Natalie is a multi-award-winning artist. Awards started in 2003 at local art shows winning cash prizes in her category. 2012 she won Student Photographer of the year. Later in her career, Natalie has been awarded 1st place, Juror’s Choice, and People’s choice awards at exhibitions locally and nationally across the use from 2019 to the present.
Her education began as a small child; she learned photography composition from her father. Her Aunt Natalie fueled the creative side, allowing it to flourish. Her parents loved to travel via RV as they believed the road trip was a part of the journey and got to see a lot of America that you just can’t get from a plane. She’s always been a fan of Ansel Adams and Bob Ross’ style, even though Bob was a painter, and loved watching his programs on the local PBS. Really drove her to get out and be with nature. Creating art helps Natalie connect with the viewer, exhibiting her ability to make you feel like you are there with her.
She Attended Community education classes for basic photography in 1997/98, studied under Deidra Monk, later enrolled in the Hennepin Technical College Digital Photography program, and studied under Paul Sinkler, Tom Hanly, and Tim Grey until the program closed. She’s continued her education by attending one-day seminars with National Geographic photographers. She continues her education in unconventional ways by joining Wyoming Center for Arts, ACW (Art to Change the World), PRCBoston, Griffin Museum of Photography, La Photo, Praxis Gallery, NEMAA, and St. Paul Art’s collective.
Networks with other artists sharing tips and ideas. Natalie is known for her Infrared black and white photography along with her Photozaics (which is a combination of her two loves, photography, and mosaics).
Images below are CheeBah Dotti and I on our travels across the U.S. The First image was taken at the top of MT. Evans, Colorado. The second image was taken at Sleeping Bear National Sand Dunes, Michigan. The third image was taken at Pebble Beach Rockport, Massachusetts. CheeBah is the best studio assistant and road trip buddy I would ever ask for.
About Natalie
Her mom came here from Germany and while dad was born here in Saint Paul. She currently resides in Saint Paul, she loves the small-town feel that the city offers, and the location, proximity in the US is perfect for her travels. Natalie became interested in art at a young age, recalling that she grew up in an “ugly frame” household. Looking back, laughing, she says “I don’t blame my family, as this is what started my creative side to flourish”. Her favorite holiday memory, at seven years old, Natalie went in the local woods and found pine branches that the city parks staff trimmed off and decided to make a wreath for her parents that Christmas.
I don’t blame my family, as this is what started my creative side to flourish
She pulled all the materials into her room and began to tie each branch to an old wire coat hanger using mom’s scrap yarn. Her parents were so impressed with her talents that neither of them could take credit for them. That was only the beginning. Natalie could look at craft, study the formation, and replicate it. She went on to make crafts with other neighborhood friends and we would sell them on the street corner. She got my first camera in sixth grade with scholastic bucks (with the help of other classmates). The rest of the year Natalie photographed her classmates and fell in love with photography.
She learned later in life that her grandfather (dad’s side) was a photographer, and this is where she received her natural-born talents from. Grandpa would shoot black and white and then would hand color the images as he didn’t have the money to shoot color film. Her Aunt Natalie (mom’s sister) is where she got my creative side. She would take her to plays as a kid and teach her to make Ukrainian Easter Eggs and showed her the star consolation sky. Her Aunt saw and encouraged her creativity and helped form Her into whom she is today.
Education
Her formal training started with community education classes to learn the language of photography this was after high school. Natalie received her Associate’s degree in fashion merchandising, but this didn’t pay the bills or fuel her creative side like she thought it would. So, she decided to go back to school and attended Hennepin Technical college to pursue her photography career.
She studied under Paul Sinkler, Tim Gray, and Tom Hanly until the program closed. Natalie continues with her education in non-conventional ways like reading blogs and searching the internet for tips and tricks. She is involved with a few local centers for the arts and most recently she joined Minnesota Mosaic Guild, NEMAA, ST. Paul Art Collective, WARM, ACW(Art to change the world), and, Hallberg center for arts, and networks with other local artists.
