Natalia Ackers | Illegally Abstract | Toronto Painter

Natalia is a late-blooming, emerging Toronto-based abstract painter.

As a teenager, Natalia’s bedroom walls were covered with posters of her favourite bands along with various drawings and paintings she created either for school assignments or for fun. Natalia took as many visual art classes as possible throughout high school, often being asked by teachers if they could keep her projects as examples for subsequent classes. Despite enjoying and excelling in the arts, Natalia felt the pressure of being the first Canadian child in an Eastern European family and took the path of stability rather than that of her dreams. Her post-secondary journey ended with an honours bachelor of science followed by a law degree while her artist output was reduced to doodles on draft contracts and note pads during meetings and conference calls.

After years of dedicating herself to her legal career, she was feeling burnt out and frustrated. Natalia started re-evaluating what she wanted to do going forward and felt drawn back to the arts. Fast forward to the fall of 2016 when a friendly painting challenge from her husband lead to Natalia picking up a paint brush for the first time since high school and she hasn’t stopped painting since! Within a couple months of their weekend paint-off (that she won, of course), their condo was overtaken with paintings. She continues to work as an in-house lawyer as her day job, but her primary focus is now on painting and creative expression.

Natalia’s approach to her abstract paintings is the complete opposite from the rigid and formal legal world. She approaches each canvas with a general concept and palette in mind and then lets the work take her on an adventure as it evolves with each drag of paint across the canvas. Her works range from expressions of calm tranquillity to wild and vibrant patterns.