Articles

I have been an Austinite since 1967.

I attended Pflugerville Schools

I am a graduate of the University of Texas Fine Arts Program

Upon graduation from college, I immediately began my freelance career as an artist.
This beginning has led me down many varied paths ....

Illustration

Illustration work has been my bread and butter over the years. During college, I cut my teeth at a small Oak Hill print shop - Print Link Printing. I was a one man art department creating logos, spot illustrations, menus, brochures, t-shirts - you name it.

After college, I put together a portfolio and knocked on every potential art door in Austin. This led me to illustration and design work for Study Breaks Magazine with whom I worked sporatically for 4 years. Down the hall was the design firm, Graphic’s Unique. I immediately became their go-to illustrator. Graphic’s Unique recommended me to Meri Aaron Walker, the art director for “Texas Realtor Magazine”. I continue to do work for Meri today. From here, I was passed on to a variety of agency type magazines and was a regular contributor to Texas Realtor.

	Another knock proving worthy in the beginning was on the door of the Austin Chronicle. I began with doing spot illustrations. For a year I did political cartoons to accompany the section, “On the Lege”. I’ve done at least 4 covers. Today, I am a frequent contributor of caricatures to the music section’s, “TCB”.

Nationally, I’ve done illustration work for Hispanic Magazine and Fine Gardening Magazine. I’ve illustrated three children’s books: “Don’ Ever Cross that Road - an Armadillo Story” and “Life in the Slow Lane - A Desert Tortoise Tale”, and "Desert Night Shift - A Pack Rat Tale" Published by the RGU Group

Animation

I stumbled into animation via roommate Bob Sabiston. I worked on one of his early pieces - a set of shorts for PBS called “Figures of Speech”. The possibilities of Bob’s animation application caught Richard Linklater’s eye. I’ve since worked on two of Richard’s movies; “Waking Life” and most recently - “A Scanner Darkly”.

On my own, I’ve worked with Robert Krulwich of ABC News on a series of shorts for the “Fred Friendly Seminars”. I also directed an animated music video for Warner Bros. recording artist, Caleb Kane - his “Go Mad” video.

Design

A designer who can draw is a rare commodity. An artist with high computer skills is even better. Thankfully, I’ve taught myself and become adept at Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreaweaver, Final Cut Pro, Pagemaker, In Design, Strata 3D, Combustion, Quicktime and more.

With illustration you work sometimes. There is always a design job to do. Aside from business identity work like business cards/brochures, I’ve had experience in designing such things as; ads for West Austin News and Study Breaks Magazine, posters for Samsung, greeting cards, programs for Zilker Hillside Theatre, print ads for Microsoft via McCann Erickson, adwork and signage for Discount Electronics and much, much more.

I am also a capable web designer. Before there was any term like WYSIWYG, I created my own website; www.natespace.com. I worked with the Texas Commission on the Arts on their TCAnet Village in 1995. I worked again in 1998 on their Art on Art section of the site.
I became webmaster in 1998 for www.main.org and www.txarts.net. In this position, I assisted non-profits in understanding their web needs and enhancing their capability to create a web prescence for themselves.
I’ve created numerous sites over the years. Most notably sites for James Cotton - Superharp, Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education, Texas Cultural Trust Council, Waking Life Artists, and the Elephant Room.

One of my most fulfilling design jobs was working for Ricardo Hernandez, Janet Siebert and sculptor Jesus Moroles to create designs for a proposed renovation of Republic Square Park.
Here I had to hear, see and understand the concepts that Moroles envisioned for the park. This was to be translated into a medium that city officials and funders could comprehend. The result was a series of 3D/Photoshop renderings displaying different views of the park in context of the city.

Oil Painting

Oil painting is my passion and my meditation. It is something I must do to feel comfortable and mark my emotions to a time. I work alot with the dimensionality of the canvas. Many of my painting works buldge and twist off of the wall. In the last years, I discovered a process that allows for a curved shape for the outer edge as opposed to the standard rectangle. My characters in my paintings are often elongated, non-symmetrical and conscious of the viewer. I enjoy painting over all other pursuits and intend to put more focus on this career path in the years to come.

