Natalie Toplass living in Shropshire, near Ironbridge, Britain

I have a BA( hons) in painting from Preston University and a post graduate diploma in Stage set design from the Welsh Collage of music and drama in Cardiff.

I love working on large paintings and I think this stems from my scene painting days.

Natalie started painting professionally shortly after moving to Shropshire in 2003, following her earlier formal training in fine art and later, stage and set design. She began working on a series of intricate flower and bird portraits, which she feels that Georgia O'Keefe, Karl Blossfeldt and early 17th century Dutch painters such as Ambrosius Bosschaert have heavily influenced.

Natalie works primarily in oils and is well known for her meticulous detail, vibrant colours and strong contemporary style. Her work is often large in scale and full of drama and vibrancy.

She has had several well received exhibitions throughout Great Britain, for example; the Judith Blacklock Gallery in Knightsbridge, several Cork Street galleries in London, Birmingham City Art Gallery and the Royal Academy.

'The flower or bird itself is just the starting point for an abstract study of transparency, colour and form. The effects of sunlight and shadows are having an increasing effect on my work; the subtlety of colour and tone become a unique moment in time. Each subject is so different, offering delicacy and detail but at the same time strength and vitality. It is these differences that fascinate me and I try to capture that essence in my work.'

 'I want the viewer to have the experience that is beyond that of the image in nature; therefore, the scale of my work is important. By enlarging the scale, the nature of the subject is intensified, and enables the viewer to become surrounded by the beauty of the subject.'

 The canvases range in size but start from 30x30 inches increasing to 50x70 inches for some of the later studies. The medium is oil built up in layers over a number of weeks to create a vivid and translucent finish.

Website: www.natalietoplass.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NatalieToplassFineArt

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/natalietoplass

I don’t currently offer workshops but am happy for commissions.