Introducing our 2023 Ink Art Gin artist, Natalie Yates

Natalie Yates knows a thing or two about expressing yourself through art. We interviewed the winner of our 2023 Ink Art Gin competition to find out more about her winning piece, her reaction when winning our competition and how art came to be so influential in her life.

How did your winning piece, ‘Topographical Fingerprint No. 3’ come about?

My entire life I have had a connection with nature and exploration. One of my favourite forms of exercise and adventure is hiking, canyoning and caving. I love the idea of going places where few people tread and it’s amongst these places I see so much inspiration. 

As an organic abstract artist, I am inspired by all of these beautiful textures and patterns we find in nature both up close and from above. A few years ago I had the pleasure of hiking the Larapinta trail in the Northern Territory. Whilst observing the land from atop of summits and flying over to and from there I was fascinated by the meandering gorges and river systems. I wanted to capture this beauty in my art and add an element of surface design that reflected my past career as a Forensic Investigator. This is how my Topographical Fingerprint Series was born. 

What inspired you to enter the Ink Art Competition?

I was experiencing a pretty bad time in my life having just been diagnosed with Invasive Breast Cancer in July and I was consumed by so many intrusive thoughts. Thankfully as a strong advocate for using Art as Therapy I remembered receiving an email from my brother in law about the Ink Art Gin competition. With the theme ‘Express Yourself’ I knew instantly that my Topographical Fingerprint series was the perfect submission. It was the distraction I needed!! 

What was it like when you received the phone call saying you’d won?

SHOCK!  I was in bed feeling pretty crappy from treatment. This lovely voice on the other end [Harriet] greeted me and my brain went into confusion mode and I sort of cut her off saying “I’m sorry, who am I speaking to?” I remembered the email from Harriet a few days earlier [I had made top 5 finalist] and they were ringing the winner on this day!  My heart sort of lost a beat and I felt this surge of warmth in my chest. It’s ok, I wasn’t having a heart attack but a moment of OMG! Harriet was so sweet and said she had some news that would make me feel happier. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. “I want you to know that you have been selected as the winner of the Ink Art Gin competition…. “ And I screamed, I cried, I swore and screamed some more. It was surreal. My daughter came running into my room and looked at my face and mouthed “Did you win??!!!”.  

 Your art has a mesmerising abstract nature to it. Have you always painted/created in this style?

As an organic abstract artist and Visual Arts teacher, I’m always experimenting with different mediums. This allows me to explore different elements of art practice. I tend to play with mediums a lot until I find a style that I am comfortable with. Most artists stick with one style…. not me. I have always felt drawn to evolve in my art practice and I like opening up to multiple audiences. I am particularly drawn to surface design, texture and mark making with a repetitive nature.  

How did your pathway into art begin? Tell us more about your relationship with art.

As a kid I was always creative. It was only natural that I ventured into an art-based career. Straight out of school I completed a Bachelor of Art Education at COFA (College of Fine Arts) in Sydney. I worked at a few schools as a casual teacher doing every subject but art and I became disillusioned. There were no prospects for full time work as an Art Teacher. 

I decided to become a Police Officer and Forensic Investigator.  Fast forward 17 years and I was medically discharged with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My treatment included the act of mindfulness which I found beneficial. I immersed myself into the process of art as therapy and started doing courses and working as a Screen Printer. 

As a result, I created my own fabric range where I used mark making and nature as inspiration. After ten years I felt like my normal self and returned to teaching where I began my love of painting. I exhibited in Sydney and Melbourne before uplifting my life and moving to the Gold Coast. 

Do you have a favourite medium?

I tend to go through phases. Dabbling in multiple mediums is really rewarding. My current medium of choice is acrylics and oils, but I am also diving into the world of ceramics which opens up so many creative opportunities. 

How do you find your flow state, what’s your creative process? 

