Artist Spotlight: Nathan Chenery

Nathan Chenery is an exciting multi-talented artist based in the city of York. The thing that will immediately hook you about Nathan before you even see his work is his affecting enthusiasm and infectious drive to succeed in the ever-competitive art market.

Currently employed by his former university York St John (where he graduated from the Art and Design course in 2005) as Fine Art Technical Demonstrator and, as Arts Advisor of the Revolving Gallery, 26-year-old Nathan is never bored and maintains that the art and creative scene in York is what keeps him motivated. “Art in this city is growing, developing and becoming stronger all the time and Bar Lane Studios is really helping.”

The enterprising artist explains that after graduation he was unsure about how he would move forward but sufficiently fuelled by the intense desire to develop his craft, Nathan found work and began his career as a freelance artist. He comments: “I was a bit numb  after graduation and was very nervous but I tried to do as much stuff as possible – I had some success with some of my work and as a result my confidence kept growing and I was able to move on and develop.”

Nathan enjoyed a variety of rolls within the arts sector before finding his current day-job at the university and maintains that his time at St John‘s has had a positive impact on his life as an artist post-graduation. He comments: “I learned a lot from studying at York St John‘s because I had to actually go out there and do some work experience as an artist – beyond that, as soon as I graduated I managed a gallery in York called Minster Fine Art, so the experience I’ve gained has been a great help to me apart from being self-employed and running my own projects.

“My day-job is also very creative, a lot of the time I am working very closely with students when they are doing a specific project I will be there to help them with that.”

Nathan reflects on the growth of his own business and how it has developed through networking and a building relationships as part of a team. He says: “The Revolving Gallery was formed in 2009 by myself and three other directors – we are an event-based gallery.

“We feature different artists from alternating venues around the city. It’s been great really positive because we were able to receive the Proof Of Concept fund from YSJ which has helped out immensely – we were allowed to hold our very first event here which was a fantastic way to get us started!

“My Mum and Dad actually own their own business, so I have always grown-up around people who are self-employed and just trying to work every hour that God sends in order to make it work. So, I have been lucky because things like tax I have learned from being around my Mum – she’s great at business and my Dad’s good at the practical stuff.”

Nathan comments on his biggest challenge on a daily basis as an artist. “I think that one of the biggest is finding the time to fit it all in around my normal job which I still need to do to get some money in and get by. Of course, it’s also challenging just finding places to show my work – trying to stretch beyond York for exhibitions can be very hard even though I have many connections after five-plus years in the city.”

Despite the struggles that come with being a professional creative nowadays, Nathan asserts that it is important to remain determined and true as an artist in such a competitive environment. He says: “You need to be passionate, but you also need to be honest about what you can do – it’s very easy as an artist to get pulled into working on things that you don’t want to, for example hosting workshops to make money. If that’s what you want to do then great, go for it! But if not, then you aren’t being the artist that you want to be.”

When describing his style and key skills which often crossover, Nathan says: “I draw in a very abstract way using a nib and ink pen and pencil – I paint with oils and then I do some print work usually just drypoint etching and lino are the two that I work with regularly. Those are the main four areas that I focus on.

Developing the conversation further, the eager artist happily discusses his inspirations and how the feelings and emotions that inspire a piece can be different depending on the medium: “For the print work that I do there are two sides – the drawing and then the print side – the painting that I do is quite a different process. I think both forms still have the same feelings and ideas but the print stuff is more structured whereas the painting allows me to be a lot more free.”

Referencing his new home at Bar Lane, Nathan is obviously looking forward to the future and he positively reflects upon how important the place has become to him since he entered. He says: “I can go into the space and get into the creative mind-set,” he says. “When I am at home, I feel relaxed so I have to move everything just to get myself in a working mind-set the two don’t meet, so having that separate space is very useful.

“For everyone else though, Bar Lane will be useful in terms of networks and talking to people. Sharing ideas can be useful for everyone involved.”

Talking of goals, Nathan mentions his hope to spend more time at the studios. “It’s got a really good atmosphere and I have met everyone now,” he explains. “Unfortunately though, because of work I am always down on a Sunday which is a day that not everyone likes – I will get down there more soon!”

While it’s not clear whether Nathan will be able to regularly balance his massive workload over the course of the coming months enough to make it into the building on a more regular basis, it’s obvious that his versatile nature has taken him far within the ever-expanding York scene, and with the support of Bar Lane he will continue to thrive at a national level as a result of his honest and heartfelt approach. “I collect art, sell it, make it and to an extent I teach it at the university, so I am quite happy doing all of those pastimes,” he adds. “I can quite happily work on the Revolving Gallery, have my current job and be an artist – in an ideal world having the main job as an artist would be what I would pick but in this day and age it’s not the most sustainable of careers so I’d like to do an MA and go into lecturing at some point.”

