Natalie Hirschman

Portrait Study
Oil on Panel
6x6 Inches

Natalie was taught painting and drawing as a young child from her grandmother. She went on to study printmaking, including etching, lithography; along with history of art, and anthropology.

After university in South Africa, she went on a pilgrimage to the famous museums and galleries of the world. This was a rite of passage for most young South African artists, as the primary exposure to the classical arts and old masters had only been in books. There was an immediate love of the bold loose brushwork of Zorn, Sargent and Sorolla among many others.

She developed experience and matured her vision by copying these masters, and travelling the world with a sketchbook, watercolors, and plein air oils, creating an extensive visual record of her journeys to Europe, India and South America.

She was inspired by the luscious feel of the medium, becoming fascinated in how the illusion of light, hazy days, and air were woven into the very fabric of sticky bits of paint.

Her works primarily depict the human form. She started her oil painting career working on portraits from life, and now incorporates using the model to create more of a narrative.