Natalia Maria Cole is a painter who explores stories of the human connection to nature through the eyes of a young woman. Born and raised in Naples, Florida, she infuses the nature and experiences of her childhood memories into each painting. Cole graduated in 2025 from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Painting and is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bio

Illustration of a young woman with wavy brown hair wearing green headphones, standing in the rain with a background of a cloudy sky and raindrops.
Young woman with long dark hair wearing a black jacket and blue scarf standing on snowy landscape with lake and cloudy sky in the background.

Like letters on a page, my paintings tell a tale of the human connection to nature. With primarily acrylic paint and paper collage, I imagine the world through the eyes of a young woman. From the stinging sun and calm ocean of my childhood in Florida to my young adult years in the lush forest and blooming seasons of Georgia, I reminisce on the emotions of my formative years through my own experiences in these settings. With the illustrative lines, flat paint application, and paper textures, my paintings read like a storybook. My character, inspired by the women in my family, is shown in her mundane moments: listening to music, walking on the beach, or tucking her hair behind her ear. The seasons impact these moments: the cold blushing her cheeks and nose, the wind tossing her hair, blowing leaves and petals capturing her attention, or rain causing a rift in her travels. Each small moment of quiet contemplation reveals a version of femininity and emotions of youth that shape our lives.

Artist Statement