Portraits, nature, death, bodies, outer space, and more––it's all there in the eclectic work of Diamond Nater. Vibrant colors and delicate shading bring to life the various subjects of her art, and her deep appreciation of being creative shows in each and every piece. We had the chance to speak with her about studio essentials, inspiration, and more! Read it all after the jump.
Tell us about who you are and what you do.
I'm Diamond Nater, I'm an artist and vlogger. I mainly work in visual arts, using watercolor, chalk, graphite, color pencil or tablet as my primary tools. I sell my own prints and originals on my art Instagram and I make vlogs on Youtube and Dtube!
Art has been in my life for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories bring back feelings of imagination and creativity, so I know I had to have been born with the crave to create. Though I have been making art my whole life, I only started taking it seriously a few years ago when I found myself starving for an identity and realized creating art was one of the few things that fed me.
My favorite part about being creative is the natural high you get from putting what's in your mind out into the tangible world. I love recreating how I feel or what I think, and it doesn't matter what medium you choose as your tool of expression, you will always get that feeling when it's something true to your heart that you're creating.
How would you describe the Asheville art scene?
I'd describe the Asheville art scene as exclusive. This town is dotted with great artists and people trying to connect with others, but it feels like a surprise when you meet another artist because there aren't enough open art events that bring these types of people together. I wanted to make a difference in that way and hold an open art event for anyone who wanted to create freely and meet artists they haven't met before because, as artsy as Asheville seems, there isn't enough of those collaborative events.
Who/what are some of your biggest inspirations?
My inspirations change regularly because my tastes change regularly, but right now I am really interested in focusing on local artists, upcoming artists, artists I meet on Instagram, so it's hard to tell whether what inspires me today will inspire me tomorrow. But I have really been keeping up with an artist on Instagram named Tomasita Oliveras, her Instagram name is @tomatosita, who most often makes graphite portraits. Her work influenced a lot of the way I learned how to shade portraits and create new poses. I've been keeping up with her for a few months now!
What are some studio essentials?
In my little art corner, I always keep color pencils and watercolors close by, those are my favorite tools to work with. But I rarely ever work in my art corner, I'm usually working wherever I am! I *have* to have pencils and fine tipped markers with me almost everywhere I go. I hardly ever even use them, but I feel like I can create a good completed piece if I have a pencil and a fine tipped black marker if I ever need to on the go. It makes me feel more secure.
I'm not sure that I have a dream client I would like to work with, I more so think about who I would love to collaborate with. The answer to both those questions would be Tomasita again, her work has just been such a huge inspiration to me.
What's been the coolest experience for you in your art career thus far?
The coolest experience was getting to do my first live show recently! My boyfriend performed a show and at that show I did live art and got to meet a bunch of cool new people who were interested in my work. It was very exhilarating!
I of course need to ask you where your favorite place is in Asheville to eat?
My favorite place to eat in Asheville is Duck Donuts off Merrimon Ave!
Anything else you'd like to add?
I just love what you are doing here for artists and musicians and creators in general! This blog is so important to the community and I personally have gotten to see so many new faces from the work you guys have done. I'm very happy to be a part of it all!
Follow Diamond Nater on Instagram (@moonrockart)