All images courtesy of the artist.
Sometimes the people we meet in the everyday moments of life have stories far beyond what we see on the surface. I first met Natalie Miller at the baseball fields, where our sons played together as Mavericks for a couple of seasons. Like many sports moms, our conversations often centered around schedules, practices, and cheering from the sidelines, but I quickly became fascinated by the artist and storyteller behind the mom I knew there.
An enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Natalie’s journey from graphic designer and arts manager to full-time artist has been shaped by a lifelong relationship with color, design, and creativity. Today her vibrant acrylic paintings, inspired by geometry, nature, textiles, and her Chickasaw heritage, are gaining recognition throughout Oklahoma and beyond. From large-scale commissions to handmade ornaments and national art markets, Natalie’s work invites viewers to experience the emotion, movement, and connection woven into every piece.
We are happy to welcome Natalie to the FAAM Four!
What art is interesting/inspiring to you right now?
I’ve always leaned toward fashion and textile design for inspiration. Recently I’ve worked on small pieces with a lot of sequins and beading based off haute couture fashion. It has been a nice side outlet to explore while also doing my more tedious, hard-edged pieces. The combination of the two really strokes both the right and left sides of my brain.
The outdoors always inspires me, from flowers to horses and landscapes.
What are you working on at the moment?
Currently I’m working on several art pieces for the Red Earth Festival (August 1 and 2, Booth 322) and the Santa Fe Indian Market (August 15 and 16, Booth LIN E 776), as well as a commission piece.
I just wrapped up new landscape pieces for Reuben Saunders Gallery that are a more expressive and loose way of painting. A detour from my more geometric linear works. A style from my “tool belt” but not one that I’ve done in quite a while. It was fun to work both styles at the same time. Allows me to work in totally different ways and change things up a bit.
What is the best advice you’ve received as an artist?
I’ve had great advice through the years, but one that has stuck with me is “don’t be afraid to step outside your box.” It has helped me go for things I never thought I would try. Example being the mural I created for Exhibit C Gallery. I last-minute decided to put in a proposal and somehow made it to the end. I couldn’t believe it, and then the hard part started. I had never done a mural before. Large-scale canvases, yes, but never an outdoor mural. I’m not afraid to ask as many questions as I need to make a piece successful and to learn. So I reached out to many muralists and did tons of logistical research for a project that definitely made me nervous. I don’t consider myself a muralist, but I would do it again in a heartbeat! As long as it wasn’t too high up off the ground!
Another example of this was working with Starbucks headquarters for their Chickasha [Oklahoma] store. They reached out, and I said yes to working with them on a permanent collection of work. Way outside my box. All of these opportunities have led to more through the years, and this is not lost on me. I’m eternally grateful and appreciative.
Where can people find your work?
Currently I have two galleries representing me: Exhibit C Gallery in Oklahoma City and Reuben Saunders Gallery in Wichita, Kansas. I also sell smaller pieces around the OKC metro stores and smaller galleries. You can see my mural at Exhibit C Gallery and a mural in the skybridge at OKANA Resort, as well as my permanent collection at the Starbucks in Chickasha, Oklahoma.
You can find all my pieces and listings of upcoming events on my social media posts @nataliemillerarts on Instagram and Facebook.
Links
- Red Earth Festival, Oklahoma City, August 1 & 2, 2026
- Santa Fe Indian Market, Santa Fe, August 15 & 15, 2026
- Exhibit C Gallery, Oklahoma City, OK
- Reuben Saunders Gallery, Wichita, KS