Natasha Monahan Papousek is a collage artist inspired by the diversity of life in her backyard in Lemon Grove, CA, and the poetic and quiet beauty of ordinary places and things.

A self-taught artist, Natasha resisted the Call for many years while she worked in a “practical” job as a secretary and did music and art on the side.

But when she discovered that her father had gone to his grave without ever sharing his art, although he was a passionate oil painter, Natasha knew she could no longer sit in front of a computer all day and wait for the right time to be an artist. The time was now. Or never.

Natasha was juried into Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park as a patio artist in September 2019, and soon after was accepted as member of the Southwestern Artists Association. In 2021, she was invited to become a partner in Studio 18, and in 2022 was elected president of the Southwestern Artists Association.

Her work has been included in The Small Image Show in Gallery 21 in Spanish Village, the Reigning Cats and Dog Show in Liberty Station (and one of her pieces won the Veltz Prize in 2021), the online Healing Arts Show: The Power of Nature in 2021, and the Village Choice Show in Studio 23 in Spanish Village (her pieces won third place in 2022 and 2023.)

Her process is unusual: after choosing a reference photo and creating an underpainting, she collects paper – old maps, sheet music, tourist literature, junk mail, then paints and prints layers of color and patterns on top. Then she rips them up in a sort of mosaic process to form the “brushstrokes” for her paintings. Natasha’s work is a testimony to the enduring power of Nature. “I hope my art sparks joy and inspires people to see the beauty that is all around them.”