Natalee Thongsongkrid

Artist Bio:

Natalee Thongsongkrid is a visual artist based in New York. She approaches her work using the formalities of paint as its own language for promising narratives. Natalee’s flowers stem from her use of delicate brushstrokes, personal mark-making and washes of the underpainting. This fundamental ambiguity between a real flower and what’s imagined draws the viewers in to contemplate issues of permanence and impermanence. Natalee references her collection of various images ranging from photos of store-bought flowers to gardens, flower studies and floral paintings in history; she selects and weaves in personal imagery. Natalee has received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts.

Artist Statement:

My initial fascination with flowers was their beauty. I paint to recreate a universal beauty beyond the duplicity of flowers; as a flower blooms, it radiates both life and the inevitability of decay. Flowers are a way for me to document my experiences of beauty, happiness and sometimes personal grief. Within the imperfections and the decadence, there is an allusion to the pain that comes with beauty. Through this effort, my longing attachment for a love that's never been felt has been replaced with my love for flowers that will never be reciprocated.