We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nathalia Roca a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nathalia, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally was not one dramatic moment. It felt more like a series of small, steady experiences that kept leading me back to art. I grew up in Venezuela, surrounded by creativity. My mother was a painter and my father worked in architecture, so our home was always filled with crafts, colors, and paintings. As a child, you see things more black and white. I simply loved my family, so I simply loved creating. When I was eight, my parents and I moved to the States. Art quickly became more than a hobby. It became an expressive outlet in a place where I didn’t yet know the language or understand how to communicate. My parents encouraged every splotch of paint and every odd little craft I made, treating each one as something worth celebrating. Over time, those early experiments grew into more serious painting, and I fell in love with the process of learning techniques and watching something emerge from nothing.
In high school, I tried to be practical and explored other fields such as psychology and teaching. My mentors, however, continually encouraged me to trust my artistic abilities. Even with their support, I still carried doubts about pursuing art as a stable career. That began to change as my relationship with Jesus deepened. My faith reshaped my understanding of provision and purpose, reminding me that He is my true source and that the gifts I was given were meant to be used, not set aside to collect dust. As I created more, I began hearing stories from people who were moved by my portraits and projects. Those moments made me realize the power art holds and the impact it can have when we choose to use our gifts.
After high school, I decided to pursue art both academically and professionally. Now, as a college graduate, I find myself still on this journey, still creating, still growing, and still discovering the ways beauty and truth through art can move the people who encounter it.
Nathalia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My path into the painting industry began with a season of curiosity and a fascination with how images could tell stories and carry emotion. In high school, I took several college-level portfolio classes and fell in love with the process of storytelling through art. When I got to art school, I finally put a name to the path I had been exploring all along: illustration. Even though I began as a fine art major, I soon realized that the kind of narrative work I wanted to explore fit more naturally within the illustration program. The program gave me the technical tools to strengthen my storytelling, from proportion and perspective to layout, composition, and narrative structure. I was able to integrate these skills into my painting practice, refining the way I tell stories through portraiture and narrative scenes.
Portraiture became the place where my curiosity deepened the most. Painting people allows me to explore the layers of identity and the unique beauty within each individual. This passion stems from my own story. I once struggled with an eating disorder and a distorted sense of identity as an immigrant kid who struggled to fit in. Discovering my worth in Christ and realizing I was made in His image completely changed the way I saw myself. I want my art to help others experience that same clarity and confidence in their own value. Through vibrant brushstrokes and color, I bring to life the essence of each person, portraying them not just as a being, but as a creation intentionally formed and deeply loved. This is how my portrait series “In His Image” began, which you can explore on my website, and I am excited to continue growing and expanding it.
Alongside my portrait work, I create narrative driven paintings that combine surreal elements, symbolism, and visual storytelling. These pieces build on the same themes I explore in portraiture while allowing me to experiment with metaphor and imagination. My recent painting “Time of Need,” shown at Jackson Junge Gallery, explored the idea of surrendering false control and allowing God to meet us in moments of temptation (inspired by Hebrews 2:18). The piece was warmly received and sold on opening night, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect with others through my paintings.
This summer, I began offering live wedding painting, which I find to be such a meaningful extension of my work. I enjoy working alongside couples to capture a moment from one of the most beautiful days of their lives and turn it into something they can hold onto forever. It feels like I’m creating a sort of time capsule, capturing the joy, beauty, and bliss of the day so they can experience it again whenever they see it in their home.
No matter what I am working on, I find myself returning to the same ideas. Whether I’m painting a portrait, creating a narrative scene, or capturing a moment at a wedding, I’m drawn to work that explores beauty, identity, the tension of wrestling with faith, and the persistence of hope. These themes have guided me from the very beginning and continue to shape everything I share with others today.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My mission is to show people the transformative power of giving their lives to Jesus Christ. Growing up as an outcast immigrant kid, struggling with an eating disorder, and facing the full range of challenges we all share lead me to realize just how desperately we need a Savior. God has saved me from so much, even from myself, and all I want is to share that same love with others. Through my paintings, I want to reach those who feel unseen or unloved. I want to speak directly to the lies we so easily believe: that we are unworthy, invisible, or accidents. I want my work to boldly tear down those lies, inviting people to notice their value and the beauty all around them. If our Heavenly Father cares for the birds, “how much more does He care for you, His beloved creation?” (Matthew 6:26). I want my work to honestly reflect the struggles of being human while pointing to the only way out, the ultimate source of healing and truth, which is Christ. The work I create is informed by a personal relationship, not by monotonous religion. Through my paintings. I want to portray His love genuinely, tearing away the distortions the world has placed on it and revealing it as it truly is: alive, transformative, and personal. This is a love that frees, heals, and gives life in ways nothing else can. This is the story I am called to tell, both in my life and through my art, and my work could never exist apart from it.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson I had to unlearn was believing that some talents are useless or not worth exploring. There were seasons in my life when I wasn’t practicing art as much as I wanted to. Growing up, I thought that unless a skill could be turned into something “practical,” it wasn’t valuable. As a teenager, I held back from pouring more of myself into my art practice because I felt I should focus on things that seemed more “useful.” Over time, I realized that our talents were never meant just for ourselves. They exist to be discovered, nurtured, and shared to bless the people around us. Whether it’s singing, cooking, teaching, encouraging, writing, or organizing, every gift has value. Each one has the power to touch lives and make a difference in ways we might never fully see until we put them into action. This truth connects deeply to my portrait work, where I celebrate the uniqueness of every individual. Just as each person is made with intention and care, so too are the gifts we are given. They are meant to be shared and to make an impact beyond ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.natrixarts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natrixarts/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalia-roca/
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@natrixarts
Image Credits
Natasha Roca