Artist Statement

When I received my acceptance to Loyola, I ordered a pair of white Vans sneakers. I had seen people drawing and painting symbols of their colleges on white vans and I wanted to do it too. At first, it was all just for fun, but it led to so much more. Friends and family demanding their own custom pair of shoes led me to create my own business, Labib Labeled. I continued to create custom art and clothing pieces after coming to Loyola, where I furthered my love in art by becoming an art minor, and soon discovered my love and talent for graphic design. A culmination of the past four years, this project shows how far I have come as an artist, graphic designer, and person by reminiscing back to the first pair of shoes I ever drew on.

Inspired by my final project from my Drawing with Color course last spring, where I created a large heeled boot that served as a showcase for my personality and personal loves through the colors, patterns, and items I represented on the shoe. Rather than creating a three￾dimensional project as I did last semester, I chose to integrate my graphic design experiences and found myself working digitally instead. Sketching on my Ipad, these began as drawings of three different types of shoes. I thought Baltimore’s food scene was best expressed through a Converse. The Baltimore Hon’s are represented by a Mary Jane high heel. The overall history of Baltimore is displayed on a combat boot.

To me, fashion and the clothes I wear is my way of saying to the world “This is who I am and this is what I love.” [Baltimore Sole expresses my love of Baltimore and its unique personality through the creation of larger than life shoes. My love of fashion can be attributed to my paternal grandmother; even as an adult, I still feel like a child playing dress up each time I step into her closet, rummaging through decorated hat and shoe boxes, and beautiful garments draped on the hangers. While personality can be expressed through many different items of clothing and accessories, I find that shoes often tell you the most.

Natalie Labib

About the Artist

Natalie Labib is a New York born, Baltimore based mixed-media artist and graphic designer. Currently working as a Graphic Design Creative Assistant for the Loyola Career Center, her digital signage can be found throughout Loyola University Maryland’s campus. Always having a strong love of fashion and embodying the clothes she wears as its own art form, she also owns Labib Labeled, where she sells custom clothing, accessories, home decor and other art pieces. Previously, Natalie has worked as a Marketing Associate for Luke’s Wings, a military nonprofit in Washington, D.C, designing custom neon signs, a challenge coin and a coloring book.Natalie’s work can also be found on Amazon, having designed the covers and interior pages for the novel Nuclear Option by Dorothy Van Soest.

Currently a senior at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, she is a Communications major and Studio Arts minor.