"Glorifying Him one brush stroke at a time”

Hi! I’m Natalie,

owner and creator of Colors by Natalie, a place where you can find all things colorful and Jesus. As a kid I always had a heart for all the creative things. Whether it be the latest spin art kit at the craft store or the “DIY bath bomb” maker, most days you’d find me diving in to something messy that allowed me to explore my artistic side.

In college I was the classic “I have no idea what I want to do with my life” student. I jumped from major to major, hated to study, and never felt called in any direction. I continued to pursue a degree that promised financial security.

To keep myself busy and to defray college expenses I decided to take a job at the Balfour House painting party cups. I honestly wasn’t very good at it but I enjoyed it because it kept my creative brain busy. I accepted my first commission my Junior year when a close friend asked me to paint an abstract for her home. Within minutes of posting it on Instagram I had another order. Then another. Then another. And to my surprise, I stayed busy for the rest of my college experience painting abstracts in my guest bedroom. Looking back, it was a pretty sweet gig. I’d skip class and paint the day away ( sorry mom) with not a worry in the world other than passing that chemistry test at the end of the week. That’s much different from my responsibility load now, but I’ll get to that in a minute!

”Colors by Natalie” was coined when my mom insisted on getting me business cards. She ordered them without my consent (because I honestly didn’t think this was going anywhere for real for real), and came up with the name all by herself. I remember the exact moment when she handed them to me. They were black with rainbow paint splatters and “Colors by Natalie” was in your classic script font front and center. That moment will forever be engrained in my mind because I like to think that God smiled down knowing what was to come.

After graduation I decided to take a gap year before potentially getting a masters in Psychology. During that gap year I not only found Jesus, but I also found myself painting day in and day out. Commission after commission poured in, and they just kept coming. I remember one specific evening looking down at my paint covered hands and saying “God, if this is what you want me to do with my future, keep the commissions coming, if not, put and end to it all and I’ll go back to school”.

He heard me and to keep it simple, there hasn’t been an end in sight.

So back to the whole finding Jesus thing. After college I found myself struggling with severe depression and anxiety about my future. I questioned everything. And through that valley, which I like to call “ my time in the desert”, Jesus met me with arms wide open. Long story short, I fell in love with Him, I felt His love for me, I wanted to share His love for the world with everyone I knew, and I wasn’t afraid to scream it from the roof tops. Once I surrender my life to Him and His plan, everything changed. Prayer was what I lived on, worship music was the only thing I listened to, and church was my home. I started praying before each commission and things drastically took on a new look, a new form even, one that I truly can’t even take credit for. It was like the Holy Spirit breathed its breath into my hands and led my creative mind to a new place. Since then, I still step back after completing a piece and ask myself “who painted that?!” because I know it wasn’t me. But, regardless of how my art comes to life, I’ll just keep glorifying Him one brushstroke at a time. That is where my peace is - with a brushstroke in hand, some light worship music on in the background, and a simple surrender to Him with the entire piece before me..

Fast forward to today>> where my time to peacefully paint is very limited. I’m now married to my high school sweetheart Andrew, and together we have three beautiful children, Eleanor, Teddy, and Ava. We live in Metairie, Louisiana, and my husband just accepred a job as a Pain Physician in our hometown of Houma, Louisiana.

One day I hope to have a studio Houma, but it’ll be a couple of years before that happens as we first have to get settled into a new home, new studio, etc. So, when I find the time, I work on commissions and show my art a few times a years at shows typically in Louisiana. It’s a sweet sweet journey, this little art career, and I cannot wait to see where Jesus takes it next. I really hope you enjoy following along, shopping in my online print shop, and listening to me ramble on about Jesus on my instagram feed. Please don’t hesitate to shoot me a message, a simple prayer request, or even inquire about commissioning through the “commission” tab. I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for listening to my attempt at an “about me”! It was fun to travel back to where this all began!

:)
Love and prayers always
Natalie