In this episode, I sit down and connect with Natalia Torres del Valle. She is an artist who creates textural paintings in her studio in Hillsborough, NC. She is also a former educator and Expressive Arts Therapist. She is currently showing her Landform Meditations, a series she created through being inspired by meditating on the natural world with her daughter. Her paintings are multidimensional and communicate rare moments of witnessing life, growth, light, and form in nature. Her color choices communicate the extreme possibilities found within nature. When creating her paintings, her process is layered and imbued with deep meaning. Each choice she makes is intentional and communicates something important to her that she feels called to give voice to.
In our conversation, she brings a lightness of spirit, humor, a deep belief in the power of creative self-expression for healing and nourishment on the journey of life. She is a warm and bright force of creative energy.
In this episode, we explore…
☆ Her creative process as a sculptural painter and her current Landform Meditations series
☆ The way her materials help her create and explore textures
☆ How she hopes for her work to communicate the importance of honoring our natural world and prioritizing self care
☆ Her first experience with the 100 Day Project and how it helped her nurture her creative spark in early motherhood
☆ How she helps herself get unstuck creatively
☆ The powerful shift she has felt in her creative practice since joining the community at her current studio space
☆ Her three hats: expressive arts therapist, educator, and artist and how they inform one another and make up her creative life
☆ How community and committing to regular scheduled creative time has given her the support and structure needed to take risks
☆ The power of consistently modeling creative self care for our children
☆ Intermodal transfers in Expressive Arts Therapy
☆ The numerous ways in which creative self expression was embedded in her family life growing up
Recommended resources:
★ Article about Landform Meditations: https://artsorange.org/artist-natalia-torres-del-valles-strikingly-sculptural-textured-paintings/
★The 100 Day Project, Instagram: @dothe100dayproject
★Erin McCluskey Wheeler, artist: https://www.erinmwheeler.com/
★”Fungarium” by Ester Gaya
★Artist/Mother Crit Groups: https://artistmotherpodcast.com/
★Teen Art Collective for LGBTQIA+ teens: https://allevents.in/hillsborough/teen-art-collective-lgbtqia/200022358094005?ref=cano-rd-params
★Individual Art Therapy near Hillsborough, NC: http://www.trianglearttherapy.com/
Connect with Natalia: Are you interested in learning more about her and her work?
★ Instagram: @nataliatorresdelvalle
★ Website: https://www.nataliatorresdelvalle.com/
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This podcast is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. Statements expressed in the podcast by the host or the guest are our own and do not represent that of our places of work, unless stated otherwise. Please seek out professionals in the mental health field if you need those services. This podcast also should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony.