ELEMENTAL
The Deteriorate Art of Nathan Woody
Flower Study #3
2009 • 6" x 4" • Kodak Endura Photographic Paper
Wildflower study buried 6 months in Marin Headlands, CA
fridayarts gallery 10a presents
Downtown L.A. Artwalk July 9th, 2009:
ELEMENTAL: The deteriorate art of Nathan Woody
Nathan Woody discovered photography as an artistic medium while in college. During this period of growth, Woody’s house was severely damaged in a fire which took the life of a friend and burned many of his possessions. While Woody was not present during the fire, he returned home the next morning to find his home and life forever altered. This is represented in the change his photographs experienced due to their exposure to raw elements.
Since this traumatic experience, Woody has willingly surrendered his photography to the elements. “I was handed a situation that was out of my control,” says Woody. “I had to find a way to reconcile the beauty of what I saw in my art against the tragedy that had come into my life.” Based on his direct experience with the elements, Woody actively sought ways to expose his art to the forces of nature. To that end, he has employed the elements as an integral step in the creation of his art. He has buried photographs in the earth, hung photographs on fence posts for extended periods of time, exposed photographs to insect colonies, partially submerged prints in water, rotting food, mold, and otherwise has given space and time for the elements to create lasting change to his art.
The influence of earth, air, fire, water, and organic matter effectively takes control of the piece, takes it out of the artist’s hands, but Woody, as the artist, embraces and welcomes this process. Exposure to the elements renders each piece completely unique and irreplaceable. ELEMENTAL is the culmination of thirteen years of exploration, experimentation, and the recognition that the elements ultimately shape us as we move throughout our lives.