Nate Burbeck

My paintings depict psychologically infused narratives where the familiar is imbued with a sense of sublime mystery. Figures are suspended between dreams and reality, transfixed by surreal aberrations, ethereal elements and transported states of mind. Visual components are allusionary reflections drawn from my past growing up in an insular religious group, living in a milieu of end-times prophecies, unsettling otherwise quiet perceptions of banal Midwestern normalcy. Undercurrents are fused with influences of film, science-fiction, magical realism and place to explore isolation, longing, wonder and loss in an attempt to visualize inchoate feelings, atomized and diluted with the distance of time.

Could you tell us a little more about your background and how you began creating art?

I had a peculiar upbringing growing up in a quasi insular fundamentalist religious household in suburban Minneapolis, in the American Midwest. In part this and other experiences (traveling to other regions of the country either to visit family or attend religious functions, for example) would come to influence some of my artwork and interests years later. Artistically I was always naturally inclined towards art making, whether from encouragement and exposure to art or my constant drawing and doodling as a child. I didn’t come to painting though until the last year and a half in my undergraduate studies but it was a medium that really consumed my interest and I’ve been developing my artistic practice through it ever since.

What does your art aim to say to its viewers?

Many qualities of my work, especially in more narratively driven pieces draw their inspiration from my past memories and experiences, those inchoate notions of traversing multiple realities. The pull between the known world of reality and inner psychological worlds of the unreality, refracted through the creative process. My work then not only aims to imbue an evocative sense of tension and wonder, but also to present something both beautiful and mysterious, even in subtler, non-narrative reliant pieces.

However I understand that many viewers will largely interpret the work from their own experiences, predispositions and contexts. This disconnect is desirable as it implies my work is not some means of direct messaging but rather a way to hopefully facilitate new and unexpected reactions in the viewer, creating at best a visual prism of experience. The best art asks more questions than it answers and I hope in its own way mine achieves that too.

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What is your daily routine when working?

The landscape imagery for my work is derived from reference photos I’ve taken, and so most of my ideas start from research I do in Google Street View to plot out trips of various lengths. Sometimes these can be long trips that take several hours of driving or even a rare flight to complete, other times they encompass only short distances and walks. Once I’ve found an area or multiple spots that interest me I’ll travel to a given location and wander with my camera to take photographs. The experience of being in the actual landscape is very important as it can really dictate and change what I see and am drawn to, sometimes dramatically so from when I first see a space only through a computer screen. After taking photos, when I have a number of shots taken I then will edit those in Photoshop and figure out a composition. This is usually where ideas for a new painting will start to develop. If there’s an idea I like for a landscape setting I’ll then sketch out those ideas and, if possible, arrange with models to take reference figurative photos. These along with other imagery or references found online or through other means are then combined into a rough composition that gets sized to a proportionate canvas that I build and stretch myself.

My painting process itself can take quite a long time as my work can be very detailed and I am a bit of a slow, deliberate worker. The entire time it takes me to make a painting can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months, depending on the size and scope of the canvas. Though I try when I can to work throughout the day I’ve found that my mind is most active at night, so my most productive time to work is usually late in the evening and early morning hours. I listen to a lot of music and podcasts, plus the occasional audiobook when I’m working in the studio.

What is the essential element in your art?

I’d say the narrative quality and depiction of light. These seem to be two of the most noted elements I’ve heard mentioned when hearing from others about my artwork.

In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society?

I don’t think artists can be defined in any specific role. I view art as an innately human activity, a kind of nonverbal communication that reflects not only the artist or creators of a given artwork but the time and place in which it was created. Paradoxically and fantastically art can also transcend these boundaries of time and culture to speak to our shared experiences. An expression of what it is to be alive in all the vast spaces between joy and sorrow.

Website: nateburbeck.com