Natalie Nelson
My assemblages are designed to represent miniature worlds in nature mixes freely with toys and domestic knickknacks. They stand to capture a bit of the magic of the inherent beauty found in natural objects such as shells, driftwood, seeds, and moss. In crafting these fabrications, I work with materials partially pulled from craft stores: yarn, ribbon, and fabric. The texture and symbolism of these textiles speak to a different time of women’s craft traditions, of childhood and early creative memories in my family.
Equally important are the found or recycled materials from my life. All of the paint is sourced from old home improvement projects, signs of my obsessive tendencies to control my environment. Home and rootedness in particular is a theme that underlines most of my work. The reused small drawers and natural materials found on my daily walks connect me to the geography of my town, and to my daughters who have played with these materials as children. I see these sculptures as a means of recording place and defining my own sense of belonging. In that way, they transport me both backwards and forwards in time and space.
These collections of daily life, once assembled into a tableau of discovery and wonderment, become small markers for transformation. As a type of memento, my sculpture relates to the artist’s need to stop time, to mark special occasions and places for others. This outlook on the world is intimately engaged with the material presence of the outdoors. In the cast off stuff of the natural world, I find hope and beauty in the cyclical nature of growth and decay which I aim to share with others.
1230 Fordham Dr.
Davis, CA, 95616
