Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Bertling
Hi Nathan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a young boy, drawing was my favorite outlet for creative expression. Nurtured by good teachers through my grade school years, i eventually chose to major in studio art in college. However, it wasn’t until my late twenties that I pursued professional training under American master artist Ben Long in Asheville, NC. After receiving a firm grounding in the Old Master tradition of artists’ materials & methods, I’ve continued to explore drawing and oil painting as vehicles for better understanding the world around me. Composing a picture requires much more than mere technical skill; at its deepest, it calls for considerable effort in emotional reflection and plumbing of the soul.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been. Aside from the financial challenges of pursuing a career in the arts, the creative path can be quite lonely at times. Part of my journey involved coming to terms with my own struggles with an alcohol addiction. This was one of the hardest periods of my life, both physically and emotionally. And yet, it was also a spiritually and psychologically transformative period for me as well. Having been sober for over a dozen years, my creative work continues as a refinement in both skill and soulfulness.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a draftsman and painter rooted in the classical tradition, I prize working from life as much as possible. While I enjoy a variety of subjects including still life, landscape, and interior scenes, I am most enamored by portraiture and the human form. Whether drawing in charcoal, graphite, or pen & ink or painting in oil, I love chasing the felt presence of a personality in space & time.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Active and talkative, yet studious with a lively imagination. I was interested in a range of subjects in school, and tried to excel at them all. Music class baffled me; art class felt like home.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nathanbertling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanbertlingstudio/
