We recently connected with Natalie Smith and have shared our conversation below.
Natalie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I have a new baby boy, October 21, 2021. A Delivery straight from the Divine Mother. Someone I so desperately have been waiting to meet… I have been praying to heavenly mother to receive a baby boy for some time now. After all, if women where barren in the bible and then miraculously could conceive why not I? I am a woman that has struggled with infertility issues, and that struggle is hard to comprehend unless you have gone through it. Knowing that your body could produce something so sacred but then feeling as if you are broken because your female body can’t do what it was known to be able to is heartbreaking. The only thing that seemed to bring comfort was knowing other women have gone through similar circumstances.
The emotions from desperately wanting a child translated into my last three shows. It has consumed my subconscious and has multiplied into my consciousness in my artwork from three different art exhibits “Relics Revealed, to Divine Feminine to Divine Mother.”
My prayers were answered. As I transitioned to my prayers being answered and then finding out I was pregnant I was preparing for two art shows. A group show with Joy Redstone and Eva Meir called Divine Feminine, and a solo Show called Divine Mother.
I have been waiting for the day to meet this beautiful baby boy that I truly believe has been handed down to me from my Divine Heavenly Father and Mother and my Earthly Father, who passed away when I was 14 of age. I choose to name this blessing of a child after my dad in honor of him, Gene Smith, and middle name after my husband Thomas. Gene Thomas Smith was born -October 21, 2021, 9 1bs 6 oz.. I knew I wanted to be a mom.
I have tried to grasp onto the hardships that would come with being a mom as well as filling my art goals. The biggest challenge has been finding the time to develop my skills and find that crucial alone time that is so needed as a curator. I am most grateful for the hardships ahead of me because I know that my time management skills will improve as I develop as a mother that co-creates. I am very grateful for the time I get to see the milestones of my little angel and enjoy waking up to his loving smiling face.
My artist statement begins to thrive in the connection a mother feels for her child and the connection a child will have to its parents. I find myself pondering the true meaning of breasts. Now that I feed my child, I feel even closer to a Divine Mother. I was created like her image. Now that I gave birth to my child, I ponder how the Divine Mother feels about me and if it is like the way I feel about my son. I often think about how the hardest and most painful parts of our life seem to bring the most fulfillment to me. Like childbirth – this being the most painful and the most sacrifice I had ever given to one human, but on the flip side without that pain would I feel the same connection to this special spirit that had been born from my vessel? The special bond a female has with her child comes from the egg into a fully grown fetus and surpassing the ring of fire , you being a vessel for 9 months providing that baby the nutrients it needs and bringing a new life into the world is an experience that is unforgettable and nourishes a holy bond that can never be taken away, and with these thoughts my cognitive process about mother and child is far beyond what I could have ever dreamed or imagined but definitely holds a hardship of my own personal identity crisis I have to continue to remind myself of who I am.
My journey continues… my heart yearns to find my divine heavenly mother…to show other women around me we are goddess, priestess, divine, royal just like our divine heavenly mother. The more I seek “her” the more I see her in other women around me.
I am a divine mother, made in my first divine mother’s image. I see Her now, I recognize her in the sisterhood created on this earth. I see her in all matter, all five elements of the earth, Mythology, ancient writings, sacred dwellings, the earliest civilizations to the latest civilizations, the sun, the moon, and the stars, in all skin colors, in all cultures, in all senses. She is in me-She is in you.
My goal as an Artist is to provide moms with a sacred space within a Gallery to be venerated, celebrated and loved for the big and small accomplishments they have overcome. You are a Divine Mother from a Divine Heavenly Mother.
I love to contemplate a more heavenly life. If everything in the world was created in light and darkness from the same matter ,what would all life forms be like if we were born again with no imperfections ?All life forms includes Mother Earth having a spirit and all living plants having spirits. What life would be like if we didn’t have so much chaos around us? What our relationships would look like? Where our mental state would be ? I have been on a journey of finding my heavenly mother, always reverting back to ancient texts and scholarly authors or biblical archeology, mythology of ancient civilizations. I have come to find that this search is more personal than I ever led on to those I spoke of publicly about my research. I want to feel more connected to my own authentic female body. I want to find my divine roles that make me feel full of joy. I want to know the way we are viewed from a higher power. I want to be viewed like a priestess, goddess, and powerful female warrior, and with this desire I naturally want my sisters to feel of these roles even if we don’t exist in a perfect realm I still believe on this earth with good desires planted in our hearts that led to good works. We can be nourished through Mother Asherah (Goddess of the Israelites , wife of god, The Tree of Life)stepping our heals into the earth and awakening our body and spirit into the mind of our Divine Mother. We are her and she is us, especially if we plant our roots into her spirit, which is also within the Earth.
