ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Artist Paul Nathan talks about his work.
By BILL BROTHERTON
LYNN — To say that Paul Nathan is excited about his first-ever solo art exhibit would be a colossal understatement. At age 68, the artist/retired trial attorney figured friends and family would be the only ones to see his colorful, playful collages.
But LynnArts is about to feature Nathan’s works in the main first-floor gallery of its 25 Exchange St. space. An opening reception is on tap for Saturday, 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through April 5. Admission is free.
“The art is pure whimsy,” said Nathan, during a tour of his Lynn studio, adding that the show is a “remarkably unexpected” event.
“I started painting about 35 years ago, then it just ended. I wanted to paint, but nothing happened,” said Nathan. “Maybe it was my job. Maybe life got in the way. Maybe it’s the fact that painting is messy and tedious. Paint would get on my shoes, on the carpet. I got away from it all.”
Then out of the blue, about six years ago, the creative urge struck again. He focused on textured collages; vibrantly colorful and fantastical images of marine life, space travel, boat travel and more. A couple of comical self portraits, one of him dressed as a 1905 cossack, another of the artist at home, an acrylic-on-wood work that shows him reading The Item at his breakfast table, his eyeglasses askew atop his bald head. It’s impossible not to smile when looking at these works.
Nathan is being assisted this day by Devon Gaudet, a Beverly High junior, who is helping arrange pieces for the move to the LynnArts gallery. “I could fill the gallery twice,” said Nathan, pointing to an 11-foot-by-4-foot cruise ship creation, his largest, that nearly fills an entire wall. “I’ll have room for about 30 pieces or so. It will be tough to choose. It’ll be like the Westminster Dog Show where the judge points and says ‘you’ and ‘you.’ ”
“I don’t know where this (stuff) comes from,” added Nathan, staring at the ginormous cruise ship collage. “Bigger means more work, and work gives me the hives. Let’s face it, I’m lazy.” Nathan is not averse to plagiarising himself either; some of the smaller images appear in more than one work. Making copies of the same bits is part of the deal, he said. “Why paint them over and over again when they’re perfectly fine as they are.”
Nathan’s dream? To beautify the eyesore gas tank on the Lynnway, much like Rainbow Tank alongside the Southeast Expressway in Dorchester. He’s even worked up a maritime idea to make it shine. “If anyone’s interested in my idea, please have them contact me (at paulnathanart.com),” he said, with a smile.
The LynnArts gallery has hosted some spectacular exhibits. It’s unlikely that any were as whimsically wondrous as this.
Fellow North Shore artists are quite taken with Nathan’s amusing, fun works. Steve Negron, Eleanor Fisher and Yetti Frenkel have been especially supportive, said Nathan, telling him it was time “to get your stuff out there.”
Frenkel, the celebrated muralist/fine art master, said “people will like his unique pieces. They are cheerful, colorful and filled with personality.”
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Annette Sykes, chairwoman for the Curatorial and Programming Committee at LynnArts, a public school teacher and an accomplished artist in her own right, said this show featuring Nathan’s fanciful work is the most recent exhibit showcasing the incredible talent in the city.
“The importance of Lynn artists in the community cannot be underestimated,” said Sykes, who moved to Lynn in 2001 and found a second home at LynnArts, where she has a studio on the third floor. “To have a place like this where working artists can create and congregate and actually do fine art of any sort — sculpture, art, music — says a lot about a city. Some RAW arts alumni are coming to LynnArts, taking the next step.
“The Museum and LynnArts staff is unique. I’ve been involved with other arts organizations. At first, I was hesitant to dip my toe in the water. Usually when you volunteer, you show up and others say ‘This is what you should do.’ One person can’t do it all. But at our meetings, people show up to do the work. This is a great group of people. And having people like Paul Nathan and other talented local artists exhibiting their work here is an entirely positive occasion that the community should embrace.”
Bill Brotherton is the Item’s Features Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
