Natalie Treadwell

CRUDE Natalie Treadwell 2019 PDF of Installation shots

Pipeline

“Trans-Alaska Pipeline” Oil on Canvas 6.5ft by 6.5 ft

“Refill” Oil on canvas 4ft by 5ft

“My Carbon Footprint” Oil on Canvas 3ft by 4ft

Representational image of a dinosaur footprint found in King Salmon, Alaska by the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

“Off Shore: Kulluk” Oil on Canvas 3ft by 3ft

Representation of the Kulluk oil rig operated from 1983 until 2014, after being purchased and refurbished by Shell in 2006.

Image-1 (1) “Cranes in the sky” Oil on Canvas 4 ft x 4 ft

Abstracted mountainscape painted using squid ink and oil paint to create the texture of the paper cranes.

“Spawn Party” Oil on Canvas 36 in x 48 in

Spring 2018. Study of saturated color, which is often found in Sockeye Salmon as they migrate upstream to spawn. The fish change color from a deep blue to a vibrant green and red, dying after they complete the vital reproductive state in their life cycle.

“I AM THE WALRUS” Oil on Canvas 36 in x 36in

Created spring of 2017, this piece examines the moments that happen at the break of water, revealing the walrus above and below water. I have begun a study of perspectives that occur in nature but are not often recorded visually.

“Arctic Circle” Oil on Canvas 36”x36”

I painted this map of the Arctic Circle because I believe that it is a highly important region of our world that is often forgotten. Studying in Indiana I encountered peers who had never seen a map of the Arctic before, nor did they recognize this map on first glance. The painting this map using a topographical and bathymetric map that loosely shows the depths of the ocean and the height of the mountains. This painting is now located in Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

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“Step Into Greenland” Oil on Canvas 48” x 24”
This piece was created from an image I took in Kangaamiut, Greenland, a small town just above the Arctic Circle on the western coast of Greenland. I wanted to paint a scene that captures the audience and transforms them into a community so few will have the opportunity to experience. The whole town was built on a hillside with staircases leading from the harbor to the hilltop connecting the houses to each other. All the houses were painted different colors depending on the family that lived there or use of the building. I felt I captured the essence of the town through this painting.

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“Cold Water” Oil on Canvas 36” x 36”

The assignment for this piece was appropriation so I drew inspiration from various sources. The cartoon character is Penny from Major Lazer, an American EDM based tv show produced by Diplo. She represents my American identity. The mountain scene is inspired by Lawren Harris, a member of the Group of Seven, who crossed and painted the northwest passage in 1915. We sailed a similar route this summer on the Ocean Endeavor. The four symbols are designs from a graphic designer I met in Nuuk, Greenland.

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Heart of the Arctic Expedition: July 2016

This summer I was selected to be one of the 12 Young Explorers in pilot program of Adventure Canada and the Explorers Club expedition cruise, Heart of the Arctic. I was awarded, based on the portfolio above, a full scholarship to cross the Northwest Passage from Greenland to Northern Canada to paint. I brought four canvases with me on my trip to oil paint as well as a vial of octopus Ink that I sustainably harvested in Alaska in which I used to watercolor. I was gifted a chunk of seal fat during an Inuit seal flensing demonstration in Greenland that I rendered down into oil and mixed with my paints. When we reached Northern Canada I received a piece of whale fat after I sparked curiosity amongst Inuit community members in Kimmirut, Nunavut. I repeated the same rendering process and created a painting using whale oil. I wanted to highlight Inuit subsistence culture and the importance these animals add to the food supply of the high arctic. Both pieces have the genetic DNA of the seal or whale imbedded in the oil paint.

I was invited as one of three artists to present my art and speak about my process at The Polar Film Festival. It was hosted by The Explorers Club, located in New York City, early November 2016. I brought six oil paintings and two prints to the show.
The following are the four oil paintings I completed from the expedition:

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