My family and our history in Rural-Industrial Ohio have driven the course of my work for nearly a decade now. Namely, our role as workers and nurturers in a scraped and scarred landscape: How we are at times complicit, at times victims, and at times beneficiaries in the face of ecological disasters.
These paintings explore identity in relation to a version of nature that is bounded, not boundless. I am interested in the structures that overlay our working lives, and the ways in which we carry them home. My process begins with collection and research of found family photographs, environmental surveys, mechanical drafts, estate auction listings, and work safety ephemera—from decades past to present day. Why do some barriers feel safe, and others feel like confinement? What do we pay to maintain and enjoy our own plot of land? We cling to each other, embrace our children and our animals, but the truth lies within the soil, water, air, and our bodies.
Natalie Shreeve 