Natsui
Nathalia Suizu (aka NATSUI) is an emerging Melbourne based artist who strives to live and paint by the mantra “follow your bliss”.. and she truly does! Her vibrant creations draw the viewer into an uplifting world, fully charged with colour & magic. As soon as we laid our eyes upon Sky Mother we were keen to have her cosmic beauty adorn our walls.. and yours too!
What does mother mean to you?
Where all things come from.
Sky Mother has been a favourite for our A4D customers since we launched.. how and when did you first conjure this work?
Sky Mother was created for my solo show ‘Shrine’ in 2021, which summoned a pantheon of Goddesses in celebration of the Feminine. She emerged at a time when I was deeply immersed in the mythological writings of Joseph Campbell and is largely inspired by the Egyptian Goddess Nut. Like Nut, Sky Mother holds the cosmos in her heavenly body, cycling the sun and moon through her belly and feeding our wonderment with her starry skies. In direct contrast to the conventional Sky Father of most mythological traditions, both Nut and Sky Mother bring to life an alternate, (and to me) most compelling vision of the Feminine governing the heavenly realm. She is our Mother, who art in Heaven, the OG Feminist Creator Goddess!
As an interior designer and an artist... what are the most important elements to a grounded, generous and nurturing home/space do you think?
I feel there is real potency in surrounding oneself with beautiful things. I find myself constantly admiring and appreciating my varied collection of beautiful things, it’s a lovely feeling and instant mood booster. Keeping a home clean and well-organised helps me nurture sense of order and calm in my space. Apart from this lots of colour, ample light, plants, cats and the warmth of textiles feel essential to me, a rug truly does tie a room together.
How do you find flow in your life/multidimensional creative practice?
Self-care is paramount and routine helps me to stay in balance. I dedicate a good chunk of my morning to yoga, meditation and a walk, these practices are grounding, help me to find peace and presence in the moment and keep the wheels of creativity oiled. I’ve found that if I do this groundwork, I’m basically ready to heed the muse when she calls.
I consciously try not to force things too much, ‘inspired action’ is what I aim for, I find I flow better when I’m taking it easy and not being so serious about life. The universe is constantly assuring me that it’s all gooooooood.
Are your cycles of creativity changing with the Seasons?
I notice that like seasons, I have cycles of frenzied activity, which are followed by periods of deep rest. Mostly they do align with the Seasons but in reverse, I find myself very active during the winter months and needing to take it easier in the summer. It’s currently frenzy time for me!
How is colour significant for your work?
I am so attracted to colour, it hits me in the feeler in such a magnificent way, so of course I want to boldly suffuse my home, my work, my being, everything with colour. It has the power to excite and uplift and dramatically enhance an environment. I especially love using a complimentary palette to create high-contrast/high-energy schemes that are paradoxically clashing and harmonising at once. I typically favour deeply saturated hues but have been dabbling with muted notes in recent times and am really vibing on the colour depths I’m achieving.
Is there a ritual to your making process?
I must clean up the studio before I start a new piece, cleaning the slate feels energetically essential to the startup process.
During the course of a painting a lot of time is spent just looking at the work, hanging with it - I once heard this practice referred to as ‘communing with the muse’, which I loved. This happens every time, so I guess you could call it a ritual too.
Who were you inspired by growing up? Who and/or what inspires you now?
Yayoi, Picasso, Warhol, Frida, David Hockney and Keith Haring immediately come to mind. I see these masters as my ancestors, branches of my art family tree, they have all informed my creative practice in a special way - Yayoi sits at the very top of the tree. I vividly remember walking into her infinity room at the Queensland Art Gallery at the age of 14, and being transported into a luminescent, otherworldly vacuum, that I now know to mirror the psychedelic nooks of my mind. Other names like Jean-Paul Goude, Sandy Skogland, Hassan Hajjaj, Iman Raad, Nathalie Du Pasquier, the Eames and Franco Moschino all deserve a mention.
I’ve also been massively influenced by the rich language of patterns I’ve encountered in traditional folk art movements around the world, and the naïve representations of form in indigenous and pre-Columbian art. Growing up in South America I was exposed to ubiquitous religious imagery, and in my older years I’m very drawn to the spiritual iconography of the Orient, which speaks a language of symbols that feels both familiar and mysterious to me.
Travelling has proven to be the most bountiful font of inspiration in my life - I’m always eager to set off to exotic places and almost always return with a burning desire to capture the essence of trip.
Listening to?
Always ‘The Emerald’ Podcast and Emma Peel’s ‘Switched On’ Segment on PBS FM.
Right now I’m having a nostalgic moment with 90s hip-hop.
Food from the God & Goddesses?
Coffee, coconuts, cherries, PASTA!
Early bird or night owl?
I wanna be an early bird but I’m night owl.
What is presenting itself/exciting you in your creative process currently?
I’m currently working a new collection of original paintings for a super exciting hush-hush event in August. The seed for this collection was planted in a mushroom vision many moons ago, it feels exhilarating to be bringing these dreamscapes to life right now.