Meet Nathalie Fabri: Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathalie Fabri and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathalie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
It almost feels like I had no other choice, I knew this was my destiny since I was a child. I was always attracted to works of art. My father collected art from around the world and I would sit and look at the works of art in my home. I loved how the colors worked together and how the images were representational but not necessarily realistic in many of the works we collected. I started drawing at an early age, and by the time I was six I knew that I would grow up to be an artist. That wish never left me, and I have worked towards it my entire life. It hasn’t been a straight consistent road, but then I’ve heard that The fastest path between two points is a straight line, but the most beautiful is a spiral. That’s how it’s been, from selling my art in my early twenties from a Volkswagon van across the country to where I am today, surviving as a full-time artist in San Francisco. Whatever I pursued, art never left me. It is what embodies who I am, what I breathe, what I think of. I feel extremely privileged to be living my dream life in that respect.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What has always been important to me are colors. The play of colors as they contrast or compliment each other is very exciting to me. It wasn’t until I started painting street scenes, playing with how light interacts with color on buildings and homes that I really found my niche. All of a sudden, I was noticing that my paintings were always about dusk, because I loved how the lights in the windows conveyed warmth and a welcoming environment. For this to work with the colors of the architecture, the sky would have to not be at its darkest. Lights are just turning on, the sun is setting and colors are still strong. Most of my collectors recognize this aspect of my work and can tell a piece is mine from the bright vibrant colors and the lights in a sunset sky. Something I’m really proud of is doing public art! I’ve worked on murals, public banners, and organized a public art outdoor show called The Mission Kiss. I started painting diverse couples kissing on wooden hearts and placed them around my neighborhood as a positive, joyful public art project. Other artists became involved and eventually I had over 100 artists, all placing hearts in trees on a given day as a covid safe, outdoor artshow. The people were encouraged to take the hearts home and donated what they could afford to the artists. It was a great success and we are doing another one April 18th! Becoming an artist at a professional level was not necessarily easy, but it was my goal and passion, so the hard moments also propelled me forward. I was mostly a single mom, and I accepted being low-income as a consequence. I wanted to show my son that you have to strive for your dreams. It’s not an easy road, but if you are in love with what you do, it softens some of the blows. I’m a very positive person and always know things do work out. This positive mindset has helped me keep moving forward, lick my wounds and keep going. Being an artist is constantly an uphill battle.. I don’t know if you ever get to “the top”, but the journey keeps it interesting! When people see my work, they feel the happiness I put into it. This is what I want them to take away from it. A happy, warm feeling.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
San Francisco is so full of amazing things! I usually take visitors to North Beach! We go have coffee at Café Trieste and walk around to soak in the atmosphere. No visitor should miss the Mission District, the heart of the Latino community. You can get amazing burritos, but also Pupusas, a central American specialty. The local stores and restaurants are welcoming and colorful. Throughout San Francisco, you can see the incredible architecture of Victorians, it’s a wonderland of beauty. 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?
I’d give a shoutout to my dad who is turning 93 this year- because he always encouraged me to be an artist. From taking me to museums as a kid to making me aware of world art, he was a big influence in my love of art. The second shoutout is for the non-profit called Artspan in San Francisco. They provide a means for the art community to really come together through their support in finding places to show, to organizing city-wide open studios, to workshops, to social mixers. Once I joined Artspan and took advantage of being a part of that community, I felt a turning point in my art career. I truly believe I would not be where I am today if not for Artspan and the amazing supportive artists that it encompasses.

Website: http://www.fabrikations.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathalie_fabri_artist/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathalie.fabri.5

Image Credits
Sonia Maria El Ghaoui Edwards