Good luck!

For more information visit Nathan‘s official website here.

Bar Lane Studios’ opening night [June 25, 2010] A View From The Inside

On Bar Lane‘s opening night, things are looking very positive. Not because the summer sun is still shining (at 7pm), but because I stand looking at the entrance to the building and I feel a great sense of pride at being involved in the whole process. As a reporter, it is my job to observe proceedings, comment and take lovely pictures to break up any lengthy rambling, so I’ll start doing that in a few words time, but yes, it is clear to me that what Ben Clowes (Project Manager) and the staff at Bar Lane are offering tonight is a glimpse at the massive potential for this impressive structure to change (and shape) the lives of many creatives in the Yorkshire region and, as such it feels very special.

I enter through the side door of the building and am greeted instantly with vibrant and stunning artwork sourced from local artists who got in touch before the opening to have their work displayed, it’s a fascinating sight and great for this writer to see visual evidence of the talent that’s on offer regionally and locally – great stuff (and congrats, of course to all of the artists who managed to have their work shown – I hope you manage to sell it!).

So, what can Bar Lane offer artists and art lover in the York area? I share a few words with some of the artists who are now residents about what they hope to get out of this fantastic resource.

“IT’S GOING TO BE NICE TO GET MESSY” – NATHAN CHENERY

The first person I grab to sit down and talk to about his thoughts on Bar Lane is local drawer and painter David Patrick (pictured below). The artist, who has spent time on the committee for another not-for-profit project York Open Studios before now, says that a residency at Bar Lane will help him expand and evolve his art. “It is the perfect for me to move forward with my work, simply because I live in an apartment in York’s city centre and the space just isn’t big enough.”

David goes on to expand on how he thinks having the studio in York will benefit the community and help local artists to thrive. It’s obviously going to be very important. Other museums in the area don’t really have time for local artists and as a result, these talented people get very little exposure”, he adds. “Here, it’s all about local artists and we can share a gallery with the likes of Matisse and Dali – it’s a fantastic opportunity to learn, develop and meet with other people.”

Speaking on the next evolution of his work, David says: “I want to open up my style a lot further and leave room for experimentation – I hope to push some new styles while focusing on improving as a painter and drawer.”

The second artist in residence that I meet is acclaimed “stained glass-worker” Julia Spall. Her innovative and passionate approach to creating has allowed her to create truly inspired pieces – having worked on glass for years as part of the York Glaziers Trust (working on and preserving the glass at York Minister was a particular highlight) until last year when she started her business, this artist is not short on experience. Julia (pictured below) explains that she will use her new space at Bar Lane Studios to expand and develop her career. She says: “I want to do more tuition work and having the studio will give me a base – it will be so much easier to work from and hopefully I will be able to do some workshops and get some commissions!”

The scope and diversity of Bar Lane‘s new crop of artists is very credible. After meeting with Julia, I ventured into the studio next door and found an interesting artist who works in a variety of mediums including site-specific installation and sculptures.  Julia McKinlay (pictured below) is keen to become more established in York having returned to her place of birth after spending time studying in Glasgow. She says, “While York has always had a great community of talented artists, it has been lacking in a bigger space to work, or even to hold exhibitions – I can see Bar Lane making a huge difference to artists in this city as there will be a lot more exposure.” Julia explains that she is looking forward to experimenting with plastic and getting her hands on more industrial materials in the new space, and I, for one am looking forward to seeing how that comes out!

While I couldn’t pin elusive local painter Nathan Chenery down for a photograph, I did manage to get a snap of his new studio (below) and grab him for a few seconds to get his thoughts on working at Bar Lane. He considers for a moment and then happily talks about his desire to use the space to its full potential. “It’s going to be nice to get messy and I am looking forward to using lots of colours.

“It’s going to give me (and everyone else) a great chance to network and collaborate – I think that’s how Bar Lane will be great for artists in York, as a hub for people to talk and share ideas.”

Bar Lane has not just benefitted local artists in the community but the space has also been providing opportunities for young people to work in the arts sector. York St. John’s theatre student and performance artist, Kiran Tanna talks about his duties as Front Of House for the studios. He comments: “My role basically involves talking to customers and making sales.”