I feel most proud when I am surrounded by women that feel their true worth and value in this land. I know my artwork has an emotional response to women , my hopes are that they continue to awaken women’s sole into their divine potential. We are not what the masculine world portrays us to be , we cannot be shoved into a box without being heard. We are the elements of the earth. Our voices pound through lighting, and when our voice hits the Earths Dust we curate the most magnificent glass, glistening from all four corners of the earths space. Our screams crack through fire. Our tears break down the wall our forefathers put up to restrict us. We are not here to just exist -we help create the earth to sustain ourselves in its heavenly beauty. We will speak our truth and wisdom. When we are true to who we are we help the Egg within us grow.
I am a divine mother, made in my first divine mother’s image. I see Her now, I recognize her in the sisterhood created on this earth. I see her in all matter, all five elements of the earth, Mythology, ancient writings, sacred dwellings, the earliest civilizations to the latest civilizations, the sun, the moon, and the stars, in all skin colors, in all cultures, in all senses. She is in me-She is in you.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Next Gallery is pleased to announce a group show exhibit called “In her Image. “Featuring ,my cousin, Tuesday Thompson and ,my sister, Lilia Todd and I. Opens September 16-October 2
Lilia Todd is an artist, mother and teacher who lives and works in Las Vegas Nevada. Her latest work explores symbols that repeat in spiritual practices including receiving communication and guidance from relatives who have passed on.
Tuesday Thompson is an artist in Las Vegas Nevada. Mother of 3 children. Her artwork comes from a sacred space where chaos and order collide. “They say that the symbol of man is order and the symbol of women is chaos. To me, the divine masculine is eternal expanse and the divine feminine is eternal capacity. Therefore, masculine order becomes chaos and feminine energy is to take that chaos and bring it to order.”
Natalie Smith is a local Denver Artist who I feels most proud when I am surrounded by women that feel their true worth and value in this land. I know my artwork has an emotional response to women. My hopes are that they continue to awaken women’s sole into their divine potential. “We are not what the masculine world portrays us to be , we cannot be shoved into a box without being heard. We are the elements of the earth. Our voices pound through lighting, and when our voice hits the Earths Dust we curate the most magnificent glass, glistening from all four corners of the earths space. Our screams crack through fire. Our tears break down the wall our forefathers put up to restrict us. We are not here to just exist -we help create the earth to sustain ourselves in its heavenly beauty. We will speak our truth and wisdom. When we are true to who we are we help the Egg within us grow.”
” In her Image, ” references a verse from the King James Version of the Bible in Genesis in Chapter 1 “God creates man in his own image, both male and female.” If we dive a little deeper into the word God in Biblical Hebrew another translation is “Elohim,” which in short means gods- male and female. This awakening brings us to see our Heavenly Mothers roles in the creation.
Lilia, Tuesday and I have come together in a beautiful way. We each have a passion for seeking out the Divine Feminine. We are sharing discoveries of enlightenment from each others wisdom of Heavenly Mothers presence.
Our journey has led us to this understanding about her.
She is in the Mythologies, She is in all civilizations old and new. She is in the senses- touch, sight, hearing, smell ,and taste. She is in all Sacred Dwelling Places. She is in Religion. She is in all matter. She is in the sun. She is in the sky. She is in the Moon. She is in the stars. She is in the cultures. We have come to find Her in all five elements of the earth- fire, air, earth, water, and above all elements -she is in the spirit. She is in the ancient text, She is Truth. She is Light. She is Glory. She is the throne. She is Power. She is the Firing Sword. She is in the Wisdom- the perfect knowledge. She is in sacred symbols of the earth, trees, fruit, seeds, milk, honey, bees, eggs, wings, almonds, olive, veil, pillar, horn, incense, menorah, circles, and so many more. We find her in all female anatomy. She is me. She is you. She Dwells in us through the seeds we plant in our heart that bloom from nourishment. We partake of the white fruit that blossom from our bosoms’ that is above all whiteness that we nourish through her, sweet above all that is sweet, which is most precious, pure above all that is pure, until we shall thirst no more. We become one with her. We are divine mothers, made in our first divine mother’s image. We see Her now, We recognize her in the sisterhood created on this earth. We see her. She is in all races. She has a likeness to me, She has a likeness to you. She is in you and me.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process./
I got started as an artist when I was little. I used to sit next to my grandmother in the dining room kitchen table as she would teach me about the shapes in the flower as she stroked the paint with vibrant colors I would see the colors burst on each wet spot on the paper. She instilled in me a passion for creating art. As I got older and more ready for a career I fell more and more in love with learning everything I could in Illustration, Art History and Painting. After I graduated and have learned from every commission I take, and usually it always takes longer than I think in my mind. I have slowly gotten better with knowing my limits of what I can handle on my plate when it comes to big or small projects. Now I am currently working on solo shows at Next Gallery.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I try to stay as true to myself as possible , and I always keep in mind not everyone is going to like me and that is perfectly ok. I only want to influence those that want to also be on this journey with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: natalieillustrates.com
- Instagram: natalieillustrates
- Facebook: Natalie Marie Smith