Artist Profile: Natalie Hinahara
Natalie Hinahara is a printmaker, muralist, and graphic designer born and raised in Madison, WI. She is inspired by the landscapes and ecosystems of the Great Lakes and Driftless Regions, where she lived most of her life, as well as the verdant mountains and rushing waters of western Oregon, where she currently resides.
Within printmaking, she creates complex reduction block prints, multilayered screen prints, and block-printed textiles and earrings. In her murals, she paints vibrant plants and insects that climb and soar above the human onlooker. She has painted murals at schools, restaurants, and other public spaces around Wisconsin and in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
1) Who (or what) has most influenced your artistic process thus far?
I am deeply moved and inspired by the colors of flowers, the movement of insects and birds, and the way light and shadow dance through leaves. My work is probably most influenced by the time I spend walking, biking, gardening and exploring outside. I am also greatly influenced by the many artists I have had the privilege to learn from throughout my life. I have many artists in my family, including my grandpa Akira Hinahara, who worked as a commercial watercolor artist and designer his whole adult life and who shared his love for portraiture and landscape painting with me. In fact, my first experience with mural painting was helping with a mural he decided to paint in my parent’s basement when he was 80 years old.
2) Is there a specific type of art you haven’t created yet, but are interested in exploring?
I hope to continue learning and growing my art practice my whole life. But right now, I am especially excited for the opportunity to learn new printmaking methods at WhitPrint, a community printmaking studio in Eugene, OR. I just signed up for a multi-color etching workshop later this summer with Yuji Hiratsuka, And I am sure I’ll also learn lots of new tips and tricks from the other member artists as I spend more time in the studio.
3) Describe your ideal canvas.
My ideal canvas at the moment is a large wall in a public space. It is deeply thrilling and gratifying to create large scale works of art that exist for everyone. I am in the midst of planning a new mural which will be on a ~40’ long wall on the side of Pasture & Plenty on the west side of Madison.
4) Share 2 to 3 exhibitions, concerts, books, spoken word events and/or films you're hoping to check out this spring or summer.
Right now I am reading Ross Gay’s The Book Of Delights, which has been a lovely source of reflection, humor and tenderness. Since I am living in Eugene, Oregon this summer, I’m hoping to visit many art museums and galleries in Eugene and Portland. Honestly, most of the art I am hoping to “consume” this summer will be the blooming wildflowers, towering trees and roaring rivers in this part of the world.