Natasha joined us here at Prestige Picture Framing Etcetera in Victoria, British Columbia in May of 2016 and has been an essential part of our team. This past September of 2017 she had an art show at Exchanges Gallery.
The Dark Ocean exhibition revolves around whales from a scientific perspective. The show is divided into two kinds of work representing two separate stages of scientific research: 1) Fieldwork, represented as a collection of paintings of whales at sea reflecting a poetic and emotional connection to the whale, and 2) Labwork, described through drawings, paper embossings and installation works which represent the data collected on the field being processed, examined and analyzed in a lab. (Excerpt from natashavannetten.com)
Her incredible show featured many different mediums (ink on paper with ocean water, pen on paper and oil on wood panel among others) exclusively using varying shades of white to black with wonderful soft greys in-between. The exhibit was quiet, affecting and felt so open that it was as though you were in the ocean with these giant mammals.
A customer recently brought in one of her pieces that he purchased at her show. We talked over a few different ideas and decided to float the paper on an acid free mat to accentuate the body of the paper, how it has been effected by ocean water and the salt crystals that formed. Frame space was put between the glass and mat board to keep the paper from being flattened with the pressure of the glass and keep the art from sticking to the glass because of moisture. The customer chose Museum glass. Museum glass is virtually clear, so that every ink stroke can be seen, as well as possessing a conservation quality, preventing fading and discolouring, blocking 99% of UV rays. We used a subtle frame to compliment the piece without overpowering it. We think it turned out beautifully.
Find out more about Natasha van Netten on her website: natashavannetten.com/about
