Natalia Gassner (Bauru-SP, 1997) has used drawing as a form of expression since childhood. During her adolescence, she studied realistic drawing techniques but paused to enter the Visual Arts course at UFMS in Campo Grande, where she gained broader exposure to art studies. She was influenced by various techniques, expressions, and artistic methodologies; however, she maintains drawing as her primary language and research focus. After graduating with a teaching degree, she began teaching in public and private schools in the city. Currently, she lives in Bauru and considers herself a multimedia artist, utilizing both conventional and digital means to investigate the possibilities of drawing. In her most recent studies, she draws with synthetic wool, utilizes embroidery, and employs a vibrant color palette to reflect on issues related to temporality, memory, and belonging.
How did your journey into the art world begin?
I believe my journey truly began shortly before my undergraduate studies, when I felt the need to have a personal style. At the time, I was drawing realistic portraits, but I found myself bothered by copying images that already existed in the real world. Shortly thereafter, I entered the Visual Arts course, where I came into contact with numerous manifestations, styles, and techniques. This broadened my horizons and helped me understand what works—or doesn't—within my own production.
What is your creative process like?
It begins with writings and sketches in a notebook, passes through digital media, and returns enlarged to a conventional support. Before the collage stage, the wool is stiffened to be used either whole or fragmented, in addition to being applied as embroidery. In this way, it is possible to find wool in various formats within a single composition. I consider the current process meticulous and time-consuming, as each thread, fragment, and embroidery is applied individually, piece by piece.
What materials and techniques do you use most often?
Currently, I most frequently use matte paint, synthetic wool, and embroidery, applied to a two-dimensional surface—usually high-grammage paper or cotton fabric.
