Nathan Novack is a native to the extreme corner of the Midwest located within 70 miles from what is known as the West and Southwest regions. He received his Associates Degree in Fine Arts at Garden City Community College then attended Kansas University where he studied graphic design and transitioned into art education. After receiving his Bachelors of Fine Arts and Bachelors of Science in Education from Fort Hays State University, Nathan taught high school and middle school art for 14 years. Here, he has learned just as much from his students as they have learned from him. He is intrigued by the untapped talents and minds of the students when creating, believing that there is art for everyone, whether two-dimensional or three-dimensional, abstract or representational. Nathan continues to progress in his professional artist status. As he explores the many paths for fulfillment of a painter, he is drawn to many representational artists.
Statement
Growing up on the rural landscape of western civilization, Nathan Novack developed his sense of observation and engagement within rural life and forged close connections with nature and its wildlife. Working through his education by painting houses, Novack developed an understanding of process, layers, color, lighting, texture, and problem solving on a large scale.
“I come from a family of 14, so when I was young we didn’t travel much. When we did, there were two places that stood out the most, the mountains along with its wildlife contrasting with the urban setting and everything in between. I feel there is a transitional connection, a unique coexistence and overlap of rural life, western and wildlife settings. One interfering with the other. Perhaps fences, species of animal or markers help distinguish these placements. I am compelled to paint, in their simplest forms as a narrative through physical senses of rawness and purity. Up close and personal as a visual documentation of aesthetic and kinesthetic integrity to their representational manner.” – Nathan Novack