Natalia Kusi
BA (Hons) Fine Art
The sun begins to cast its gentle morning rays through the sheer kitchen curtains, gradually filling the room with a warm golden glow. The air is filled with a sweet tantalizing aroma caused by the array of fresh fruit spread across the table . It seemed as though the entire room had been transformed into an oasis of freshness and vitality. The fruits beckoned to me, their colours ranging from the vivid orange of ripe oranges to the rich reds from the vibrant strawberry’s . The blade of her knife glides across the fruit as a symphony of sweet juices explode into the air.
An act as simple as cutting fresh fruit in the morning exudes so much love and care from a mothers touch that this distant memory became so fundamental in my life that it is reflected in my practice. My work focuses on my culture and identity and to express this I focus on the colours that I have grown up with that have been a part of my surroundings and explored my identity through the upbringing the women in my life have aided to by the use of food and plants in my pieces. The main mediums I use are oil paints and acrylics and by using them I am able to embody a sense of comfort, warmth and joy in my paintings so the audience can perceive that through the aura of my paintings.
My aim is to form a collective memory within the viewer to give a sense of home and comfort in my painting even if the viewer may not have experienced this in their own life. My paintings are a way of giving the viewer some love and care that I have grown up with in hope that it can be passed along.