A Passion for Nature
She started her photography career doing portraits and weddings, but her love of nature is what drove her creativity. She started selling matted photos and simple framed artwork at local art shows in 1998. It was a trip to the north shore that gave her creative side a boost. While on a day trip visiting a friend’s cabin, she and another went to the shore to pick rocks. It was there that an annoying horse would not leave her alone, forcing her into Lake Superior for relief. Looking down in the water Natalie saw a great photo opportunity and snapped the shot of rocks underwater with a gorgeous light beam highlighting some of the rocks. Immediately the light bulb went off and she thought rocks in the photo, rocks on the frame! From there she toyed around with driftwood, acorns, leaves, and flowers.
People at the shows loved the unique frames and preferred them over just a plain matted photo. 2000 this same friend introduced her again to mosaics and it was a natural progression to use stained glass as one of her materials to bring the essence of the photo out on the frame. Natalie calls this process Photozaics (start with a photo and finish with a mosaic). Her collectors went nuts for these Photozaics. Natalie enjoys mixing up her photography from color to infrared. Driven by Mother Nature’s drama the weather and locations play a big part in Natalie’s shots’ color or IR. She shows her art at a few local galleries; high-end art shows and exhibits around the US.
Natalie’s awards started back in 1998 when she won Editor’s choice award from the International library of photography. Her next major was in 2003 when she took 1st place in the humor category from Lake Country Journal Magazine and received a cash prize and publication in the magazine. 2006 She placed 2nd in the photography category in the Brained arts in the park show. But her most notable is the Student photographer of the year in 2012 that she received from TCPPA (Twin Cities Professional Photographers Association).
Inspiration On The Road
Natalie has always been a fan of Ansel Adams and Bob Ross’ style, even though Bob was a painter, she loved watching his programs on the local PBS drove her to get out and be with nature. Her parents loved to travel via RV when Natalie and her brothers were younger.
They believed the road trip was a part of the journey and they all got to see a lot of America that you just can’t get from a plane.
This story Natalie tells is one of the most valuable compliments she could ever get. While doing a fall art show in the Northeast suburbs of Saint Paul she had a couple come into her booth and viewed her mosaic work. The gentlemen came to her and asked, “how did you do that?”
She replied, “well I take the photograph and color match the glass to each part of the photo….” When he responded with “no, no, how did you create the art can be appreciated up close, mid-range, and far back?” Now she’s blushing and replies with “That’s how I see life”. “I was raised in a family that didn’t take much thought in the framing process and drove me nuts when I was a kid! I wanted to change that and as you see, I did” This man then introduces himself as a retired University of Minnesota photography teacher and said she has a natural-born talent. To this day when she tells the story, Natalie has a big smile on her face.
Natalie’s clients return and tell her where they hung the artwork and how the guests that come over can’t stop complimenting her work. This, Natalie says, “Never gets old! I love when my collectors come back and tell me where hung their pieces.” She had one couple that purchased what was named, Deer Portrait.
This couple loved the art, and it was a little out of their budget, but they decided to purchase it anyway. The following year Natalie returned to the same show, the couple came back and said it was the best money they could have spent that year. The whole family loved to sit around the art and just stare at it and wonder what the deer was thinking. Natalie could tell at that moment her piece of art would become a family air loom.
Jobs / Projects
- Studio space– Solar Arts building- 711 15th Ave NE, MPLS MN 55413
- The permanent collection at Common Bond- Lumin April 2024
- Permanent collection at Emma Norton’s Restoring Waters project: Heart + Home: Artwork that heals. 2024
- Owner of nataliemcguirephotography past/ present nmcguirestudio visual artist 2003- current.
- Commissioned to create costume photozaic works for clients from 2005 to current.
- Art to change the world- Newsletter May 2021 –Sept. 2024.
- Mounds View Area Learning Center- taught class on mosaics Sept. 2021 one-day session.
