Nathan John Strother
John Strother
Nathan John Strother, Blood Moon and Little Else, 8 x 10 inches, Oil pastel on bristol

My name is Nathan John Strother, was born on Feb 5,1953, and I currently live in the Atlanta, GA area. Though I've been painting off and on for 30 years, I am now finally becoming a professional artist.

I love abstract. The possibilities are endless, and interpretation is really up to the viewer. As the artist, I often begin a painting with something specific in mind, but almost always end up with something completely different. But this is what I love about abstract art. It will take you to unknown places.

Artist's Statement:

The abstract styles make me crazy with excitement, thinking about the infinite possibilities of what could be expressed on the canvas. I love the biomorphic thing. There is really nothing hugely complex in my abstract art. Just getting an idea is exciting, as I think about
certain shapes and their relationship to each other. And then visualizing it through to completion is satisfying. I can see shapes, colors, lines, etc, and as I work I feel their need to come together into a composition. I will get a snapshot in my mind of a balancing of these components, and the end result often turns out to be something completely different from what I first had in mind. These compositions just paint themselves, so to speak. I also love to use the power of color to emote.

It is up to each individual viewer as to what they see or feel within my or any artist's work. One person might see beauty, calmness, melancholy, or suffering. The next person might see a butterfly, a tiger, or a smashed bug. But that’s what I love about abstract. It’s not right or wrong. It’s completely up to the viewer. They can make it theirs in a very personal way. I give it to them and I’m happy to do so.

Without going into a boring dissertation about what art means to me, I'd just like to say this one thing: it invigorates me. And as I study things to work up a painting, I am more and more impressed by mankind's Creator, who would be the Ultimate Artist....