Natallia Valiukevich is a Belarusian watercolor artist.
Natallia Valiukevich at a glance
- Nationality: Belarusian
- Known for: Watercolor portraits and colorized historic photos
- Medium: Watercolor
- Education: Belarusian State Pedagogical University
- Earlier career: Graphic designer, then 15 years in the computer games industry
- Notable work: 96 watercolor portraits of baseball players in one year
- Recognition: Winner of the GAWA International Watercolor Scholarship
- Website: valiukevich.com
“I did not choose watercolor painting. But watercolor painting chose me.”
Natallia Valiukevich studied at the Belarusian State Pedagogical University to become an artist-teacher, and after graduating she worked in a printing house as a designer, creating computer sketches for covers, labels, and albums, but the office atmosphere did not match her freedom-loving nature, so she quit and became a freelancer.
Natallia Valiukevich studied three-dimensional programs on her own and worked in the computer games industry for 15 years, creating houses, monsters, ruins, and crumpled tanks, but she left her work when she saw her child playing many computer games and she was not sure if she was doing something good for the children.
Natallia Valiukevich started retouching and colorizing old photos, and she met an excellent customer from the USA, and for several years they restored old photos of American baseball players, and some of her colorizations are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and in magazines Baseball History & Art.
Natallia Valiukevich’s customer encouraged her to paint watercolors of American baseball players, and she thought it was impossible because watercolor is not suitable for portraits, but she agreed and forced herself to learn painting with watercolor, and a few months later she had a product for her client, making 96 watercolor portraits in one year, all purchased by collectors.
Natallia Valiukevich’s first independent work, “This Wheel Needs Repair!”, was accepted and included in the 2019 IWS Hungary Calendar, and her fifth independent work, “What Does She See?”, was selected for the Fabriano Acquarello 2019 Exhibition, and “Discovering the world” was accepted for the II International Watercolor Triennial in Varna 2019.
- She is a Belarusian artist based in Belarus.
- She worked in the computer games industry for 15 years.
- She colorized photos for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- She created 96 watercolor portraits of baseball players in one year.
- Her work has been accepted into international watercolor exhibitions.
Natallia Valiukevich’s painting “Coquette” won the second round of the competition IWS Poland 2019 Step by Step, and she became the winner of the Global Watercolor Society GAWA in the senior category and received a scholarship to participate in international watercolor exhibitions, reflecting her growing recognition in the art world.
Natallia Valiukevich’s journey from graphic designer to watercolor artist is a testament to her adaptability and determination, and her work has touched the hearts of many, including relatives of the baseball players she painted, who sent her touching letters expressing their gratitude.
Art Category Fact: Watercolor portraiture is a challenging genre that requires precision, control, and a delicate touch to capture the nuances of the human face, and it has been practiced by artists such as John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, and Mary Cassatt, who used the medium to create luminous and expressive portraits that convey the personality and emotion of their subjects.
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” — Edgar Degas
You can see more of Natallia Valiukevich’s watercolors on her official website, valiukevich.com.