Group / Solo Exhibitions
- Found Objects- Decagon Gallery Online Dec. 10, 2024 – Feb. 10, 2025
- Winter Solstice 2024: Griffin Museum of photo-Winchester, MA Dec 13- Jan 5, 2025
- The Boundary between Dream & Reality-online – White Lock Art Center NY- Dec. 2024
- Denizens of the Sky-View Arts Old Forge, NY-Dec. through Feb. 2025
- Keller Prize 2024- Online website October 2024-2025
- Travel Dreams- Photo Artfolio- Online exhibition- Oct. 2024- 2 works selected
- Floral & Botanical 4- gallery 4%- Online exhibition – Sept 2024- won a Distinction award
- The Pleasure of Small Art-MVA Gallery OCT 23rd-Nov 17th, 2024
- The Cabin Show- Dow Gallery- Saint Paul, MN Aug 17- Oct. 5, 2024
- Beauty in the Ordinary -Ava Art Center – Gillette, WY- August 2024
- Haven: Place of Comfort & Contemplation- Sebastopol arts – Sebastopol, CA Aug-Sept 2024
- Attleboro Arts Museum-Morning Noon Night- Attleboro, MA June 14th -July 19th, 2024 Cash prize
- Form + Content Gallery, Minneapolis, MN Feb 29th – April 6th, 2024
- Winter Solstice 2023: Griffin Museum of photo-Winchester, MA Dec 18- Jan 7, 2024
- Your Work Here 2023: PRC Boston-Cambridge, MA Dec. 5 – Jan18, 2024
- Life In Photographs: Mosesian Center for Art-Watertown, MA Sept- Nov 2023
- Personal Territory: Annual Members Virtual exhibition- L.A. CA Sept. 14th, 2023
- Out of Blue -Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA July 31-Aug 25, 2023
- “Share your art” by Big Screen Plaza- NYC, NY- June 15-July 15,2023
- Works of Excellence-The Studio Door- San Diego, CA April 27- May 27, 2023
- Variations- Marblehead Arts Association- Marblehead, MA April-June 2023
- Tribute to small works- MVA Bethlehem, PA- April 1-27th, 2023
- Contrast Orange- Fox Den gallery /Solar Arts Bldg, Minneapolis, MN Feb- Mar. 2023
- Your Favorite photograph taken in 2022- Online exhibition – Lenscratch- Jan. 2023
- Winter Solstice at the Griffin -Winchester, MA Dec. 8th – Jan 8, 2023
- Your Work Here – PRCBoston Boston, MA Nov 11th – Dec. 18th, 2022
- Praxis Black & White Minneapolis, MN Nov 19th – dec 3rd 2022
- Small Stones Festival Grafton, MA October 14th-23rd 2022
- You and your Camera online exhibition- Cultural Center Cape Cod, MA Sept. 20, 2022
- War or Peace? Online exhibition by Art Impact International, Washington DC Sept-Dec 2022
- Art4Good fundraiser- NE MPLS, MN August 18, 2022
- Vantage Point- Griffin Exhibition- Boston Lafayette City Center, MA June- September 2022
- Green / Light- Cultural Center of Cape Cod- Online exhibition- April 2022
- First Thursday- Fox Den-Solar Arts BLDG- NE MPLS, MN April 7th, 2022, solo exhibition
- Art of Beauty- MVA Gallery- Bethlehem, PA- April 8th through May 4, 2022
- PHotospiva- Spiva Center for Arts- Joplin, MO- March 19 through May 14, 2022
- Winter’s Magic- Cultural Center of Cape Cod- Online exhibition- March 2022
- Annual member showcase-Praxis Gallery-MN Feb. 19th through Mar 5th, 2022
- Farms Across America-Alex Ferrone Gallery-NY Dec. 4, 2021, through Feb. 27, 2022
- Shadow and Light- MFA online exhibition Dec. 15, 2021, through Jan. 31, 2022 – Juror choice award
- Winter Solstice at the Griffin- Winchester, MA Dec. 9, 2021, through Jan. 2, 2022
- Boston Craft- Online holiday shop- Nov 2021 through Jan 2022
- Your Art Here- Online exhibition-PRCBoston members virtual show- Nov-2021 through Jan-2022
- Frame Your Rights Exhibition- Fox Den Solar Arts Bldg. Minnesota Nov. 4-7th 2021
- Artexpo NY- Exhibition under NYC4photography Booth S400 October 28th 31st, 2021.
- Engage your Curiosity-Solo Exhibition- Wyoming Center for arts, Minnesota Oct. 22 to Nov. 12, 2021.
