New exhibit from artist Annette Natocho Stearns
(posted 11-29-06)

I am pleased to introduce our next art exhibitor – Inside Outside Fitness member Annette Natocho Stearns.  She is recognized as one of Uganda’s premier artists and arrived in the U.S. just a year ago.

Primarily, she is a watercolorist with a particular flare for painting landscapes that are ethereal in nature.  Yet, to balance the soft tones and muted washes of watercolor, she also enjoys the bold colors and contrasts achieved while painting with acrylics.  Just for fun, she creates unique African crafts, such as wall hangings and greeting cards.  The wall hangings on display are pictorial narrations of the sights and sounds of Africa that were created by Natocho and her sisters.  As you will see, each medium and style is quite distinct.

Her interest for art was borne during her childhood years living in an artisan community outside of New Delhi, India, where she admired the work of local craftsmen.  She received her formal training from Makerere University in Uganda, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Fine Arts.

Natocho has held many individual and group exhibitions in Uganda and increasingly in the United States.  She has also been highlighted in several publications and co-published Uganda’s first art magazine.   

In the artist's words, “From the beginning, I have been moved by the beautiful and pristine outdoors to express myself as a watercolorist.  Watercolor is a preferred medium because of its sensuous and versatile nature that allows me vivid expression of current feelings and emotions.  As an intuitive artist, my inspiration is drawn from fleeting mental images and the emotions they evoke.  For this reason, I rarely sketch before putting paint to paper or canvas, but when I do, they are often mere scribbles.  I sometimes use photographs as reference aids but only to get a head start before letting the painting take a life of its own.  My intuitive paintings have always been appreciated as the most evocative, for they have soul.  I feel a special bond with them because they come as a result of spiritual moments rather than extensive thought or plan.”

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