Current work
Archive
WR—001
04–OCT–26
04–OCT–26
artist statement
#artiststatement #bio
#artiststatement #bio
Nathaniel Whalen (b. 1981, Pennsylvania) is a contemporary painter now living near Atlanta, United States, whose work explores abstract fields of color and landscape horizons. He is fascinated by the dichotomy of opposing elements—light versus dark, loud versus quiet, smooth versus coarse, order versus chaos—and the transitional spaces where these elements intersect. He posits that these "spaces between spaces," which embody both certainty and uncertainty, are essential for human growth, allowing one to emerge from difficulty into a more evolved state.
Working primarily in oil on canvas with a wax-based medium, and occasionally in gouache on paper, the artist incorporates raw materials such as pigment dust, charcoal, thread, and fine wire made from precious metals, along with found inorganic objects. He uses the thread and wire to sew abstract patterns directly into the canvas, creating fields of color that evoke otherworldly landscapes and settings.
This style is a combination of expressionism and minimalism, focusing on the representation of the incomprehensible. Visually, the work is characterized by dark earth tones, textural mark-making, and recurring motifs of multiple color fields. These planes of color are occasionally broken by horizontal interruptions using paint or materials in relief. Central to the practice is the use of inorganic materials sourced from the earth, including precious metals, earth pigments, and occasionally minerals from an 18th-century iron refinery where he grew up in Pennsylvania.
For the artist, creating allows him to channel internal restlessness, transforming a complex, divergent inner world into something visual. This practice serves as a meditative outlet for the spontaneous and intuitive connection of ideas that might otherwise remain trapped in thought. Through this process, the work acts as a vessel for personal growth and catharsis, marking emotional milestones and providing a record of his evolution.
Nathaniel’s themes center on the "philosophical sublime," contrasting our current dystopian reality against the possibility of a more utopian world. He uses his work to push past individualism and greed toward a collective human goal centered on equality, creative culture, and peaceful coexistence. By focusing on the shared human experience rather than the ego, his art encourages a shift toward a more empathetic and collective future.
While his narratives are deeply personal and intimate, he intends for the work to be open-ended, inviting the viewer to project their own experiences onto the canvas. This allows the art to become a collaborative narrative between himself and the viewer. Ultimately, he views creating as an essential human impulse; he pursues art to fill an existential void and explore themes that transcend time.
His career is divided into two distinct periods. The first began in his twenties, focused on image-making and the search for a unique style while attempting to carve out the time and focus needed to sustain a creative career. Eventually, he stepped away from his practice to focus on family and a decade of corporate work as a graphic designer. This was followed by a transition into a non-traditional domestic role, where he and his partner decided that he would take primary responsibility for raising their children while his partner worked.
Reflecting on this hiatus, Nathaniel now views that period as a missed opportunity for artistic exploration, which has further fueled his drive to return to his practice. Now, in a renewed phase of creativity, he has reclaimed his time and focus, allowing him to fully commit to his development as an artist.
Currently, he is engaged in a series exploring the tension between "a horizon and a terminus." By treating these concepts as internal rather than physical, he investigates the transformation of the self and continues to evolve the language used to describe this process. In his latest works, Nathaniel is experimenting with the integration of precious metal wire; these pieces are currently in progress as he refines the technique and conceptual approach before their eventual completion.