Our new print issue is dedicated to celebrating the arts in South Jersey, mostly focusing on visual arts this time around. The content profiles the organizations and individuals that make up the arts communities in our towns and neighborhoods. Let’s shine a light on the artists that help make South Jersey such a beautiful place!
Nathan was nominated by the South Jersey Artist Collective to tell us about his life and work as an artist.
Nathan J. Rutkowski is a mixed media artist based in New Jersey. Since graduating from the Certificate program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Rutkowski has exhibited his work broadly throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. His recent solo exhibition Color and Sound connected visual and auditory form and included over 30 shaped paintings.
Nathan up in Glendora and live in Westmont NJ. I received a Certificate in Fine Art from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work has been exhibited in multiple juried exhibitions group shows and one person exhibitions in the Tri-State area as well as NY and MA as well as represented in many private collections as well as the Hall Art Foundation and UPenn Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.
Many years after graduating from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, he decided to try the Surrealist techniques of automatic drawing. The decision was to break into free association, adding another dimension to my work from observation. This led to making larger works on paper in acrylic with automatic drawings as a starting point and a figure or portrait included with them. The series has fluctuated between non-objective and figurative imagery.
Using recycled materials such as cardboard and plastic bags, Rutkowski tears, slathers and manipulates the irregular forms and surfaces of his unique substrate. He then builds color and line through automatic, subconscious mark-making and unfiltered subjectivity. At times, imagery begins to take shape as the surface develops, and Rutkowski further renders and articulates the pictures in the final steps of the process. In contrast to his deeply psychological process, Rutkowski’s work feels carnal and corporeal.
Nathan affiliated with SJAC, Perkins Center For The Arts, and Figure Friday Collective. Also a member of the Plastic Club and The Philadelphia Sketch Club. Nathan has taught painting and drawing at Perkins Center For The Arts and Fleisher Art Memorial.
Instagram @nrutkowski1
Community Spotlights
If you know someone you think we should shine our Community Spotlight on, email us at [email protected].
Right now we’re focusing on our South Jersey Educators category, which we’ll continue to run now and through the beginning of fall. So if you know someone who deserves a special shout-out, get in touch!
We’re also always looking for nominees in the following categories:
First Responders: Police, Fire, EMT, Dispatch, Active Military
Food Service Industry Workers: Waitstaff, Bussers, Servers, Chefs, Cooks, Dishwashers
Volunteers: Nonprofit Workers, Youth Sports Coaches, Scout Leaders, PTO Volunteers
Public Servants: Elected Officials and Support Staff at every Government Agency serving South Jersey at the Municipal, County, State and Federal levels
Healthcare Workers: Nurses, Medical Assistants, Administrative Support Staff
Beverage Service Industry Workers: Anyone who works in a Bar, Coffee Shop, Brewery, Winery or Distillery