ABOUT ME

Natalja Yatsuk was born in Bausk, Latvia, a very small city outside of the capital Riga. The youngest of three children, Natalja has always been inspired by any form of artistic expression as well as creating and replicating things by hand. Growing up, Natalja and her two sisters were surrounded by their mother’s many art books filled with history and paintings. She was especially drawn to the fashion and beauty of the Victorian era.

As a child, Natalja also learned how to needlepoint and knit from her grandmother. She hand painted traditional Ukrainian wooden collectibles and competed in many different art exhibitions. She was meticulous in her craft and loved creating historic pieces.

Her art took a backseat to her studies as Natalja got older. She enrolled in nail school while still attending high school and began working professionally in a nail salon when she was just 17. After finishing her studies for international business RSEBAA (Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration),  Riga Latvia. Natalja moved to the United States when she was 21 years old to study English and attend beauty school. She wanted to become licensed to work in the U.S. and learn the art of hair.

In May 2011, Natalja started her cosmetology career at the WELL Spa + Salon at the historic Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has since perfected her hair, makeup and nail skills, taking each client’s experience to another level, always using her keen eye and unique artistry. By coincidence, the Pfister Hotel is also home to the largest collection of Victorian art of any hotel in the world. This gave Natalja a renewed interest in painting and fine art.

In January 2017 Natalja started  working at the new Scottfree Salon  downtown Milwaukee, WI.  

Throughout her life, she has always painted, but never shared her art until 2009 when she began giving paintings as gifts. She gave these pieces to people she trusted and who wouldn’t critique her art. Now, Natalja’s paintings of personal expression and friendship cover the walls of many friends and loved ones.

As she became more comfortable with her craft, Natalja participated in a public showing through the associate art contest at the Pfister in 2014. She was also asked to do a series of pink paintings in 2015 Pink World Collection  in 2016 Evolution of Pink and in 2019 Resilience to exhibit in the special “Pink Room” in Gallerie M at the InterContinental Milwaukee, a promotion the hotel does to support breast cancer research. 

Her abstract paintings are inspired by her life and feelings, and by her experience as a woman. Natalja continues to concentrate on raising money for breast cancer and making people happy through her paintings. “I want to make people feel better when they look at my work,” she says. 

Find Natalja and her work at the Material Studios+Gallery in Milwaukee (207 E. Buffalo St., Suite 600) beginning in January 2016.