Local artist Natalia Koolman is Caribbean Queen for October 2016

Each month, Caribbean Queen at the Palm Beach Plaza Mall honors one local female artist who lives and creates here.  The Caribbean Queen program was launched when the store opened in late 2011, and has been running successfully ever since.

For the month of October 2016, local artist Natalia Koolman is the boutique's celebrated Caribbean Queen, showcasing her charming geometric mandalas, which symbolize the universe inHinduism and Buddhism. 

Born in Medellin, Colombia, Natalia finds inspiration for her art in the peaceful and spiritual. She arrived on the island in 2001 and was immediately influenced by Aruba’s serene and beautiful landscapes. She uses a variety of dot-painting techniques to create her mandalas, which are transformative and healing, and she has worked hard to mature her technique and elevate it to a vibrant, precise, and soul-engaging level.   

Her love for her family has cultivated her desire to stay home with the people she cherishes and experiment with dot painting as a way to entertain herself and her kids.  This has sparked an interest in further refining the technique and creating even more intricate mandala designs.

She regularly gets inspired while walking around the north coast in search of her favorite black stones. Then she starts the design in her imagination and transfers the profound beauty of Aruba's nature onto the stones.

When painting, she envisions absolute peace and tranquility on the island and in the universe.  She happily connects with the colors of her surroundings, the sea, the sun, and the shapes she encounters.

Caribbean Queen earmarks a percentage of all sales for its Tikkun Olam (Repair of the World) program. The collected funds are given annually to local not-for-profit organizations in an ongoing effort to serve the community. All the foundations served with donations from Caribbean Queen are dedicated to the promotion of art and artisan education on the island.

Enjoy unique mandalas by Natalia Koolman throughout the month of October at the Palm Beach Plaza Mall.