ABOUT THE ARTIST

Nate Reifke is a multidisciplinary artist working from a secluded part of the Northwestern Sierras.

With only simple materials provided by the land nearby, Nate uses mud, chalk, pollen, sedimentary rock, and ash to take his graphic language outside the studio and into places unknown. He considers the works a quiet dialogue with his surroundings. They are spontaneous, temporary, and rarely seen by other humans.

Aside from this personal and fine art work he designs commercially for a variety of clients including Sector 9 Skateboards, Reef, Mountain Hardwear, and Pacifico Beer.

Reifke collected different colored soils at various locations, pulverized them with a mortar and pestle, sifted out what inclusions and other detritus he could, and then reconstituted them into a paste which he used like paint.

Of his process Reifke says, “I like the idea that I’m not introducing anything that wouldn’t otherwise exist in the environment. It’s an expression of man’s relationship to nature I suppose. The temporary nature of the work further punctuates our brief time here, our fragility, and our interconnectedness with the earth. A tremendous amount of my art draws inspiration from the natural world and this is just a step toward being able to participate in it more fully.”