Artist Eric Nash is drawn to Southern California and its mundane imagery. Signs and structures seen so often most of are anesthetized to their appearance. That is, until they are rendered so spectacularly in black in charcoal, that they take on an iconic appearance.
Eric Nash Charcoal Drawings of Southern California
Charcoal on paper
30 × 44 × 2 in
76.2 × 111.8 × 5.1 cm
Items rarely looked upon as art such as freeway signs, motel and hotel signs, gas stations, car washes, restaurants, strip joints and strip mall signs become frame-worthy when depicted by Nash.
Charcoal on paper
30 × 44 × 2 in
76.2 × 111.8 × 5.1 cm
Charcoal on paper
30 × 44 × 2 in
76.2 × 111.8 × 5.1 cm
Reduced to their critical element, the monochromatic Eric Nash charcoal drawings have a noir quality about them. Dark and mysterious, but inviting, they hold the promise of something more than the simple subject – the possibilities of these places and what might be there.
Charcoal on paper
30 × 44 in
76.2 × 111.8 cm
Personally, as a lifelong resident of California, I’ve made the drive from Northern California to Palm Springs countless times. For me these not only hold intrigue but fill me with nostalgia as reminders of road trips taken and family vacations.
Charcoal on paper
44 × 2 × 30 in
111.8 × 5.1 × 76.2 cm
His ability to render textures and ambiance -neon, metal, rivets, street lights and more- so adeptly in charcoal, especially those illuminated at night, is almost flawless.
Charcoal on Paper
30 × 44 in
76.2 × 111.8 cm
Charcoal on paper
30 × 44 in
76.2 × 111.8 cm
Born in Chicago and now based in California, Eric Nash graduated with a BFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, relocated to Los Angeles in 2000 and now works out of his studio is in the Mojave Desert town of Yucca Valley, California near Joshua Tree National Park.
Charcoal on Paper
30 × 44 in
76.2 × 111.8 cm
He has been the subject of a wide range of print and online media articles and has had numerous solo gallery shows. Recently he has been featured in museum shows at Laguna Art Museum, Tucson Museum of Art, Riverside Art Museum and Palm Springs Museum of Art among others.
Eric Nash works with Skidmore Contemporary Art in Santa Monica, KP Projects in Los Angeles and Flow Modern in Palm Springs in addition to other galleries and cultural institutions. For inquiries please contact Mark Rose, studio manager: [email protected]
Eric Nash
Follow him on Instagram @ericnashart
all images courtesy of Eric Nash