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The Artist
Barbara Natoli
Ken Natoli
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Barbara Natoli
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I spent my childhood in upstate New
York during a time that encouraged imagination and creative jest, a time
before TV became the passive companion. Creative activity was the mainstay
of my entertainment, my only restriction being that whatever I used, I had
to clean up. Clotheslines became circus tents, stores, houses and castles.
Scraps of paper and art materials became pictures, sculptures
and books galore. Everything became fodder for creating something.
My formal training, with a major in sculpture and a minor in education and
gold & silversmithing, was at the State University of New York College at
New Paltz.
Although I was sometimes forced to deter my artistic pursuits, they merely
bided their time. Along my life’s designated path I’ve kept my sense of
wonder, my willingness to experiment, my endless collection of ‘matter’
and my talent to listen. In my life and work I added form and color bit by
bit using objects from the world. All my life’s experiences add unique
energy to my work’s equation.
My early work was influenced by the cool and controlled northeast. Since
my move to the Valley of the Sun my creations have warmed, influenced by
the desert heat, it’s textures and by my interest in the southwest’s early
culture and art. Continued growth has allowed me to have my creations
accepted
in galleries and juried shows.
I collect the materials I use in my art everywhere, from busy streets to
cloistered mountains. I do not plan my work in the traditional sense, my
collected ‘matter’ beckons to me and I follow it’s lead. Among all the
unrelated objects a magical connection is somehow made and a new being
evolves. Due to the immense variation of my raw materials, my art does not
always follow a precise theme.
Each of my creations is it’s own unique being.
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