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.
