Nostalgia through Collage: Artist Spotlight on Natalie Bradford

Artist Bio: Natalie a mixed media artist originally from Royal Oak, Michigan. She graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine art with an emphasis in print media. Her work focuses on memory, temporality, and nostalgia through collage, image transfer, and hand sewing on paper. She has exhibited locally in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Ypsilanti, Detroit, and Lansing, as well as internationally through PxP Contemporary Gallery and Away Art Gallery. Her work has also been included in various international publications such as Candyfloss Magazine and Le Monde newspaper. She is currently based in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Artist Statement

Memories are fleeting and inconsistent; they can be borrowed and shared, but no one memory is exactly the same. Every time we recall memories from our long-term memory, in particular, some of the information either gets lost in the retrieval or our brains fill in small gaps with other memories, resulting in a slightly different and ever changing “false” memory. In my work, I explore how our memories alter and shift narratives; I’m interested in examining the ways in which our memories undergo changes as we age and we try to hold onto those precious moments of people and places that we love and want to remember forever, but lose bits of them through those countless retrievals in our heads. I pull both personal and borrowed memories from family photos, letters, and other found vintage ephemera to create new ‘memoryscapes’ and stories that reflect the fleetingness of memories with a strong sense of nostalgia and a hint of melancholy.

Natalie’s creative process 

I draw a lot of my inspiration from family photo albums, specifically the older ones of when my mom and her family were young. I love the immediate feeling of nostalgia that hits me when I see a sea of polaroid’s with the most vibrant 60’s colors. I also collect vintage magazines and draw a lot of my inspiration from the older issues Better Homes and Gardens; the colors are so distinct and warm, it really inspires me to try and capture that moment in time in my work.

Recent work on Natalie’s #Heartlist

I’m very inspired by the artist Maria Rivans and her book Extraordinary Things To Cut and Collage at the moment.

Find Natalie on: 

Website: https://nataliebradford75.wixsite.com/mysite

Instagram: @NatalieBradford

INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR MIXED MEDIA ARTISTS

A collaboration between @artstoheartsproject & @ilikeyourwork 

Guest curator: @erika , Founder of @ilikeyourwork 

Theme: FACADE

Eligibility: Mixed media artists from around the world

Deadline: 30th of October, 2021 12 midnight EST