Natalie Brake

Natalie Brake grew up outdoors. Fishing, hiking, and camping with her father shaped how she sees the world long before she ever picked up a brush. She comes from a mixed heritage - Pakistani, Mi'kmaq (Ktaqmkuk), and European - and feels most connected to the parts of her ancestry that are rooted in the natural world. She has lived in some of the places that matter most to her: the Rocky Mountains, Kauai, Vancouver Island, and the jungle of Nayarit, Mexico, where she spends her winters. She came to visual art sideways. Her first career was as a professional Flamenco dancer, trained under internationally acclaimed performer Fiona Malena from 2004 to 2008. An injury ended that chapter, and she found herself in front of a canvas instead — oil, abstraction, a new language for the same impulse. She took to it immediately. Since then she has studied acrylic glazing with Dianne Neuman, drawing with Nicole Sleeth, and resin technique with Arthur Brouthers in Charlotte, NC. In 2016 she began working with epoxy resin, which became central to her practice. She splits her studio time between Victoria, BC and Nayarit, Mexico. Eight years ago Natalie began teaching, and has since work... more...