reason why you chose this media?
I mainly use fluid mediums in my art practice. Alcohol inks, acrylic inks, fluid acrylics, vitreous paints, watercolors, and more recently epoxy art resins. I got into paint pouring in 2018 after watching some Youtube videos and I’ve been obsessed with the naturally occurring organic compositions ever since.
There’s something so calming about the nature of fluid mediums that is hypnotic and meditative for me. You have to work in symbiosis with these types of mediums, its like a gentle push and pull dance you get to perform with it.
These types of mediums will do whatever they want because of their inherently chaotic nature, so it’s up to you to gently guide them into the direction they want to go without ruining their natural flow. It’s about enhancing what’s already there, and not interrupting the flow with fluid mediums.
It takes a while to get the hang of “reading” these mediums, but once you do it becomes a very meditative and therapeutic process.
- Can you describe your art and your art style?
I’m a fluid artist specializing in organic abstracts inspired by nature’s energy.
I mainly paint in cool colors, such as purples, blues, and greens. Design-wise, I would describe my style as somewhere between modern contemporary and organic abstract.
People have described my style as “wild and natural” and “calming yet chaotic” and I think that’s an accurate representation of it.
- Who or what is your inspiration in doing your art?
I decompress when I immerse myself in nature, and get inspiration from patterns, colors, and structures found in nature and the universe. From that place of joy and wonder, I transmute that intense feeling into my work by creating something intuitively that is soothing and vibrant to experience.
Cellular forms from under a microscope, aerial photography of river deltas and grasslands, to vibrant and ethereal nebulas are all sources of inspiration and have helped me understand patience and the beauty of being fully present in a moment.
- What drives you to create your art and share them to the world?
Freedom to create my own destiny and to be a conscious creator of my life propels me forward. I worked in corporate startups for 9 years doing the typical 9-5 job, and it was toxic and soul crushing. I vowed to never work too hard for someone else again, and to do what brings me joy fulltime.
- Can you share a favorite quote or saying that you live by?
This one from Sun Tzu has been at the top of my mind lately –
“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.
There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.”
I remember reading this quote for this first time and my mind was blown. It helped me push through the imposter syndrome of “why even bother” and the intrusive thoughts of “there are already so many fluid artists” and the “market is too saturated.” There is an infinite number of ways of producing an item, product, or service, and there in lies the beauty of individual expression. This is your reminder to keep on going until you find your unique hue, combination of flavors, or melody that truly resonates with you.
- Can you discuss a specific piece of art that you are particularly proud of and why?
Recently I’ve been most proud of my recent 2 ft x 3 ft painting “Atman.” which was inspired by the SoCal wildflower bloom. That painting was the culmination of 3 months of consistent experimentation, failures, and lessons learned. You can view that one on my instagram and website.
- Can you walk us through your creative process from start to finish?
My paintings are multilayered and dimensional, and are usually between 3-7 layers. I hand build my floating bases using wood and aluminum composite sheets. Because I use fluid mediums, either wood or aluminum is my go to choice for a base so there is no sagging. I usually paint on paper and adhere that to the hard base. Then I add onto the base painting by enhancing the composition with texture and resin layers.
Because fluid mediums are wet, they take anywhere from 24-46 hours to completely dry. The drying time is the longest part of the creation process, so a typical 2ft x 3ft painting can take me between 3-4 weeks to complete.
- How do you handle creative blocks or challenges in your work?
I usually take a walk or hike and go into nature. A change in surroundings does wonders. A session of yoga and if all else fails, I’ll change the medium up to do freehand play. No expectations, just uninhibited play. Usually I have no expectations when doing this, so most often I end up learning something new that shifts my perspective on what I was stuck on, and I’m able to find flow again.
- What is your advice to aspiring artists?
Fail often. Hands down it’s the best experience. Keep going until you want to give up, then push yourself just the tiniest bit past your previous limit. I think I didn’t sell anything at my first 4 or 5 pop up shows when I first started, but I kept going and trying new techniques and shows until I found my ideal client and where they hung out.
You’re going to have to keep trying new things and adjusting as you go until you find what works for you. Even now, a couple of years in, I’m still learning new things and adjusting. For example, at my last two Art Walks, I didn’t sell anything, but that’s because I was able to figure out my ideal client didn’t hang out there, and my art wasn’t a good fit for that location. A week later, I went to a networking event in another city and sold 2 paintings and got a commission for a third one within the first couple of hours.
You just never know who is going to resonate with your work until you try and keep showing up.
Learn more about Natasha and her art:
Website: Art La Napaux
Instagram: @artlanapaux
