Natalie Wetzel is a professional artist who lives in Normal, Il with her husband of nearly 30 years. They have four children together. Natalie holds a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Illinois State University with a minor in Business Administration.

Natalie owned and operated a fine art and gift boutique in Normal, Il formerly known as The Pod. At The Pod, she represented many local artists, as well as made and sold her own art. In February 2018, she closed her boutique in order to focus more intensively on her artwork. Since that time, she has been prolific in her production as well as sales.

Natalie is primarily a mixed media artist. She enjoys working from a smooth surface, like claybord, and prefers to work with encaustics, acrylics, and ink. Although Natalie considers herself to be an abstract artist, she also enjoys incorporating identifiable subject matter into her work. She has found by doing so, more people can relate to and connect with her paintings.

Natalie has had the privilege of being chosen to be an artist in residence for two years in a row at the McLean County Arts Center. She has also received numerous awards, including Best of Show, from various art competitions online. Natalie has shown her work in a variety of shows locally, as well as, having had several of her images published in a Chicago based magazine and her work chosen for the cover of a local government planning publication. In July of 2020, Natalie will participate in a three person show at the McLean County Art Center.

Natalie finds great inspiration to create by observing the beauty found throughout all creation. Her work is process oriented. It involves layering materials in a way that causes colors to pop and adds depth and interest to each painting. She is most known the the vivid colors that immediately capture the attention of her viewers.