I definitely need to be motivated to be creative. Grab myself a glass of wine, pump up some music and off I go. I like to time lapse record my processes on each artwork. There’s some type of cathartic connection watching an artwork form before your eyes in fast forward. With motivation comes enjoyment. If I’m not motivated with one artwork, I will start another. I always seem to have multiple artworks on the go and each one so different in style to the other. It keeps my art real. If I am not happy with the art, I won’t want to show it off. With process comes connection. I will have an ‘idea’ of what I want to create but the outcome evolves. Abstract art allows for improvised and unprovoked creativity. I love getting lost in the detail (back to mindfulness) and am always (ok… usually) excited with the outcome. 

 What does your space look and sound like where you create? 

What I would do to have an art studio!  It’s my dream. A gorgeous she-shed in the backyard with a gabled roof, timber floors and white walls covered in shelving to house my OCD need for visual clarity and organisation of my art materials. Instead, it’s simply a room in my house (or two if I creep in a few more easels). Art materials strewn everywhere, and my sense of visual clarity is lost in the chaos of no storage and no order. This messes with my motivation hence the wine and music. Sometimes jazz, sometimes pop rock or whatever and whoever I’m currently vibing to at the time helps to get the art juices flowing. 

How do you know when a piece is finished?

Balance and colour. If I’m working in monochrome tones, I know I’m finished when the balance and composition feels right. When working in colour it’s a whole different story. Those artworks have layers and layers of colour changes until I find the right balance. They continuously evolve until I’m happy. Some I’ve never finished! 

What are you working on at the moment?

I have three ‘active’ artworks on the go. One Topographical Fingerprint as this series is still evolving and two Fractured Landscapes. This is a new series that I’m hoping to exhibit in 2024.  It is a completely new style that is evolving. You will need to keep an eye out for these as they are works in progress. I’m also investing in a kiln. I cannot wait to immerse myself in clay and explore texture! 

Where’s your ideal place in nature? (Unless you want to keep it a secret!)

Where very few get to go!! I love the idea of being amongst nature that is not filled with busy tourists. I love looking for off-track water holes and waterfalls and bush bash my way to find them. I’m very respectful of my footprint and leave no trace. I’m also an avid canyoner and caver. There’s nothing more rewarding than repelling down a rope in a waterfall and traversing down a canyon and gorge. The natural textures and patterns in fluvial rock formations are incredible. Caving is a whole other realm. Crawling through tight squeezes and repelling into deep holes to find yourself in huge underworld chambers is breathtaking. The beauty to be found in limestone and calcite formations is mesmerising. 

All round favourite Ink Gin cocktail?

My first experience with Ink Gin was with the gorgeous Ink Dry Gin. Fascinated with colour theory I was wowed by the changing colour of the Ink Gin to purple (my favour colour). We paired it with Cointreau, lemon juice a little tonic and an ice cube filled with edible butterfly pea flowers. We like to pretend we are mixologists and create as we go. 

Imagine sharing this favourite cocktail with anyone in the world – alive or not, who would it be and why? What would you chat about? 

I always feel a little anxious with questions like this. I can never pick anyone. How do I choose? Who gets the honour of listening to my nervous sarcasm and giggly self? But in true form I always come back to my friends. The ones who make me feel so happy and worthwhile. My girl tribe. They know who they are. 

We sip gin cocktails and talk about life experiences, memories we’ve shared and adventures we look to plan. These friendships are what have helped me in rough times and have shaped my life in many ways and I could never truly thank them enough. 

What will you do with your first empty Ink Art Gin bottle?

Well, it’s definitely an artwork in itself. It will sit proudly on my sideboard amongst my crystals and wall art. The gin bottle looks incredible, and I am still in shock that I won. Such an honour and I may be a tad biased, but it looks striking on the bottle. Gin lovers can become mesmerised with the organic flow of the topographical concentric lines. 

Natalie’s amazing artwork will feature on this years bottling of Ink Art Gin bottles, being released November 1st.