We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia Garcia-Lee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Pursuing an artistic career as an artist is an obvious and necessary thing to do. The desire to create something already exist in an artist so being an artist isn’t an actual choice. Having a career is a choice, and that becomes something that an artist navigates just like everyone else.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a multi-media artist. I work primarily in painting, drawing, collages, and jewelry. My work is about how humans behave as a species, the how and the why what makes us what we are. This is a very broad subject which provides me with endless possibilities for creativity. The most interesting part of my work for me is always the project I am currently working on. Starting a new series of work usually begins with observation of what happens around me, locally and globally. It is interesting for me to observe humans in the societies that we’ve built and to constantly recognize that I am one of them. Visually, the question is “Which materials would work best to experiment with and explore the ideas that I’m addressing?”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had visitors from out of town I would love to take them to my two favorite places in Miami to do my two favorite things. I would take them to the ocean or the bay to watch the sunrise. It is something my family and I have done for years especially on New Year’s morning. If you start the day with such an amazing event it is only fitting that you end it watching the sunset over the Everglades. In my opinion, the best part of living in Miami is the South Florida nature of Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Everglades to the west and being nestled in between the two. In a perfect day, these two activities would act as bookends to a day full of art. We would visit at least one of our great museums, PAMM, ICA, and the Rubell Museum and my favorite private collection the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shout out goes to the Miami Dade College Campus Gallery located in the Martin and Pat Fine Center for the Arts (Building M). I would like to thank Jennifer Basile and the entire Arts Faculty for the management of this beautiful gallery and providing the myriad of opportunities for students and the Miami arts community to showcase their work.

Website: nataliagarcia-lee.com

Instagram: nataliagarcialee

Image Credits
photo credits for Tony Chirinos and Zachary Balber

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.