My first exhbition out of college was at the Museum of Natural History on the 2nd floor of the One American Center on Congress. I then exhibited regularly in coffee shops, restaurants and bars throughout Austin. I took my portfolio to Dallas and landed representation at Stout McCourt Gallery in the very young Deep Ellum district. I’ve organized a number of shows in town such as Mojo Art Shows in 1999 and 2000 (exhibitions in empty Congress Ave. spaces during SXSW), The 11:11 Art Show at 823 Congress (now AMOA), and numerous shows at The ART Hive. I also ran the artwork hanging at Austin Java Co. for many years and the AVAA window Gallery in the Norwood Tower. I have been included in a variety of group exhibitions as a long-time member of the Austin Visual Arts Association. Outside of Austin, I’ve exhibited in Charleston, SC, Long Island, NY, Mullumbimby Australia, and Paris France

Murals

My mural career started as a window washer in Australia. Down on my luck, I bought a bucket and a squeegy and began to go door to door in the small towns near where I lived in NSW asking to wash their windows. I soon met a bike shop owner wanting to attract attention to his store. The mural at Jay’s Bike Shop led to one two doors down at The Laughing Buddha and then to the next town for a mural for Nimbin Tours.

On return to the U.S., I was introduced to Charles Trois by illustration client Dave Miller of Double Dave’s. Trois was in the process of creating “The Feed Mill” shopping complex in Johnson City. Conquering a fear of heights and blistering Texas heat I painted the 60’ tall Feed Mill Grain Tower - now a landmark of the Hill Country. The Feed Mill was followed by the unlikely mural task of the Sketch Limousine.

Just as in Australia, one mural job led to another. Soon, I had large scale works at 2 of the Austin Java Co. locations, The Austin Music Hall, The Cue Lounge, Lovejoy’s, The Friendly Bar, Mirabelle Restaurant, Austin Homebrew Supply and Fuddruckers. My most recent murals covers some 10,000 feet of the new Discount Electronics on Anderson Ln. and over 50' of gym at Highland Park Elementary School.

Arts Organizations

When I returned to Austin from Australia, I was going to make Austin my home. I’d travelled all around the U.S. and to the other side of the earth and found no better place to be. But, I made myself a deal in that I had to become involved in the community.

I soon became a part in the formation of the Austin Tea Party - best described as an artist peer group. I hosted meetings at Peace Park where discussions were held about the state of the arts in Austin, pictures and portfolios were shared and artistic friendships were made.

Seeking a more solidly structured and more powerful in history and numbers group, I became involved in the Austin Visual Arts Association. Within a year I was a very active board member.
My most notable Chair positions included; organization of the 20th Anniversary Membership Exhibition, inclusion in the Uptown Arts District creation and block party, organization and expansion of the AVAA Membership Directory and Resource Guide, Norwood Office Tower exhibitions and the first AVAA website.

In 2001 I rented and renovated a 30’ x 50’ warehouse and called it the ART Hive. My concept was to create a space where artist could work, exhibit and exchange ideas. I would later offer painting lessons, create a website where our ideas could be shared, hold critique group sessions, and invite the communitiy to come meet artists in their work spaces via shows and workshops.

My goal is to practice my craft so that I do it well. All of my commercial art vehicles build my creative muscle and guide my technical skill so that when I enter the painter's studio, I am free to let the spirit of oil painting guide me to creations reflecting my inner self. The results are often humorous, sometimes tortured and as a whole reflective of my life as a career artist.

I don't believe a painting must be rectangular or square. I enjoy the possibilities of the canvas structure itself being interesting and provoking. I find that the 3-d and multicanvas works push the viewer to consider his/her position in relation physically and mentally to the art. The picture may be different if viewed from directly in front of or up close and to the right. It may leap at you from the wall or sit gracefully curved and somewhat tilted.

Imagery has consistently involved the personalities of emotional instances. What I mean by this is that generally each portion of the physically distorted characters describes its own individual state of mind. What the right hand communicates is wholly different than that of the left eye.