ABOUT

BIO
Nathan Pietrykowski is a print media artist living and working in Jonesboro, AR. He received his MFA from Louisiana State University and his BS from the University of Southern Indiana. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally in over 150 venues, including Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, Big Medium Gallery in Austin, Carnation Contemporary in Portland, Site: Brooklyn, and Manhattan Graphics Center in New York City. In 2024, he was awarded a Visual Arts Fellowship, supported by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

ARTIST STATEMENT
To gain a deeper understanding of my surroundings, I take daily walks and record my journeys. This process informs the creation of my prints, artist books and installations. Over time I created a series of rules for these walks which I developed into an artist book called Wandering Party. I carry it with me on expeditions. Whenever my journey becomes uneventful I randomly open this book and follow that page’s instructions. Doing this introduces changes to my route, sends me hunting for objects, analyzing city planning, or following the paths of animals. Interjecting an element of chance and play into my trek helps me see my local environment from a new perspective.

During these excursions I write notes, draw on site and take reference photos. Collected objects, photographs and drawings are collaged into compositions that depict the emotional and social impact of our built environments. Drawing, similar to walking, gives me time to reexamine waypoints and make connections.

Printmaking is my primary means of producing art. Working in this medium puts my artwork in conversation with political posters, underground comics, signage, buttons and pamphlets. Printmaking is a form of public art. Prints can be viewed by a singular person but they are also in circulation. They are hung on walls, planted in front yards and pinned on bookbags. With this context in mind I use printmaking to disseminate my work, foster community, contemplation and play. 

CONTACT
nathanpietrykowski@gmail.com

CURRICULUM VITAE 
Current CV