Natali Antonovich didn’t come to painting with grand gestures or showy ideas. Her work doesn’t shout—it listens. Over time, she’s developed a quiet, thoughtful approach to art, one shaped by her lifelong attention to the small and the meaningful. She’s someone who notices things—how light moves across a face, how silence fills a room. That sensitivity shaped her path through various creative forms—graphic work, portraiture, batik, and years of teaching. But it’s in oil and watercolor that she seems most at home. These mediums let her slow down, let her think, and speak through the brush. For Antonovich, painting is less a performance and more a conversation with herself.
Her art doesn’t rush to explain. It lingers. Her images come across like whispers or half-remembered dreams—pieces that ask you to stay a little longer, to really look.
“…in the midst of silence” (2021)
Oil on linen canvas
Series: Eternity
This painting doesn’t force its presence. It invites it. The title gives you a clue: this is a work about stillness, and what can be found when the world goes quiet. For Antonovich, silence doesn’t mean emptiness. It means presence. In her words, “only Light speaks.” Not a spotlight, not a glare—just something steady and clear. The painting carries that same tone. Soft, controlled strokes hold the viewer in a space that feels outside of time. It’s not frozen, but suspended—like early morning before anyone speaks.
The painting belongs to her Eternity series, where Antonovich turns away from narrative and leans into something more open-ended. These works aren’t meant to tell stories—they’re meant to reflect a state of mind, or maybe a state of being.
“Solar Scales” (2004)
Oil on linen canvas
Series: Who are you?
Done years before, Solar Scales shows Antonovich working with the idea of balance—not just visual, but emotional. The word “scales” hints at precision, but the painting isn’t clinical. It’s warm. The sun here isn’t harsh or overwhelming. It’s dancing. Antonovich paints light not just as a visual element, but as a feeling. There’s motion, warmth, and a kind of quiet optimism that threads through the canvas.
She writes that “only harmony elevates and helps,” and that thought is clearly stitched into the painting itself. This isn’t a call for perfection, but for presence—for moving in sync with something larger. The message is subtle, but it’s there: follow light, and you’ll find your way, even if the path isn’t obvious. That quiet message is consistent across her work—always gentle, never forced.
“Same as lies…”
Giclée print
Series: Eternity
This piece doesn’t settle easily. Even the title trails off, as if it’s been interrupted. The painting feels the same—unfinished in a purposeful way. There’s a sense of movement, of figures trying to rise, to help, to reach something—only to drift again into night. The mood is heavy but not hopeless.
Antonovich calls it “ghostly” and speaks of “almost aimless loneliness and the quiet melody of the Stars.” The stars are important—they don’t shine brightly here, but they do shimmer quietly in the distance, reminding us we’re not entirely lost. The message is subtle: intention and outcome don’t always line up. Goodness doesn’t guarantee direction. But still, the stars are there.
This work captures Antonovich’s comfort with ambiguity. She doesn’t offer conclusions or summaries. She opens up a space and trusts the viewer to find their own meaning. That’s what makes her work so open—it’s not about being told what to feel. It’s about being given the room to feel it.
Her approach is personal and patient. She’s not chasing trends or trying to fit in. She’s exploring what it means to be honest, to notice, to reflect. Whether she’s using oil or print, her intent stays the same: to make space for thought, for quiet, and for truth told in a low voice.
What makes her work resonate isn’t its style—it’s its sincerity. Every piece feels like it was made by someone who cares deeply about what’s underneath the surface. Antonovich paints from that place. And she invites us to join her there.
