Nat Bateman

Natalie Bateman is an Aboriginal artist of the Walbanja-Yuin people. Born in 1972 into one of the largest South Coast Aboriginal families the Ellas and Stewarts, she grew up around the coast, in La Perouse and Maroubra Beach, and also some time in Nambucca Heads.

Nat originally worked as a chef. But while living in Lennox Head in her early 20s she found her passion lay elsewhere: she “swapped knives for a paintbrush” and began her journey as an artist.

Her deep connection to the coast infuses her art. She draws on her heritage, the traditions, stories, environment and ancestral memories of her Walbanja-Yuin lineage as the central inspiration for her work.

Nat works full time from her kitchen-table studio, using acrylics, watercolours and Japanese inks. Over time she has moved away from dot painting, instead favouring triangles and line work, a style rooted in traditional Yuin art to reflect her identity and spiritual connection to land and sea.

Her paintings often celebrate sea creatures, ocean life and coastal landscapes; recent exhibitions also explore less obvious but vital elements such as sand for instance, her 2024 show Djaadjawan at Cox Gallery considered sand (“djaadjawan” in Dhurga) as a living, life-giving component of her Country.

In addition to solo exhibitions, Natalie has contributed murals, graphic design projects, and cultural-arts workshops. She has delivered art and language workshops for schools and community groups teaching Aboriginal art techniques, traditional painting with ochre, and the use of Dhurga language.

Through her vivid, pattern-rich and culturally grounded paintings, Natalie offers a contemporary voice rooted in ancient traditions celebrating her people, their Country, and the ongoing story of connection to land and sea.