NATALIE ALLEYNE
On her website, Natalie Alleyne has a quote from the poet Rumi: “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” It describes exactly how Alleyne, an artist based out of New Jersey, has lived her life. As the owner of Alleyne Studios, she creates colorful paintings, bags, plates and t-shirts. She began painting the shirts for tuition money, and found that doing so also allowed her to travel, live in the Caribbean and “bring art to people in an affordable and fun style, while still producing art on canvas for the ´long term.´” Her subject matter has included nature-especially trees-and women. “As a matter of fact, my trees tend to look like women as well. Most of the women I paint are of color, primarily because they are inspired by my ancestors, and also because we are so underrepresented.” She appreciates the fact that her work can “promote change within others, be it simply a smile or a thought” and says that “being an artist, for me, isn´t about what I do so much as who I am. It is so indoctrinated into my being because it is a spiritual thing that reflects my growth and change as I navigate through life.” -GH
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