Riney Fine Arts Gallery - Natalie Brown

Bio

Natalie Brown is an artist and educator working at Derby High School as chair of the Visual Art Department and a 3-D art instructor for over fifteen years. While at Derby she has helped originate a local student chapter of the National Art Honor Society, added Advanced Placement and concurrent credit art courses, and served on the school’s instructional leadership team among other committees. Outside of the classroom she serves on the executive board of the Kansas Art Education Association and teaches adjunct classes for Friends University in Art Methods.

Her prior teaching experience includes ceramics and other art classes at Northwest HighSchool in USD 259 and as a class instructor and administrative aide at CityArts.

Formal training includes an MFA from Wichita State University as well as a BFA from Kansas State University, both with an emphasis in ceramics and minors in drawing. Natalie has had work included in several group and individual exhibits in and around the Wichita area and Kansas.

Artist Statement

I enjoy helping students find their creative potential and it is with great joy that I teach the medium I so love. The daily discourse and interchange with students motivates and challenges me to re-examine my work and intentions as an artist.

A constant inspiration for me has been nature in its many forms- specifically botanical elements. Much of my free time is spent outside observing and caring for plants. When travelling, my favorite sites to visit are local gardens and arboretums. The shapes, folds, and creases found in many flowers have inspired my work since the beginning- from flowing lines and patterns to textures and the subtle blending of colors. I don’t intend to directly replicate particular plants but rather capture elements of their beauty that can be preserved throughout time. The fragility and strength found in nature is also found in my favorite medium of clay.

Images Copyright Natalie Brown