“It’s been great for me to see all of these local artists get their work up next to the likes of Dali and John Squire and there are going to be more chances for people to get involved in the future. The space to create is huge and with the AV

Download: -visual

  room, Mac studio and loads of teaching courses and workshops, Bar Lane is shaping up to be a really positive resource – other galleries in this city don’t show local artists’ work for very long and so there’s a real niche for York there.”

Next up, I found Zoe Marsh (studio space pictured above) on the second floor of the building – she creates homemade jewellery under the name Glance and recently she has had her work exposed internationally by Vogue magazine. Zoe is now looking to develop her brand with the help of those around her at Bar Lane, she says: “I have been making jewellery for five years – I also do glass making on the side.

“It’s fantastic to have a dedicated workspace at Bar Lane alongside other artists and creative people and it’s going to be really important as there are not many great facilities like this in York – I am already meeting some very interesting people and I feel at home.”

I followed my short chat with Zoe by speaking to an artist who is a little different to the other new studio occupants. One of the most interesting and dedicated new artists to enter Bar Lane is Stan Sandig – the 64-year-old has a brain disorder (as a result of a bleed in the brain) and so he requires 12 hours of sleep each evening and two hours each day. The diverse artist (pictured below with his mannequin, named ”Monique’) says that using Bar Lane will give him the freedom to work as he pleases without any pressure. “I have finally found a space that is practical for me to work in at a price that I can afford.

“I have previously worked in isolation and so it was difficult for me to practice my profession and now I can be constantly surrounded by people to keep me inspired while I am awake – I love being in touch with art.”

Moving on, dynamic local illustrator Chris Jevons (pictured) explains how Bar Lane can provide a gateway for art students into work. He says: “It can be so hard to go from uni straight into work but with Bar Lane people can get the experience and contact that they need through the professional staff and support.

“The cool thing about this place is that, even if you are not an artist you can still come around, look at people’s work and feel inspired – I am really looking forward to getting to know some of the other artists, sharing ideas and trying new stuff for myself.”

Sarah Knowles (pictured) is a multimedia artist who works in a variety of mediums including stitch paper, paint and jewellery. She explains that it’s Bar Lane‘s ethos that first caught her eye. “When I first found out about Bar Lane it was because of the not-for-profit idea and I had been looking for space – it’s great to have residency here and it is certainly a golden opportunity.”

Sarah expands on how she will use the studios space to further her career. She says: “It’s exciting to be part of a creative community and it will be great for me to network with people from other disciplines, I am looking forward to trying out oil-painting in the future too.” Continuing the positive mood, abstract painter Mark Fieldsend (below) comments on what working at Bar Lane offers. He says: “It’s going to be great really – there’s a diverse community here and this space is a perfect hub for creativity.

“I am really looking forward to sitting down with people in the cafe to talk about ideas and getting to know them better.”

Towards the end of the night, I managed to catch a representative of Creative York, who have been behind Bar Lane Studios‘ efforts since day one. Heather Niven comments on how pleased she is that Bar Lane has been received so well. “We are looking forward to working with Bar Lane a lot more in the future because there is great potential for the artists here to mentor graduates in the city.”

It’s positive for the artists who have now taken up residence at Bar Lane to be able to work with a group of people because many have previously worked in isolation – there are a number of opportunities to make progress using the wealth of space and facilities, and I am really proud of Ben and his team for what they have achieved and taking the project from just a concept up to this point. “

Before I leave, I share some words with an artist who will play a huge part in the gallery’s future before the end of 2010, we met outside the venue where I took the nice photo below. The name is Keith Hopewell (his collection of forward thinking “street art” is internationally recognised  as ‘Part 2ism‘), and in November of this year he will join the list of acclaimed artists who have had their work exhibited at Bar Lane when he brings a retrospective career-spanning collection of  conceptual paintings (from 1995 to 2010) for show in the gallery. As someone who was born in York and left to go to London because of the capital’s thriving art market, Keith recognises the importance of Bar Lane and how it can play a role in putting York on the map as a centre for art in the UK. He says: “It’s great for these artists because they can network and create together and that’s what it’s all about.

“When I started out there really weren’t these kinds of places open in York, and there hasn’t been much recently, so  it’s fantastic to see how the artistic community has developed in the city and I am pleased to be bringing my work back here later on in the year.”

Indeed. Good luck everyone.

Thanks for coming!

For more information visit the new website.

Kind regards.

Words and images: Dom Smith

You can hear some audio interviews with Julia Spall and Zoe Marsh   recorded by Mike Leigh Cooper.