About The Artist

Greetings!

I’m a self-taught mixed media and collage artist based in North Louisiana, originally from Metairie, LA. My work explores the layered contradictions of femininity—celebrating the space where nostalgia meets subversion, and softness coexists with strength. I create vibrant, female-centric compositions using both digital and analog techniques, found imagery, and tactile materials like fabric and trim.

My earliest creative influence was my spirited grandmother. She taught me to paint on everything—from canvas to roof shingles—and filled her home with Louis Icart prints, Betty Boop collectibles, and Clementine Hunter paintings. That eclectic blend of romance, boldness, and folk charm shaped my aesthetic in ways I still feel today. I often notice traces of Icart’s dreamy elegance in my own work. Like my grandmother, I’ve always been drawn to breaking the rules and staying open to unusual surfaces and materials.

Before launching my art practice, !Fifi Gi! Storied Collage Art, in 2022 (named after my two wild and wonderful daughters, Gigi and Phoebe), I earned a BA from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in composition in Northern California. I spent several years teaching and traveling in Costa Rica, Honduras, Thailand, and Mexico before settling in North Louisiana, where I taught high school Spanish for many years.

My work is deeply inspired by the Southern bayou—its lush florals, fading grandeur, thick heat, and deep-rooted storytelling. I’ve long been influenced by artists like Louis Icart, Pearl Frush, Henry Clive, and Clementine Hunter—each offering their own take on femininity, elegance, and spirit. I try to reinterpret those influences often through a Southern lens, creating what I think of as playful, contradictory re-imaginings.

I believe people are a collection of tiny, often conflicting details—and collage lets me gather those fragments and stitch together new narratives in intimate, female-focused worlds. I like to think of my art as a space where romance and grit, excess and simplicity, softness and edge can all coexist; It’s where I feel most free.

And finally, I am very grateful for all my friends and family who have supported me along this journey, especially for my husband, who has been my greatest champion.

Sincerely,

Natalie Armstrong