The Memory Painting

I am Natalia Kutova, a self-taught artist living in San Diego, CA. I was born and raised in Ukraine and came to the USA in 2006 as a Fulbright scholar. I am a person with many interests. I earned my B.A. in Music, M.A. in Linguistic, and Ph.D. in Education, wrote several books, and participated in numerous conferences all over the world. But I have never painted. Never, until 2017, when visiting Sausalito, a charming town just across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, I saw paintings in impasto technique in one of the town art salons. I was impressed. It was like a lightning bolt with a clear message “I also want to paint like that.” A spark was ignited, which turned into a passion so strong that I willingly departed my prospering teaching career to fully immerse myself in painting. Now I work in my studio in San Diego, CA, where I have the pleasure of exhibiting frequently and painting every day. The motto of my life is: "Never2Late." I hope that my experience in painting will be an inspirational message which I want to share with the world - it's never too late to begin a new journey towards success and fulfill your dreams, no matter the age. Painting to me is just another way of expressing different ideas and emotions. Utilizing a palette knife and acrylic paint, I relentlessly explore the bounds of the impasto technique, seeking to infuse my paintings with a tactile almost a three-dimensional sculptural effect to achieve more visual intensity in conveying certain meaning. The main subject of my painting is flowers and trees, which are extrapolated from the reality and reconceptualized in my painting to the level of visual metaphors expressing a wide variety of ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Instead of striving for exact representation, I try to imbue these natural forms with profound meaning, allowing for a diverse array of interpretations. Marked by a technique that entails the creation of heavily textured, almost sculptural masterpieces, my art possesses an unmistakable uniqueness. It is in this fusion of technique, subject matter, and intention that I endeavor to evoke a powerful and lasting impact upon all who encounter my artistic creations.