Natiq Jalil is a self-taught artist who believes that true art begins during those moments between being asleep and being awake.
Natiq was born in Montgomery, Alabama, where he showed a talent for art at a very early age, drawing his favorite cartoon characters exactly as they appeared on his television screen. He and his family moved to Denver, CO when he was 13 and Denver became the playground for his imagination. He continued to draw through his high school years and received his first commission at the age of 14, one of his father’s co-workers. It was a large drawing of the Ninja Turtles. As payment, he received his first acrylic painting set and some oil pastels. From that moment on, he became fascinated with the world of color.
After high school, Natiq became heavily involved in the spoken word poetry scene in Denver, CO and hosted several poetry nights in the city, including the celebrated, Brother Jeff’s Cultural Center and Café. He would write poetry directly onto his paintings in subtle colors to add clarity to the emotions he poured into his work and also to celebrate his love for written language. He later stopped using words in his work and focused more closely on conveying his meaning through intuitive use of color, texture and symbolism.
Natiq’s work is prized by many private collectors and can be seen in many homes and businesses in the mid-west. His work also frequents many advertisements for the arts and social change in Denver. His work has been purchased by collectors in Denver, Arizona, L.A., New York, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, South Africa, Sweden and many other places. He loves diversity in art (from media to subject matter) and draws much inspiration for his work from his dreams and dreams spoken of by others. He took a long break from traditional art for a long while to focus on his daughter once he became a single father, and mostly focused on graphic design and illustration.
He moved to Pittsburgh, PA three years ago and is now returning to his love of traditional art. His feels that his work flows more freely now, and wants to continue to tell stories without words through his art in this city that is still new to him.