My name is Natalie Treadwell and I will be receiving a BA in Fine Art from the Roski School of Art with a minor in Spatial Studies. The practice of art and mapping are quite similar in nature because they both are concerned with translating information into a visual representation. I chose to include spatial science in my degree because I want to better understand how we use maps and spatial representations to describe physical space. I have always been aware of the necessity of maps since I grew up in Alaska and have learned that survival is completely dependent on spatial understanding. If you can't figure out where you are, then you will never be able to find where you are going. My art is focused on explaining life in the northern regions of the world since I have had the opportunity to immerse myself throughout the Arctic geographically and culturally. I draw an incredible amount of inspiration from the north and I sign my work using the contour lines of the Susitna Mountain, which can be seen from my home in Alaska. I primarily work with oil paint but I have also expressed concepts through printmaking, metalwork, and charcoal drawing. I began my academic study at The University of Notre Dame where I was already being trained in ArcGIS through their environmental studies minor. I chose to transfer to USC because I understood the resources available both through Roski and the Spatial Science Institute would allow me to better combine my love of mapping with my artistic purpose. I create art to help share information –– to inspire through creative education. More information about my purpose as an artist and geographer as well a portfolio of my work can be seen on my website, susitnavisions.com
"Arctic Circle" Oil on Canvas 36x36in Natalie Treadwell 2017
I created this painting to express the topography of the arctic circle, using a bathymetric chart to inform the water and a topographic map to paint the land. The inspiration for this piece came from a realization that my peers seldom look at a map of the top of the world. The average person does not think spatially about the Arctic from a top-down perspective. I wanted this piece to help change their spatial understanding of the Arctic.
