nathalie suntjens
artist

My name is Nathalie Suntjens, I am from Calgary, Alberta. Currently I am a university student, majoring in English and Visual Studies. I primarily create visual art, my primary mediums being graphite, gouache, and watercolour. My main inspirations are in the modernist artists of the 20th century, chiefly art considered low-brow, such as comic books, pinups, advertisements, and fashion illustrations. This is because my primary interest is in exploring what is considered fine art versus low-brow; even within the modernist movement, a movement pushing back on the traditions of fine art, the art styles listed above were still considered lesser. If at this point in history we can regard modernist artists like Picasso or Warhol as geniuses, where do these "lesser" pieces fit in history? I aim to explore this subject in my art in mixing the techniques of realism with a more graphic quality associated with advertisements and comic books.