Nate Lamp

The work I make is a direct response to my existence in the world. Some work may directly represent my present experience other work speaks to my former life, growing up in America.

I have been only painting seriously for about 8 years now. During the first few years, my newly forming practice coincided with becoming a father and there was a lot of exploration of themes of family and childhood. I was very introspective in my feelings towards starting my own family here in the UK and the surge of emotions and memories that reflected my childhood in America. At this time, I was painting lots of memory-themed subjects and relying heavily on the use of photo references.

As my practice evolved I became drawn to more stereotypical American imagery that dealt more with popular/regional culture to the Midwest, Great Lakes and Ohio, of which I was experiencing a deep, nagging nostalgia. It was then my work reflected an experimental mix of images including boats, fishermen, cowboys, road signs, pick-up trucks, drive-in movies and tavern scenes. I spent a lot of time trawling the internet and Google Maps, collecting reference images of familiar locations and scenes from the area I was raised near Lake Erie in northern Ohio and was collaging those images into a new composition that was more personal and evocative.

My current inspirations are grounded in more present, day-to-day life - sometimes figurative, other times landscape-based. I find myself paying more attention to the now and less obsessed with the past. I am feeling more and more gratitude for living with my family in the green hills of Herefordshire. I feel more grounded to present life here and it feels like a more truthful representation of me as an artist.