Artist Natalie Featherston works exclusively in the centuries old realm of trompe l’oeil, creating dazzling paintings that combine the virtuosity of a Dutch master with a thoroughly modern mind. The Chicago Sun Times has described her work as, “Artful beyond just illusion and trickery, they are truly masterful still lifes made with both craft and wit.”

Natalie says, “What inspires me is the creative voice, whimsy and humor trompe l’oeil allows the artist to express. Unlike portraits or landscape, still life doesn’t simply exist around us. You have to build the stage for the painting, selecting the color and textures. The end result draws the viewer in and connects with them in a meaningful way. This is why I’ve always found trompe l’oeil to be a challenge, and I can’t imagine painting anything else.” 

Natalie discovered her love for painting by accident in the early 1990s after moving from North Carolina to New York City to pursue her master’s degree in music. An accomplished cellist, she has had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall and across Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. “Although I enjoyed making music, I wanted to do something more creative and unique, something that was altogether mine. I started drawing from the models at the Art Students League and I was hooked.” Classes soon followed at some of New York’s most venerable art institutions: The National Academy of Design, The School of Visual Arts and The Drawing Academy of the Atlantic, culminating in a six-year apprenticeship with Michael Aviano.

Ms. Featherston’s paintings have received numerous awards from some of the most distinguished art organizations in the country, including the Art Renewal Center, the Richeson 75 International Competition, and the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize. Her paintings have appeared in The Artist’s Magazine, American Art Collector, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, CREATE Magazine and Western Art & Architecture  to name but a few of the publications that have featured her work. In 2021 Natalie was awarded “Best Trompe L’oeil” at the 15th Art Renewal Center Salon, the largest and most prestigious art competition in the world for representational art, and her work was exhibited at Sotheby’s in NYC and the Europen Museum for Modern Art in Barcelona. Ms. Featherston is represented by art galleries in major cities across the country, and her paintings are sought after by notable collectors including Danielle Steele, J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Alice Cooper.