Nathan Durfee found a soulmate in his artwork
“Winston Self Declaration”
“Cicadas Arriving in The Style”
Nathan Durfee
These days, Nathan Durfee is a household name around the Charleston art scene but that wasn't always the case. Four years ago, Durfee hung 15 paintings around the walls of Theater 99 and only sold one painting in a year. From there his work traveled to the Modernisme Gallery in West Ashley and then over to Robert Lange Studios where he has been the past few years and by whom he is currently represented.
As I walked into Durfee's new studio on King Street, he had just finished a large oil painting of an octopus wearing a sweatband, balancing a glass of milk on its head. Inside the glass of milk was a swirly straw that ended in the mouth of the octopus.
Durfee explained the octopus didn't want the milk to be salty. The beautiful painting on wood panel stood approximately 5 feet tall and was comprised of what Durfee calls patchwork paintstrokes; an evolution between pointillism and optical mixing. Durfee's work is carefree yet meticulous and full of humor; the SCAD educated illustrator is inspired by the works of Joe Sorren and Dave Mckean and is now working on a series of drawings for the Jazz Artists of Charleston Piccolo Spoleto series. Durfee keeps a regular painting schedule, puting in 6-8 hours a day and setting a goal of producing 1-2 paintings a week.
Now a full-time career artist, Durfee said, ''I grew comfortable with the idea of spending my life creating art, like the old friend who you slowly discover is your soulmate.''
To meet the artist, go to Robert Lange Studios at 2 Queen St. this Friday for the French Quarter Art Walk, 5-8 PM.
Web site: www.nathandurfee.com
Contact Info: nathandurfee@gmail.com
Birth date and place: June 26, 1983
Residence: Downtown Charleston, 5 years
Family: Mother, Helen; Father, Eric; Brother, Travis; Sister, Kress; Goldfish, Herbert.
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Illustration, Savannah College of Art & Design, 2005
Career: Artist, Illustrator
What book are you reading now? 'Overcoming Life's Disappointments' by Harold S. Kushner.
Price Range: $250-$6000
Goals: to teach painting at the School of Visual Art in NYC, to be represented by Allen Spiegal Fine Arts and to never grow tired.
RSS
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Notice about comments:Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full Terms and Conditions.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by signing up!