The place I've never been

This work is also part of the memento mori serie. I choose for the title memento mori because it is a reminder to my grandmother, but most of all: a reminder to death. Everyone dies, houses are left lifeless, and families live further. It's something that will come to everyone: death, funeral, heritage... A part of life we don't want to think about it, especially not when you know it will cause trouble.

.
The painting is based on the top floor of my grandmothers house. A place that was very unknown to me. It scared me always when I was a child. What was there upstairs? It was the first time I went there, and I still felt the fear that I felt when I was a little girl.


This oil painting isn't finished yet. It is 50x60cm and on mdf panel

Exploring the abandoned

Exploring the abandoned

This series is about me and my fascinations. The word 'exploring' points to the first sight to the term urban exploring, which means: visiting and photographing an abandoned and decaying building. But there is a second meaning to this word for me. With exploring I also mean that I am searching to find my way in art. I am also exploring myself. The abandoned, again a referral to urban exploring (or in short urbex), but also to the part of me that I lost. I really lost my way last year in art. And I think I needed to find the old me, the abandoned me, back, to make more personal art. These drawings also have some kind of 'unheimlich' feeling to them, some kind of darkness that hides in me.



ink, charcoal and pastel chalk on paper. 150x90cm


ink on paper. 25x35cm


ink on paper. 20x30cm


arcylic on canvas 25x30cm

Newer paintings of these series will be added as new blog updates. I put them together because it seemed to be easier for now.

Memento mori I

Memento Mori is a serie about my grandmothers abandoned house. 
In the first drawing, I want to show something that was very remarkable for her, something that immediatly attracted my attention when I walked in the house: the old sofa with all her bags. She owned a lot of them, too many actually. It felt like it was all that remained of the past, even though there was more furniture in the house.



ink on paper. 20x30cm

No updates

As you see, long time no updates.
Reasons?
Yes and no
The first one is laziness. Not a good one.
The second one is: I didn't like my work enough to put online. It didn't feel me anymore.
So now I actually want to upload the more 'me' work. But it doesn't suit with the older things posted here. I am thinking about deleting the whole blog and starting over again.  And since I don't have much followers here, it isn't that much a loss!

Not yet asleep

watercolorpencils, doublepaged in A4 sketchbook.

I know where you sleep

Sketchbook update

a mouse my cat catched, mixed media


watercolorpencils


Ghent, felttip

Model

Watercolorpencils and aquarelle.
size: A3

September2011-februari2012

Some older work from my last jury I still had to upload. It's only a small selection.
newest at the top, oldest at the bottom.


ecoline


ecoline


ink


aquarelle


ink


ink


ink


ink


ink and aquarelle


charcoal, big drawing (A2)


two little paintings in acrylic.

The evening

Aquarel and ecoline on A2 aquarel Arches paper
One of the larger drawings I made this year.

wednesday and older work

14 march 2012



And now some older work from the past weeks:


pencil



acrylic






ink



ecoline
my favorite

Ghent

Monday 12 and thursday 15 march 2012

The evening of my dad

Ecoline drawings from model classes

Who I am, what I do

A verry short introduction to who I am, and what I do
My name is Natascha Mattens. I was 19 years ago born in Aalst, and I lived my whole life in Lede, which is located in Belgium.
Drawing has always been my main interst in life, but also clothes and jewellery, photography,... actually, everything that has to do with visual images.
Now I study printing arts at Sint Lucas in Ghent. I am now in my second year of my bachelor.

I work quite a lot with media based on water like inks, ecoline, aquarelle,.. I work with brushes and pens.
The main theme of my art is baised on identity, selfportraits and my environment. Everything is very close and very recognisable for every human being.
Identity plays a big role in my life, aswell the presence as the absence of it.
My work is also based on choices, the most important thing in life. Every choice you make, draws your life. it can be good, or be bad.Just like every line or ink spot you place on paper. You can't go back to the previous phase. The only freedom that art gives you, is that you can take a new cheat of paper, and start over again. Something I never do, because the nostalgia to start over again in life, will even become bigger.

New art blog

After making two blogs, one for my jewelery, and one for my poetrie, I really think it's time for a blog about the most important thing in my life: my artworks!
Yes, finally! I will try to do my best to keep this up to date.
Many of my works now can be found on my website http://www.artparadise.be

I will probably not upload old works here, but only some works from the past weeks, and ofcourse the new and coming work!