Just arrived at Morton Fine Art – Washington, DC based paper sculptor NATE LEWIS’ latest artworks!
Nate Lewis
(Washington, DC b. USA)
Artist Statement
Hidden from eyes, and below the surface of skin, our cells, organs, and body systems teeter between stability and instability. We can identify the disruption that has upset the balance through the use of various lenses. We can restore the balance by altering the anatomy through the use of surgical incisions.
Hidden within a single sheet of white paper, lies its dynamics of life. With a blade, I play with its vulnerable construction; and through the surgical process, bring out its fragile, astonishing attributes.
Through a myriad of precise cuts, I carve, fold, and sculpt the paper, giving it new form that visually combines the aesthetics of drawing, sculpture, etching, embroidery and fabric. I developed this technique by regarding the blade as a pen.
I realized the blade was multifaceted and able to act on the unseen anatomy within a sheet of paper to create a new anatomy, multidimensional and intricate.
This approach stems from my nursing experience in caring for critically ill patients and their family members. In the Intensive Care Unit setting, I witnessed how tragedy and uncertainty brings about a sudden transparency and vulnerability between the patient, family members, and caregivers. This experience gave me a vivid awareness of the thin line between living and dying. As a result, transparency and vulnerability became an urgent matter. By removing layers of fear, guilt, and shame that disrupts equilibrium and interferes with growth; and by cultivating meaningful relationships, I hope to encourage others to do the same. Like my interaction with paper, the exchange between vulnerable subjects is fragile, mysterious, and beautiful.
Process
My process is fluid. I like my pieces to have a sense of freedom in themselves, not forcing them in a set direction. I start with a texture, that texture might give a certain appearance or evoke a certain feeling. I’ll often utilize two or three textures at a time. I attempt to bring an active transitional life to the pieces it can be subtle or harsh, emulating movement, growth, and destruction, decay. I enjoy the elements of structure and organization combined with chaos; it feels biological and at the same time emotional.
With certain pieces I transform the whole sheet of paper with a blade into various textures and finish the piece by cutting away certain areas. I like when the pieces become fragile, an area may fall off of a piece because it becomes weakened from continuous cuts.
I often work on multiple pieces at the same time. At times, I work on a handful of pieces that all communicate with each other and I navigate each one based on the appearance and life of the others. I’ll let pieces sit for a few weeks and then revisit them.
Contact Morton Fine Art for pricing and availability.
(202) 628-2787
mortonfineart@gmail.com
Morton Fine Art: curator's notes 