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 worked with hundreds of students across abstract expressionism, resin, acrylics, and brushwork. That work evolved naturally into 1-on-1 creative coaching — a more intimate practice focused on helping people access and express what's underneath the surface, using art as the vehicle. She has also worked as a curator and most recently began producing art shows, bringing together artists and collectors in a way that reflects her belief that art belongs in people's lives, not just on gallery walls.
Her collectors are in Canada, the UK, the United States, and Mexico. Recent commissions include two paintings for the former Head Scientist of the Canadian Space Agency, work for The Agency in Victoria, and pieces for the Meade Design Group. Her work has been featured in both magazine and on television ~ including Discovery Homes.
Natalie works and lives on unceded Coast Salish Territory, the land of the Lək̓ʷəŋən speaking Peoples, in Victoria, BC, and on the traditional territory of the Wixárika (Huichol) peoples of Nayarit, Mexico.
I was recently interviewed for the "Do Tell" section of YAM Magazine (Sept/October, Style Issue). For editing purposes, the full interview was cut short, the link provided is the full interview.
For physical events that happen at a specific time. For example a concert, or dance performance. If there are multiple shows, you can still duplicate your event to cover them all.
Cook St. Activity Centre
