The Craft of an Artist

 With exceptional artistic talent and creativity, Natalie Niselson, a junior in Bayside High School in the Art program, inspires many of her peers to go beyond their best in all aspects of their school career. Natalie’s artwork, for example, transcends mere skill. With a paintbrush in one hand and a digital stylus in the other, she effortlessly weaves realist portraits to capture intricate objects in her life. Ms. Assel, Natalie’s art teacher, recalls, “Natalie was already very self-motivated and working on oil paintings upon arrival [to Bayside]! She has a great deal of skill and, most importantly, a humility that allows her to realize that there is always more to learn.”
  Natalie has always had a passion for the arts in her spare time. She first started in middle school, where her teachers consistently served as catalysts for her ongoing inspiration. Natalie apprises, “Whenever I don’t feel like drawing, just by looking back at their art accomplishments, my teachers always inspire me to continue drawing, painting, and just bettering myself, especially in the field of art.”

The Making of an Artist

  Another key person who fuels her motivation is her brother. Seeing him build his own web design brand from scratch prompts her to pursue something she loves. “Before he used to work in a completely different business and a career, so just seeing him being able to completely get out of his old work environment and do something that he is very passionate about is just so inspiring,” affirms Natalie. It is clear that his dedication inspires Natalie to put in her full effort to overcome any struggles she encounters.

  Natalie truly embodies artistic talent as evidenced by her success in several art competitions. One of the proudest moments in her art career was being nominated for the Congressional Art Competition in her freshman year, winning first place in her division. She shared that she was able, “to meet Congresswoman Grace Meng and I went to the capital where my art was displayed for a full calendar year, which was so cool to see!” Natalie’s art was displayed among other winners of the competition, spanning over a mile long in the underground tunnel halls of the Capitol building. Additionally, this past December (2023), Natalie’s artwork was also exhibited at Art Basel in Miami where she placed top five in its annual art contest. She describes that it was a full circle moment to see her work displayed because she visited the convention just a few years back. She fondly remembers, “I stood a few feet away to see what other people were looking at and listened to what they were saying about my art. Seeing people point out my art specifically was really cool and just being able to talk to other people there was so inspiring as an artist.”

Overcoming Challenges

  However, every achievement comes with adversity. For Natalie, a big struggle was staying motivated when creating her pieces. Art has a nonlinear path of growth which discouraged her from continuing painting at times. Last summer, Natalie described that she experienced an art block and stopped painting and drawing for three months straight. She describes that it took her some time to ease her way back into the groove of art and it was difficult to feel confident in herself to draw. But, after a while, she embraced the idea that mistakes are common and that not everyone may like the same style. Other times, when Natalie feels unmotivated, she takes breaks to refresh her mind and plans her art ahead of time, before painting. “Sometimes no matter how many times you restarted a drawing, it doesn't seem to work and then as soon as you take a week off, or even a moment back, somehow it just seems to click. This year, in my art class, I started doing four sketches before each of my paintings; and now it makes the final painting so much easier and way less stressful.”

Painting the Track Orange and Blue

  After joining track and cross country in her freshman year, Natalie now is a captain of her team. “I love running,” she says, “Right now, running is an activity that helps me de-stress, and I've been able to build a family here at Bayside. It’s something that I really want to hold on to.” Despite having difficulty finding a balance between art and running, Natalie wants to find a way for her two hobbies to meld. She pushes to have set days for school, art, and sports to maintain all aspects of her high school life. Finding this balance is really important to her.
  Art has made Natalie a more creative person. It has helped her to “see things differently; whenever [she] look[s] at an object or a person;” to see a unique value in things. She hopes to one day have her own exhibit at Art Basel or SCOPE, to showcase her work and to hopefully inspire others, just as Ms. Assel has inspired her.