Bio
Natalie Passmore is originally from Ottawa, she grew up in a small town outside of the city where her creativity and her love and fascination of wildlife and the natural world thrived and grew with her. Wildlife has always been her focus through art, and a genuine interest throughout her life. Her family nurtured this endless fascination of hers by going on hikes, camping trips, supplying her with books and other resources, and family trips to zoo’s and farms. In equivalence with wildlife, being surrounded by the natural environment has always been a healthy form of inspiration and rejuvenation for Passmore. From discovering a mental illness in her youth, art-making has been a positive and therapeutic coping mechanism. Which has become an underlying concept in her work.
Passmore moved to Barrie to pursue the Fine Art Advanced Diploma Program at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. She then moved across the country to the University of Lethbridge where she studied for a year completing a selection of art studio and art history courses. Alberta was an appealing location for her as the wildlife and physical landscape were unique and a refreshing change. Passmore currently lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario.
Artist Statement
Animal life is a central aspect of my drawing and sculptural explorations, I use animal imagery as a metaphor for human internal tendencies and iniquities. The subjects are an anthropomorphic vision, facilitating my personal emotional growth and my therapeutic working process. The animal subject refers to the animalistic behavior in complex human internal feelings and thought processes. The animal becomes a symbolic expression of a sense, a feeling, or a state of mind that I experience or witness. Manipulating the form of the various subjects and how they are interacting in the work assists to communicate these concepts.
The compositional elements are a juxtaposition of materials, developed to support the form and my personal aesthetic. Additionally, the animal subjects are symbolic dynamics which supplement to the overall concept of the work. It is my perception of these thoughts, senses, and feelings that is being depicted. By implementing gesture to the specific animal figures in the form that they hold, with the additional contributing subjects that communicates this perspective.