#StudentSpotlight: Natalia Davis, MA Fine Art Graduate from CSM | Cass ArtMA Fine Art Graduate and Cass Art Prize Winner Natalia Davis tells us all about her fine art printing on aluminium,. Read the interview with the artist here.FINE ART ARTIST NATALIA DAVIS & HER WINNING SCREEN PRINT

A landscape falls down a sheet of metal; printed red, magenta, yellow, and bold inits textured layers against the white wall. These are the artworks of Natalia Davis,MA Fine Art graduate of Central St Martins(CSM) this year, and winner of the Cass Art Prize.Natalia was awarded 1000 to spend on art supplies for her innovative use of materials in her Degree Show piece. We wanted to find out more about the artist behind the screen-printed artwork, and ask about her plans once she leaves CSM.

Fine Art graduate Natalia Davis with Mark CassCongratulations on winning the Cass Art Prize, Natalia! Do you have an inkling on which art materials youre going to stock up on?I plan to spend a lot of time in store! I think I will be looking for art materials thatI wouldn't typically go for. And I look forward to treating myself to some new brushes!Your winning work was Cascade, a screen print on aluminium, which was an unusual and imaginative way to see the printing method presented. How did you arrive at printing on aluminium?I started using the sheet aluminium early on during the MA, using the reflective surface in the construction of my photographic and digital art. Printing on the aluminium began as a way of further integrating these formative stages into the work. The rigidity of the material means that I am able to develop the surface andmaintain the thinness of the print on paper.

Texture of paint: Aluminium wall artYour practice seems to combine more traditional art materials pastels, acrylic and gesso with the digital processes of photocopying and printing. Do you find a tension between these two things?There is certainly a dialogue between the digital art and the more physical, manual aspects involved in the production of the works. Particularly with printing and image processing becoming digitised to such an extent, there is still the continuation of print making traditions and a desire to deal with images in a more tangible way. I enjoy being able to conflate and in some sense undermine the technologies, using the digital to examine the more traditional and vice versa.

Natalia Davis Artist Can you describe the inspiration behind the textures and surfaces of your screen prints?When creating fine art paintings on aluminum the surface is prepared, to make sure that the paint adheres, and the development of the primed, textured surfaces goes from here. The work becomes more about the relationship

between surface and image, what is lost and gained during the print transfer. This also relates to the wider themes of my practice involving shifting landscapesand unstable grounds. Your accompanying text is beautifully written lining the surface in clumsy magenta is a particularly accurate image. Do you write texts for all your pieces, and if so, why?The text is a first! I wanted to include a piece of writing in the degree show catalogue that didn't explain my artwork but indicated something of my approach and the connections between landscape, image and print.

Text about Cascade screen print art

How has your practice progressed on your MA at Central St Martins?There has been such intense focus; we are only just starting to appreciate how fareveryone has progressed. With my practice, there is much better coherency between my research areas and the production of the work, including the art materials that I am using and processes involved. I came to the course with a painting-based practice. The preparatory work that was involved in the development of my paintings, including photography, image processing, printing and collage, is now much better integrated into my practice, and opens up possibilities for new work. What are your plans after leaving CSM?Top of the list is to find a studio! I am also starting to apply to residencies, which would take place later this year or in 2016. I have enjoyed being involved in small, group exhibitions during the MA, and plan to organise some further collaborative projects over the next year. If you had one piece of advice for someone considering an MA in Fine Art, what would it be?Visit the colleges and talk to the students!

Central St Martins Degree Show Feeling inspired?Read our blog on the two winners of the Cass Art Prize this year, including Natalia as the MA winner and Helena de Pulford as the BA winner. You can visit Natalia Davis's website here.

You can find out more about the shows and Central Saint Martins here, or tweet about the shows using the hashtag #CSMshows2015.Use the hashtag #StudentSpotlight to find our other blogs on student degree shows this year.