Natalia Nikolova

Hi, I am Natalia Nikolova, also known as Natalia Art. I love art in many forms, but for me true art remains the work created by hand—brush against paper or canvas—so I consider myself a traditional artist. I explore watercolor, acrylic, oil, mixed media, and other techniques, and I paint across landscapes, cities, and imagined scenes. I also create illustrations for children’s books, textbooks, poetry collections, and other printed works, and I make art jewelry, draping and moulage, body art, and related art forms.

My interest in human anatomy and drawing faces and figures drew me toward makeup, and I have been working professionally in stage and theatrical makeup and wig making for ten years. I still practice makeup artistry, enriched by my experience as a painter—painting on a human face is painting on canvas. I draw inspiration from nature and experiences, and landscapes bring me peace and freedom of expression. I live and work in Bulgaria, and I started the ‘Art from Bulgaria at Every Step’ group to share paintings that tell stories and celebrate places in Bulgaria. The sea is where I feel most at home, and my art expresses my inner world, my ‘self.’