I was born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Zurich, Switzerland.
Natalee is a fusion of my Swiss name Natalie and my Korean surname Lee.
The two greatest events in existence are birth and death. In this life's journey every being goes through its individual dramas. But most of the time one is involved in the circumstances of everyday life. Usually these little happenings are overlooked by casual blindness or because they are taken for granted and therefore one is missing the beauty of the world- by rushing through life and going too fast. In these everyday situations, hiding under the shadow of plainness, I discover things not seen: ordinary becomes extraordinary, insignificant becomes meaningful and plain becomes beautiful. Painting these gaps according to my own ideas and expressing my feelings in colours, I find peace and happiness.
I grew up with paintings covering all the walls of our home, but it took me a very long while to find out that I wanted to paint myself. It even took me longer time to put this into practice. I don't have formal training in painting and I must honestly admit that I regret this fact. But I believe everything happens for a reason and that only by going through certain experiences of life, was I able to reach the point of pursueing the art of painting.
The importance of time to acquire skills was already mentioned by the 14th century Florentine painter, Cennino Cennini, who wrote a book on the art of painting. He calculated that thirteen years should be devoted to basic studies before the moment one might start upon one's first panel. Based on this advice, I will be very busy for the next decade...