About Natasja
My Mosaic story
I learned the fine art of mosaic art from the best Italian Grandmasters. Quality and authenticity in my work are very important to me. Therefor I only work with high quality materials such as Orsoni Smalti Veneziani and marble. My mission is to inspire people.
I try to engage people who view my work. Not just for an instant. I want them to enter my world and understand why I made certain choices. And to touch the work that also touches them, so they can feel how nice it is to create art. I want to tell stories. Without asking myself what people think about it. Unconstrained, almost naive, amazed, with an open heart.
What does mosaic mean to me?
Mosaic is more than just technique. Mosaic is more than just knowledge. Mosaic is not just a combination of materials. It is not putting together pieces of a seemingly simple puzzle (because it is not simple!) Or just the desire to surprise at all costs. For me mosaic is passion, love, dreams, fantasy, a constant challenge, the desire to continually work in an innovative way. It is about wonder. Wondering the beauty of the materials, of marble, and smalti. Mosaic is my life!
Mosaic tells a story. It engages the observer and brings him or her into my magical world of colours, movement, forms and harmony.
A look into my world:
As a young girl i wasn’t very girly. I didn’t like to play with dolls. But I did love Lego. And sawing, hammering, soldering, building huts and sand castles. I just loved all the technical stuff! When i went to school, manual classes were still different foor boys and girls. The boys were allowed to do all the fun things like carpentry. The girls were stuck tot he seweing machine. Not my cup of tea.
I also enjoyed drawing a lot. So much, that i took weekly private classes from the age of six all the way to sixteen. I made many, many drawings, often featuring animals and nature.
Arts Academy
In secondary school my orientation test yielded just one option: the arts academy. But because in thos days, the early 90’s, the arts were seen as a path with no future. People expected me to learn a “real “trade. I took the decision to work for a year to give myself more time to figure out what i should study.
It wasn’t a coincidence that i found a technical job: in a DIY carpentry workshop. One year became ten. I followed a course to become a franchise manager of a building material business. A course involving plenty of thechnical knowhow. In the carpentry workshop i managed to bring my crafting skills to a higher level by learning how to handle woodworking machines. And of course i kept making drawings, albeit on a lower frequency.
Authentic Italian mosaic art
Through my many travels throughout Europe I got in contact with the art of mosaic. Not just any mosaic, but the authentic Italian style. I was already familiar with mosaics based on tiles, which are very common in the Netherlands. But when i got in touch with the authentic Italian art of mosaic, I knew that’s what i wanted to aspire to! Learning to cut with a special hammer, using a chisel and a tree trunk. Working with marble and Venetian glass. Beautiful materials which allow you to make the most beautiful pieces.
I took a seven-year mosaic course at the Arts Academy of Wilrijk, Belgium. In that period this institute was linked to the prestigious Spilimbergo Mosaic School in Italy. It is the only course in northern Europe where the authentic Italian style of mosaic art is taught. In 2017 i graduated, specialized in portraits. I also attended various masterclasses abroad at renowned mosaic artists like Marco Mezzanotte, Dagmar Friedrich, late Federica Casanova, and Lucio Orsoni. As my knowledge about the Italian mosaic art kept growing, so did my love fort his beautiful trade. It is a trade which combines artistry with artisanal techniques: a wonderful combination!
My inspiration
People sometimes ask me where I get my inspiration from. It can come from anywhere. From people, nature, animals, colours, a special incidence of light, from life itself. I can be touched by sunlight falling through the leaves of trees. Or by an animal that is sleeping peacefully, or just frolicking around happily.
A visit to a museum is also always very inspiring. To admire the works of great masters in other art disciplines. To enter their world and experience their dreams.
My development
I find it not only important, but also very nice to continue to develop myself. As long as I can, I will continue to do so. In 2019 I started the Drawing course at the Arendonk Academy in Belgium. Four years later I started the follow-up course there: Life Model Drawing. Drawing remains a wonderful profession and is in fact the basis of all art disciplines. It gives you more depth in corpses, in colors, in composition.
In addition to the drawing course in Arendonk, I also followed a portrait sculpting course with Monique Oosterbos, which resulted in my first sculpted portrait ever. And with Marco Krauwinkel a portrait painting course, which resulted in this work: my first painter ever!
There is always more to learn and that is nice!
My dreams
My dreams are slowely becoming reality. I am a happy person and a bit of a loner. I am not a follower, or susceptible to trends and fashion. I do not easily get influenced by others, but plot my own course. That’s exactly what helped me to get as far as i have. I worked very hard. Costing me blood, sweat and tears. Sometimes the idea played on my mind to quit everything. but i had a dream. And that dream got me to where i am today : I dare to say that i am one of the few leading mosaic artist in The Netherlands today.
I still have lots of wishes and dreams. I feel the challenge of my art. I live it. I want more, better , freer.
My dream is an international solo exhibition. And i would like to see mosaic as an art form being featured in the collections of museums. I want it to receive the recognition it deserves in the world of arts.
My dream is to continue realising my world. My mosaic world, my art world, with all the passion that brought me this far.
Interested in a work or collaboration?
Has my work inspired you? Are you interested in a particular work and would you like more information?
Feel free to contact me for a visit to my studio.