Nathan Lee
Nathan Lee is an accomplished visual and musical artist with a compulsion for meaningful creation. He was born in Oklahoma City and raised in a well-rounded home where his parents encouraged creativity. Nathan, the youngest of three artistic kids, fondly recalls how his brother's love of comic books and his sister's devotion to creating fashion illustrations informed his creative path. And while most kids from the 80's played Atari video games, Nathan spent hours in the local library devouring books that laid the foundation for creating lyrics.
Although Nathan had strong illustrative talents, he felt a music career would be more lucrative. "Making music was associated with making money, and visual art never had that appeal," states Nathan. So, shortly after school, he moved to New York to be closer to the underground hip-hop scene. While in the big city, he formed artist friendships, shared his potent rhymes, and fell in love with street art. The freeing nature of the fresh artistic style inspired Nathan to begin creating work under the moniker POPE, meaning Perception Of Person Experience.
While Nathan's appetite for the visual arts grew, his music aspirations waned the deeper he delved into the business. When he finally landed a record deal, he watched with disdain as his management filtered everything he created. He felt his melodic art was constrained and converted into nonsense, so he leaned into his paintings. "With music, I had to change my accent and appearance. But with visual art, I didn't have to change."
Remnant of Virtue by Nathan Lee
Nathan eventually returned to Oklahoma City, where notable mixed media artist Paul Medina became his mentor. Medina, also an Objets Trouvés consigned artist, helped him avoid common emerging artist mistakes and enter the local art community. Medina also predicted that Nathan would undergo an artistic evolution. And before long, he went from painting graffiti art on panels to shaping stunning three-dimensional figurative sculptures out of bio-organic material.
To Nathan, art frees him from life's practicality so he can explore the limits of possibility. "I don't have to define my role with art. I can create the role as I go, without rules.” Compulsion is the driving factor for everything he makes. The urge to produce something from an idea starts the process, and the energy continues until the piece feels finished. Nathan says, "The older I get, the less control I have. I understand the materials and technique, but whatever comes out moves me in the direction it needs."
No matter what he designs, Nathan's artwork communicates bold ideas that help him face internal adversity. "I want to inspire the audience to think, but also inspire my change," states Nathan. Each different medium he works with expresses how he feels about what is happening in society. For example, one of the prominent themes in his pieces is the collapse of community connectedness because it worries him the most. "If we do not value each other, we stop caring."
Nathan's need to evolve as an artist reflects his recent shift towards film and the relocation of his studio to the new Objets Trouvés gallery location. Recently Nathan returned from a trip to Italy, where people embrace art everywhere. "The new location feels like an Italian villa, and it will bring joy to my creative process and inspire me in a way other workspaces and studios have not done before." As the Artist in Residence in the new location, Nathan knows the space will make him more productive and bring him closer to the creative community that gathers in the gallery.
Please visit the Objets Trouvés website to learn more about Nathan Lee and view his paintings available for purchase.
