Palmer-based muralist, watercolor artist and printmaker Natalie Rei says that venturing into wearable art has given her an entirely new appreciation of her artistic process.
“When I realized that I could print on items that people could get everyday use out of, I was super excited,” she said.
Rei, who works under Natalie Rei Art, says that creating has always been a big part of her life. Her mother recently retired after spending 26 years as an art teacher, and Rei says many of her early memories revolve around someone handing her a paintbrush or pencil. She sells her pieces through her Etsy shop and at markets across Anchorage and the valley — which feature hand printed clothing, all secondhand — as well as linoleum block prints and watercolor pieces.
“You can think about things you want to create to hang in people’s homes, but when you think about things people are going to want to wear, and things that are going to be tied to your brand name, too — that are going to be out in public — that is just a whole other motivation for me,” Rei said.
After a busy fall lineup of local markets, Rei decided that she wanted to take matters into her own hands and start the Feather & Flour Artisan Co-Op, where artisans come together before the restaurant opens and sell their wares every other weekend. She works as a server at the farm-to-table restaurant, and says many of her friends are artists. The idea “just made sense.”
“Palmer is just a very close-knit community,” she said. “[The] owners are some of my best friends, I have known them since I was three years old, so they have just been really pushing me and motivating me,” she said. “All of us here in Alaska have a deep appreciation for art, and artists and especially art that reflects people’s connections to land and nature.”
The next Feather & Flour Co-Op is on Dec. 21 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., the day before her birthday. She says she will have “a ton” of winter solstice-themed pieces for sale. Rei will also be selling her art at Bearpaw River Brewing Company (240 E. Railroad Avenue) on Dec. 17 from 5-9 p.m.
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.
