Natalie Westbrook (b. 1980, Louisville, KY) embraces the spontaneity of working from the subconscious and direct observation of nature.  Her vivid paintings and sculptures evoke the sublime and sometimes fraught intersections of humanity, environment, and the imagination. 

Abstract, yet of the body, Westbrook animates themes of fertility and mutation through evocative figures and landscapes.  Her painterly works incorporate drawing, raw canvas staining, brushwork, spray paint and collage.

Westbrook uses stencils in a layered approach to image making, a practice she first explored through traditional collagraph printmaking during her studies at the Yale School of Art. Excessive mark-making that fills the periphery, sweeping gesture and bright color point to a theatrical vernacular rooted in Westbrook’s formative years studying dance and music, and working as a muralist and scenic painter in New York City. Deeply connected to art history, her works take inspiration from Baroque history painting, 17th century Dutch vanities and contemporary graffiti. Evoking humor and pathos, Westbrook’s exuberant compositions offer a visceral response to our times.

Westbrook received her BFA from Cooper Union, MA from the University of Louisville, and MFA from Yale University. She is the recipient Yale University’s Robert Schoelkopf Memorial Travel Grant, and the Carol Schlosberg Memorial Prize for Excellence in Painting.  Westbrook has exhibited internationally, including shows with The Hole, Los Angeles, CA; Freight+Volume, New York, NY; Mindy Solomon, Miami, FL; Rarity Gallery, Mykonos, Greece; OMNI, London, UK, and Torch Gallery in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  The artist’s work is held in private and public collections, including Markel Corporation, Red Bank, NJ; Capital One, Richmond, VA; and Art Bank Program, US Department of State, Washington, DC; and Haleakala National Park, Maui, HI. 

Westbrook has lectured at Yale University, the University of Hartford, CT, the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Carnegie Mellon University where she currently lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA.

Follow Natalie Westbrook on Instagram @nataliewestbrookstudio