Nathan Durfee has garnered notoriety across the country for his pop-surrealist narratives and intriguing use of color. Currently based in Charleston, South Carolina, Durfee has been heralded as the Best Local Visual Artist by Charleston City Paper 4 years in a row. Each of Durfee’s solo gallery exhibitions has also been met with acclaim from critics and fans alike. Durfee has also been profiled in publications such as Beautiful Bizarre, and Charleston magazines, as well as recently featured on the cover of American Art Collector.
A native of Vermont, Durfee pursued a career in illustration after graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2005, contributing to various publications across the Southeast, in addition to designing album art and commercial promotional materials. Durfee then began to explore his love of painting, creating fanciful contemporary narratives that feature an eclectic array of characters in mesmerizing and often contrasting color palettes. He made a seamless transition from illustrator to full-time painter in 2009.
Each of Durfee’s paintings begin with an enormous amount of push and pull from the artist, in which ideas are refined and adjusted, until a rough idea starts to form. He then begins rendering the elements of the painting while maintaining a wandering state of mind. Many of his whimsical characters are faced with tough, yet universal decisions, conveying a sense of security in an unsure world to the viewer. He hopes to expand on these ideas and tell larger stories in his future work.
Durfee continues to push himself to explore new techniques and color combinations, in addition to collaborating on works with other painters including Robert Lange, Megan Aline and Markus Amaker. Collaboration not only lends to each artist’s strengths, but also creates a conversation between two styles that a lone artist would not be able to demonstrate. Durfee’s constant evolution as an artist has led to a body of work that is ever growing and continues to both thrill and fascinate its viewers.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Crafting Comforts, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
DayDreamers, Gibbes Museum Ruth and Bill Baker Gallery, Charlesotn, SC
2023 Dreamers Welcome, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
Daydreams of Bygones, Lemieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA
2022 Dancing on the Shoulders of Giants, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston SC
2021 Call Me Whimsey, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2020 Finding Less than Three, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
By Our Powers Combined, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2019 Mighty Dreamers, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2018 Tall Trees and Tales, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston ,SC
2017 Islands in Our Minds, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2016 Weaving Through, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2015 Blended Tides Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2014 Peering Under Hints of Wonder, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
Glimmer Steady Inside the Stone, Lemieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA
2013 Gentle Lines, Crossed by Veil and Vine, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
The Small Sound of Bartholomeux, City Gallery, Charleston, SC
2012 The Symphony Inside Her, Lemieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA
Humming Velvet, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2011 Their Masquerade of Feather and Thread, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
Sights Behind Closed Eyes, Lemieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA
2010 The Soft Embrace of a Porcelain Night, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
2009 Thoughts Between the Sky and Sea, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
Art and Jazz, Official Artist of the Picollo Spoletto Jazz Series Charleston, SC
2008 Where Petals and Rain Fall, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
Shows before Shows, Footlight Theater Gallery, Part of Piccollo Spoletto Festival
2007 A Celebration of Stems and Clouds, Modernisme Gallery, Charleston, SC
2006 Missing Pages, Gallery @ Theater 99, Charleston, SC
Awards & Honors
2022: Award of Excellence, Communication Arts Magazine Illustrations Annual
2014: Favorite Visual Artist, Charleston Art Magazine
2013: Poster Award for Piccolo Spoleto, Charleston, SC
2008-2012: Official painter for the Jazz Artists of Charleston
March, 2010-2013: Awarded ‘Best Local Visual Artist; Charleston City Paper, Charleston, SC
