Nathalie Chow-Yuen

Portfolio

Artist Statement

Learning new techniques and mediums brings me happiness. There are endless ways to create art, my desire for learning will never end. I dabble in many mediums when I can, my most practiced is in fibers and painting. I enjoy to up-cycle clothing and objects when I can, the end results are always unique to me. The dye work I do, I use a lot of color and pattern. I'm inspired by 40’s and 50’s patterns, particularly interior designs in linoleum. There's a wide range of fun colors and patterns mixed together that many people wouldn't think to pair together. A plaid next to a floral or checkered with a smooth wavy pattern, exploring these funky patterns together entices me to keep going and discovering. In my paintings I also express these patterns and colors in a more abstract style. Using flow and instinct with my brushstrokes and choosing color are what create my paintings. There is also a retro vibe to the patterns that I end up creating. I don't plan my paintings too much other than the color scheme, even then sometimes I go off and end up adding more or less color than originally planned. Majority of the time when I am creating I follow my gut and impulses and see where that takes me in the results. Many times it has given me an outcome of surprise and joy to see something that I didn't know could happen.

Using dye techniques to upgrade thrifted clothing

100% cotton white clothing found from the thrift store, dyed with natural powder dye. Creating patterns using Japanese shibori techniques learned in my natural dye class. Using procreate to layer and edit photographs of my work.