Natalie Michelle Watson is an Australian artist, designer and cartoonist who first came to our attention thanks to her lovingly self made magazine ‘Drongo’ – released under her ‘Drongo Press’ label.
Natalie, ‘Drongo’ and her art are unashamed with their sense of pride and nostalgia in Australian culture of the past – sentiments that we at ‘Art Whore’ wholeheartedly support!
With Natalie herself stating:
“Well I guess I started ‘Drongoʼ because I missed the old kiddy mags I used to read in the 90s.
I guess itʼs a nostalgic adultʼs response to Americanisation and the death of Australian culture. I remember, I had a little “Dinky Diary” in primary school, with kangaroos and koalas on it. I collected Oddbodz, and ‘Max Altitudeʼ memorabilia from Qantas. I loved ‘The Feralsʼ… I watched everything I loved about Australia slowly heave and die in the wake of globalisation.
‘Drongoʼ is the most Australian word I could think of, and is my way of attempting to claw back to that time, if only for a moment.“
(Photo below of Natalie reading an issue of ‘Drongo’)
With Natalie working on both issue number 4 of ‘Drongo’ and her new creation ‘Show Dogs’ we thought now was the perfect time to get to know just how rad both Natalie and her art are, by reading the Art Talk Interview below…