Multidisciplinary Artistry by Natasha LaFaye – Bold, Beautiful, and Boundless.
My Art Nouveau series, acrylic on etched mirror.
An exploration of beauty, culture, and reflection.
Natasha LaFaye is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores identity, culture, and becoming through portraiture, symbolism, and nature. Her practice blends contemporary storytelling with ancestral reverence, centering Black embodiment, culture, and reflection.
Commissions Open! If you would like a piece that embodies you or a reflection of your culture, send me an email! (Pieces can be completed within two to three weeks after final consultation, depending on composition.)
Natasha LaFaye Smith Crowned, 2025 Acrylic on etched mirror 25.5 in x 25.5 in, Framed $2,000 (Shipping included)
Plants are anchors of my everyday joy and a reminder of the abundance life offers. In this piece, I wanted to explore a culture whose bond with their landscape is both visible and deeply spiritual.
The Suri people of Ethiopia create gorgeous floral headpieces from the land that sustains them. Body modification, like stretched lobes and lip plates, as well as scarification are an expression of beauty and value. Their artistry is a living dialogue of their surroundings, a celebration of place, identity, and reverence. I aimed to capture the beauty of their women in this piece.
This painting is my homage to the harmony between people and the natural world, adornment as storytelling, and the universal language of beauty that is rooted in the earth.
Natasha LaFaye Smith Spring Forth, 2025 Acrylic on etched mirror 48 in x 24 in, Framed $4,000 (Shipping included)
Spring Forth is my testament to letting go and moving forward.
As my technique continues to evolve, so does my understanding of what it means to create honestly. Every step carries the possibility of irreparable mistakes, and rather than resisting that truth, I chose to stop wringing my hands over perfection. Instead, I focused on making what is beautiful. My surrender– to process, to imperfection, to becoming– is reflected in every aspect of this piece.
Hair, our crown, holds deep cultural, spiritual, and emotional significance within Black communities. This work features locs, a tradition that dates back to ancient Africa, where they were believed to carry spiritual power and a connection to the divine. That belief persists across the diaspora, regardless of geography or religious background. Have you ever cried after a haircut? For many of us, it is that deep.
Locs can hold personal energy and history. They are living records bearing witness to trauma, healing, growth, and renewal. In the modern age, wearing locs can also be an act of rebellion. They resist oppression and reject Western beauty standards that have long punished Black people for wearing their hair as it naturally grows. To wear locs, for many, is to stand against Eurocentric ideals and systemic racism.
I do not straighten my hair because it is not meant to be straight. My hair is in locs, because that is what it wants to do naturally. Embracing my hair has been an act of acceptance and self-trust– a vibrant expression of who I am. Locs are a powerful statement of Black pride, resilience, and authenticity. They represent freedom, individuality, and an unbroken connection to African heritage.
Within this piece, symbolism is intentional:
The African Lily: Its playful sprouts mirror locs gathered high, full of movement and life. Perfectly adapted to its environment, the African Lily is also fire-resistant, a quiet nod to survival and regeneration.
A Spring Sunrise: For a brief moment each day, every color is visible, shifting rapidly like possibility itself.
Her Gaze: She is moving forward, even as she looks back. She may be reflecting on who she was, where she has been, or perhaps she is meeting the viewer’s eyes.
No matter what, she continues onward. Keep up. Come with her. She must Spring Forth.
Natasha LaFaye Smith Regal Beauty, 2025 Acrylic on etched mirror 30.75 in x 19 in, Framed $3,000 (Shipping included)
I set out simply to paint a beautiful woman — not bound by race, but defined by grace, presence, and power. Yet in our world, there is always a statement, if not a quiet defiance, in the image of a Black woman who embraces her beauty, her culture, and her history without compromise.
The etched mirror surface transforms the experience of viewing her. As you move around the piece, her gaze seems to follow, her eyes alive with subtle shifts of light and shadow. Your own reflection becomes part of the work itself— a reminder that beauty is both seen and shared, and that identity is as much about how we see ourselves as how the world sees us.
Her headwrap, painted in warm amber tones, becomes a crown. Her posture, strong yet serene, places her in conversation with the flowing, organic elegance of Art Nouveau. Framed and ready to hang, this is a one-of-a-kind piece meant to command presence in any space.
