Make Art: Natavis Barton, Artist at Home

Natavis Barton is a recent graduate of Radford University’s College of Visual & Performing Arts where he won the undergraduate Award of Excellence in their annual juried exhibition. He shares some of his work, his inspiration, and some ideas for people who want to continue to make art.

Making art is something that I have always done. Art isn't just a hobby or an interest for me. It really is a big part of my life. It helps me escape the mundaneness of life. It makes me feel that life really is worth something, so when I create work it makes me feel grounded. I think that making work also helps me develop a sort of purpose internally and externally.

The art I make tends to stem from some sort of color, shape, or feeling. Then I translate that into something others can understand as art. I focus purely on the formal qualities for the result instead of trying to translate a deeper message. About a year ago, I was confused about what I should do with art. Art programs teach you to make a body of work that means something. I was frustrated with the whole idea that I had to try to make my art mean something. I had to sit down with myself and figure out what I even like to make when it comes to artwork.

I’ve always been drawn to patterns and different shapes and colors and working with those. I like expanding a different shape or color—taking that color or shape and really working with it and see all the possibilities I can create out of it. Which is why my work is mainly focused on patterns at the moment. The work I had in my senior show really focused on the hexagon shape, with a sort of isometric pattern. I didn't really have any reason as to why I chose that hexagon shape. Visually, I just love to manipulate it. It was easy to change and transform.

I create my work with whatever I have in my arsenal of supplies. Sometimes I find something new that piques my interests when researching ideas for new work. I really enjoy creating some sort of visual change. I want to keep working on it and make those changes very drastic. There’s something about the change that I love—especially my newer pieces. I love making patterns disappear and come back in different ways. It’s almost like solving a puzzle with pieces from other various puzzles.

I guess my work is a reflection of how I’m always in my head about stuff. I have so many thoughts running through my head, and they’re always disappearing and coming back. A lot of the elements of my work do reflect upon myself, and how I feel about myself and life. But at the end of the day, I want to make the work for what it is and have the work stand on its own. I can tell you how every piece of work relates back to me, and why I thought of it. So with the patterns coming and going, it’s really a way I can visually interpret all the thoughts running through my head all the time.

With my newer pieces, I have drawn up an icon (see the two Untitled works in the gallery). This icon could be interpreted in different ways. I wanted to play with the thought of work that could spark discussion, but in the end, the discussions are only other people’s thoughts. I created this out of being in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, other than the thought of people and the crazy position society has found itself in, there is no real message behind what I am doing now.

Right now, I’m trying to exhaust what I’m working on. I’m always changing the kind of art I want to do. I do want to branch out and do more. For example, when I do my patterns, I use print making. I carve the block and then repeat the patterns. I want to do that, but get bigger with it. I want to get different blocks and overlay them with more intricate carvings and create more intricate patterns and use those prints in my work.

When I’m reaching out and trying new media and different forms of art, it makes it where art isn’t limited to me. I don’t want to stick to one thing. I don’t want to only do paintings or only do print making. I have so many different ideas that are forming of how I want to interpret a piece of art work. If I only stick to painting or print making, there’s only a limited amount of outcomes I can create with it. When I am looking for ways to create, I consider every single way art can be made, so I can create those different forms of it. I don’t like limiting myself.

Right now, it probably is kind of hard for people to make art being stuck at home, especially in such hard times. Whenever I personally am stuck in an art block, as weird as it may seem, I just force myself into making something. It may be some serious artwork, or just a simple doodle on a scrap piece of paper. Keeping my brain moving in sort of an artistic motion keeps me feeling like I’m still in the loop of things.

I’m always in the art supply store. And obviously even people who just dabble in art go to art supply stores. I suggest that if you have an idea, when your eye catches something, and you think, “I would never try that,” pick it up and try it. It’s always fun to pick up something you’ve never used before, or think you can’t use, and do it. Because you never know what the outcome is going to be and it’s always good to change it up. When you use something you’ve never used, it really kick starts your brain.

I think being at home and making art really forces people to think about themselves and what they have around them. Translate this confusion into some form of art. I can never stay tied to one form of visual art.

 

John Ross