Natasha Epperson is a self-taught illustrator and photographer whose works seek to unearth the dark sensual nature of her subjects. An illustrator since she can remember, Natasha began taking photos of her models so they would not have to sit for long hours as she drew them. From there her love affair with photography began which has become her passion.
"Photography didn't really hit me in the heart and soul until 'bout two years ago when I didn't want models to have to sit for 2 hours for me while I drew them. In exchange for modeling for me I would do modeling portfolio's for them. It turned into a passion that I could not deny. I absolutely fell in love with looking through the lens and seeing a world that became nothing but lines and curves, colors and beauty. With photography I discovered a way to capture people's soul in a way I seemed unable to do with my artwork. Not to mention, I'm an impatient person and love the instant results of photography."
As an illustrator, Natasha has been influenced by artists such as Patrick Nagel, Olivia and Brom. Natasha's illustrations have a strong Olivia feel to them, with a bit of a darker edge. Natasha's goal is to create erotic art that is more than straight pornographic nudity, having a deeper and more mysterious quality about it. She finds sources of inspiration in the world around her.
"Music had a lot of influence as well as movies. But mostly ideas just pop into my head from a random thought or something I see. Sometimes its the clothing I see that gives me the idea- ie the photos of Blu with the Straight Jacket. I wanted something psycho and crazy. . ."
Natasha Epperson: Serenity
Using a variety of mediums, Natasha draws all her images by hand. When painting she prefers sign paint to achieve a smooth, rich finish, and when illustrating she uses Indian ink. Often she scans her black and white illustrations and paints them with Photoshop. She sometimes prefers colored pencils or pastels, and some of her images are using mixed mediums.
Besides her artwork, Natasha has used her creativity in writing as well, although she considers herself a hobbyist in this area. Her poem Pondering was published in the Library of Poetry Books.
"Writing used to be a passionate love of mine that over the years lost my heart. `shrugs` not really sure why I got out of writing, used to write every moment of every day and would illustrate my characters. I guess the problem is that when you have so many creative ideas and so many different outlets, you really have to decide what outlet you wish to devote to become the best at. For awhile it was my writing, than it was my illustrations, but now its my photography. I still write, but its more of a hobby now."
Pondering
by Natasha Epperson '98
In the Night where phantoms dwell,
I stand in solitude eternal.
The lord hath forsaken me endless
In my drifting over times unmeasureable-
I yearn for a glimpse of the gleaming
sun;
Yet all I hold are my minds images,
memory holds the dawn in all his
crimson glory,
And reality holds the moon in
his shadow Light.
The moon is my eternal light.
And in my pain, how can I compare
the sun
to a harvest moon?
The clouds of day to the stars
of night that
spread like a woman's jewels.
I can not.
But he is forever something I can
not reach. . .
Halloween is a special time of year for Natasha which holds happy memories for her.
"My best halloween was when I
was about 12 and lived in San Diego. I had a halloween party which
my parents spent 'bout $100 on candy and junk food for the party.
We rented a TON of horror movies. Welll..... No one showed
up but Debbie (who's been my best friend for 'bout 15 years now).
We decided to not let the party be a waist and went trick or treating,
pigged out until we couldn't move and watched horror movies all night long."
Natasha lives in Houston, Texas and uses her apartment as a pseudo-studio. Her work have been gaining attention in many medias including the web. She has many plans for future projects.
"I'm working on a halloween project
of Blu- she'll be wearing a witches hat and nothing else. I'll be
shooting it on a black back drop. Also have some night shoots planned.
And an underwater shoot of a model (not decided yet) wearing a gas mask
and latex body suit. Other than that,
lots of ideas that haven't played
out yet."
"Off-line (my work has been used for) a few cd covers, but no galleries. Haven't really been approached yet. Oh- a photo of Mistress Precious will be in the December issue of DDI. As for online my work can be found in a lot of places such as: Jason Beams Studios, Erotic Candy, The Colors and Scarlet Letters. "
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