About My Work
My work is rooted some of my favorite 19th century mythological paintings, because they were stories that the viewer was familiar with, and that familiarity allowed for the artist to communicate with the viewer on a shared playground of an understood narrative. My work aims to do the same in the modern world, with the mythology of today. I believe that the universality of naturalistic painting, combined with understood narrative of contemporary subjects allows me to meet the viewer where they are.
Within that space, I explore the absurd, the various emotions, and the sometimes humorous to connect on an approachable human level. I am often using serious, classical methods to depict subjects that are intentionally unserious. I’m interested in the tension between technique and play, and in creating work that feels all at once powerful and playful. At the end, there is an approachable work that brings both myself and my viewer joy.
About Me
Nathan Seay was born in Englewood, Colorado in 1989. After studying in an atelier setting with internationally recognized portrait painter Vilas Tonape for 4 years, he then proceeded to the University of South Florida where he graduated in 2014. Following graduation, Nathan continued his training abroad with a stint at the Repin Academy in St. Petersburg and a one year artist residency at Muamsa Temple in South Korea.
Nathan has participated in exhibitions across the United States and in South Korea, and his work has been published in The Artist Magazine. In 2018 Nathan was commissioned to complete the official portrait for the Dean of the University of Portland. Nathan is a recipient of the John F and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship, and a grant from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation.
Most recently he won an honorable mention in the lauded Almenara Art Prize in 2025.
He currently is a full time painter and resident instructor at Atelier Dojo, living in Austin, TX.