- Belmont Gallery Nourish Exhibition (online)-Massachusetts-Oct. 15th through Nov. 30th, 2021
- AASH Vol.5-Tyler, Texas-October 1st, 2021, through January 7th, 2022
- Arts Elevated- Rochester Int’l Airport- Sept. 2021 through May 2022.
- Solidarity Street Gallery-Indigenous Sovereignty & Environmental Justice- Saint Paul, MN Sept 23-25, 2021.
- MVA Gallery- Landscapes: Serene and Savage- Bethlehem, PA September 2021
- Las Laguna Art Gallery-Textures, Patterns, Shapes or Forms online Exhibit August 2021
- MVA-Self Expression- Bethlehem, PA June 2021
- Site: Brooklyn- online-Landscape: Exploring the Built and Grown June-July 2021
- Real or Imagined Attleboro Arts Museum- Attleboro, MA June-July 2021
- Providence Art Club Nat ’l juried Exhibition- Online-Rhode Island May-June 2021
- Art Revolution Taipei, Taiwan- 2021 International Artist Grand Prize Competition Finalist 2021
- 7th Annual Allegany National photography competition/exhibit- Cumberland, MD April 2021
- 47th Annual Northern Lights Exhibit-online White Bear Center for arts- WBL, MN March 2021
- Women in Art 2021- online gallery Las Laguna Gallery – Laguna Beach, CA March 2021
- Art Room Contemporary -Online Gallery- Black n White exhibit Jan-Feb 2021
- 16th National photography competition Fotofoto Gallery- NY Feb-Mar 2021
- Rehoboth Art League DE-6th regional juried photography exhibition Feb-Mar 2021
- Botanical- online exhibition- Las Laguna Gallery-Laguna Beach, CA Oct.- Nov 2020
- 5th Annual Black n White -Wyoming Center for Arts Wyoming, MN Oct.-Nov. 2020
- Saint Paul Art Crawl- virtual show, MN October 2020
- Salute to the Arts 2020- Crossing Arts Gallery- Brainerd, MN September 2020
- Healing art program- Croixdale-Bayport, MN September to December 2020
- Art Show & competition-Wyoming Creative arts community- Wyoming, MN Aug-sept 2020
- Mending-Art Reach Mobile art exhibit, MN July-Oct. 2020
- Healing arts program- Hudson hospital- Hudson, WI February to August 2020
- Strong women -WARM at MPLS Federal court building Nov. 2019 to July 2020
- Oakdale Discovery solo show- Oakdale, MN January 2020
- Miami Spectrum- Artavita Booth December 2019
- 5th Annual Black n White -Wyoming Center for Arts Oct.-Nov. 2019
- Fall Art show-Norseman Distillery-fall 2019
- Saint Paul Art Crawl- Schmidt’s Artists’ lofts October 2019- district spotlight artist
- Art San Diego- Artavita Booth October 2019
- Highways & byways- Fusion Art- Aug.- Nov. 2019-Won Award
- Art Show & competition-Wyoming Creative arts community Aug-sept 2019
- New Beginnings art show-Wyoming creative arts community May-June 2019- People’s Choice
- WARM – New Members show located at the Show Gallery Lowertown – May 2019
- Hysteria Exhibition Via WARM- February to March 2019
- Sweat Art Salon Via NEMA- January to February 2019
- Arts in Harmony Hopkins Center for Arts January to February (1st place in mixed Media)
- Edina Arts Center -under Minnesota Mosaic Guild June 2018
- Overland Park Art Center- April – June 2018
- Laguna Art Gallery-Women in Art March-April 2018
- Healing Arts Program shows: Western Wisconsin Area April to August 2018
- Phipps library- Minnesota Mosaic Guild October – December 2017
- Phipps-Breaking Assumptions show under Minnesota Mosaic Guild October – December 2017
- Best of the Best-Notable Artist Showcase online- artimpactusa.org -August 2017
- One Piece at a time- Healing Moments in Art Hudson Hospital & Clinic June-Aug 2017
- Remix show at Sync Gallery Denver, CO March 20th to April 20th, 2017
- Ad Hoc art gallery June-Sept 2012
- Bethesda Hospital, Saint Paul, MN Aug. 2008
- Solo display Pizza Luce’, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, MN 2007
- Solo display Taste of Scandinavia both Little Canada and North Oaks 2006