Biography
Natalie Ryde’s art practice encompasses drawing, painting, printmaking and 3-Dimensional making. United by a hand drawn lattice network and expanded drawing, Natalie’s diverse creative output explores the dichotomy between theoretical and physical nature and touches on the human experience of reconciling rational and emotional responses.
“I look at natural structures that replicate at different scales and imagine the invisible, vital, animating energy running through the veins of living things. I think about the cosmic forces, tides and elements that impact the world around me and space beyond. I am drawn to patterns I observe both in nature and the man-made environment and the way objects and places are shaped by their interactions, particularly by the repetitive rhythms of life. There is a grounding in pattern, a security that things will continue, like reaching the edges of a map, there is a certainty that the terrain extends beyond the visible.”
Drawing and painting predominantly in acrylic inks, colour and line are layered in degrees of concentration and intensity to create depth and chromatic complexity. Brushes and rags are used to apply and remove pigment and paint mediums whereas the intricate line work is executed in dip pen or refillable, 0.8mm nib, ink drawing pens. Drawings made directly onto the paper surface are made with fine nib, archival ink pens where tonal depth comes from the contraction of the woven lines into finite space. Natalie employs a free-hand generative drawing technique reminiscent of textile construction, a skill she attributes to the generations of textile workers in her family lineage. Inherited by nature rather than nurture, Natalie imagines the pattern of labour locked into her genetic muscle memory. The time taken to produce a drawing can be seen in the moment to moment marks made on the surface and these notions of time-passing and work-done are of value to the artist descended from a craft tradition.
The printmaking branch of Natalie’s practice links closely to her drawing and making practice. She produces all elements of the process herself, from hand drawing positives, to exposing screens and pulling the squeegee across the printing bed. She often works in gradient colour and lays strips of cut paper onto the printing surface to produce unique state and variable edition prints. Working live on the printing bed making intuitive decisions during printing introduces an element of surprise and discovery in the process which in turn feed back into the painting studio.
Alongside her studio practice, Natalie works as an artist educator and art directs participatory events with high profile museums, heritage sites, galleries and arts organisations as well as supporting community led initiatives. She is Bow Arts artist-in-residence at St.John the Baptist School in Islington for the 2022/23 academic year and is a visiting drawing lecturer for BA(Hons) jewellery, glass and ceramic students. Natalie works at Crawley Road Studios, London N22 and produces her screen-print editions at Bainbridge Print Studios.
