Spending most of his childhood in the pine forests of the San Jacuinto mountains and the high deserts of northern Arizona, Nathaniel developed a deep love for the natural and stark contrasts found within the landscape. Through years of study under the artist Steven Mason (a student of Nathan Oliveira’s) he learned “how to See”. And like Oliveira, Mason stressed the idea of “quality”, for a brushmark must be imbued with its own presence and authority. Nathaniel continued his art studies at The California College of Arts and Crafts, where he quickly befriended the Beat poet and playwright Michael McClure. McClure took him in as an assistant. “Michael showed me how to be an artist, It was truly beautiful to be in the presence of a man who has lived his life on his own terms. He approaches his writing with the ferocity of a lion, and the heart of a lamb, I like to think that some of his wild eyed passion has found its way into my paintbrush.” Nathaniel currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, young son and daughter. Canopied by dense fir trees and surrounded by thick ferns he spends his time looking, listening and painting.