Creating Art During a Pandemic with Natalie Krim

Natalie Krim is an established artist with a large following who recently moved to Ojai, just before the world went into lockdown. Her drawings are vivid and expressive, usually showing women in sensuous, flowing lines often in acts of self care. Slightly naughty, always fun - her drawings are a tonic for these strange times. We talk about how she found Ojai and made the decision to relocate here last November. Vogue magazine, in a recent article, called her quarantine diary of her Ojai days "an ethereal study," and "a master class in calm, self care."  We talk about the isolation artists feel during the best of times, working alone in their studios, and yet how, as social creatures, they crave connection. She is finding it by checking in daily with friends, and interacting on her popular instagram account, @nataliehjane, with more than 42,000 followers, and her website, nataliekrim.com. She is finding that sometimes artists need to step back from the demands of constantly creating, and to find moments to connect - with other art and artists, nature, and each other. She shouted out  another artist as an inspiration, Cassi Namoda, one she stumbled across on her coronavirus journey. We also talk about Brian Wilson, Jane Fonda, Professor Auguste Theremin, the Chumash petroglyphs, and how she has makes large scale pieces. She talks about doing a huge piece for a gallery show at Aaron Rose's La Rosa Social Club and the importance of street art on a culture. Speaking about social justice issues, Natalie said, "Our job is to reflect culture, it's not just about ourselves." That shows up in her pen-and-ink drawings of victims of police brutality. We do not talk about Alexander the Great's siege of Tyre, John Lennon or 17th century theater critics.