Arts and Entertainment

Mono artist Natalia Rose gets in her ‘zone’ painting nature’s wonders

January 29, 2026   ·   2 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

“My mom makes jokes I was always drawing something in nature – I was always late coming home from school because I had stopped to pick a flower to draw later,” said Mono-based artist Natalia Rose, when describing a defining childhood memory to begin her interview with the Citizen earlier this week.

Except for watching online workshops on how to understand and use oils, Rose is entirely self-taught and has come to the time when she can say, “I am reaching the point where I’m really happy with my work and my exploration to grasp new techniques.”

Rose wants to paint in her own way, and while she is painting, she says she is in her “zone,” that place of being fully involved that often comes in the creative process.

“It’s my way to connect to the world, “ she called it. “It helps me get through different moments – the world is still a beautiful place. There is wonder in things – plants, flowers, the light and shadow, and how they flow.

“As an artist, you are giving definition, catching the moment but then, in particular, to catch the love.,” Rose said.

When it comes to larger scenes, like her landscapes, Rose likes to use her camera to hold the memory of what calls to her to paint. So, she takes lots of photos as an expression of her vision of the world. Yet, when she brings the photos home, she never edits them at all.

A barn fronting a meadow, a snap of a place in Portugal, and another while in Spain are included in the collection, along with lots of flowers, grasses, and insects that inhabit them. One might say these are intimate pictures of nature at home, a peek into the lives of the tiny souls we do not always observe.

Rose came to Canada with her family from Europe when she was 18, landing in Montreal, and then the family moved to Toronto. Five years ago, she, her husband, and son moved to a country home in Mono. Their son is training to be a nurse.

Moving to the countryside in Mono, she commented, “It was the best decision to come here. We love it.”

Although initially Rose paints from an irrepressible desire to do so, she paints for her own need to reflect the world of nature; she also wants people to love her paintings and does commissions.

People order something special, something they love, often a pet portrait.

She expressed what it means when the work is done, and she gives the painting to the people who ordered it. There is a deeply emotional response when they receive a painting of their dog, for example.

Natalia Rose went to Seneca College to study as a law clerk, but she did not enjoy it. Moving on to an education in economics and as a business analyst, Rose now works full-time as a product manager for a large insurance company. Thankfully, as she remarked, she is able to work remotely most of the time.

While painting has been her passion, she has been considering how to begin creating art in 3D.

“It’s been on my mind for a while,” she said. “to start to use plaster to create objects; I just want to try to see what it’s like to make art with your hands and then it takes its own space.”

There are sculptures at Headwaters Arts’ current show, Gathering Light, in which Rose has three paintings. The sculptures are an inspiration to her. There is always meaning to what they create, and when artists talk about sculpting, it inspires her to try.

For her own part, Natalia Rose would encourage young artists to try to just draw and find their own style, but not with the use of AI.

“If you find yourself not good, start trying anyway, and you will develop. If they think about what they want, they will come to enjoy it.

“You have to just start,” she said.

Gathering Light at Headwaters Art Gallery in the Alton Mill Arts Centre is running until Feb. 8.

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