Nathan Eastwood
Artist Statement:
“Oil paintings form the core of my practice, and they begin with photographs taken on my phone. Since 2011, when I painted a small picture of the staircase nook in my home, this approach has shaped my focus on everyday life. From that point on, ordinary experience became my main subject.
Rather than staging scenes, I look to familiar places and people. Quick snapshots taken at home or out in cafés, launderettes, train stations and churches capture someone reading a newspaper, waiting for a train or standing in a queue. In this way, I gather the small, quiet moments that often pass unnoticed.
Back in the studio, these images are translated into oil on primed gesso board. Although the source is photographic, the aim is not a perfect copy. Instead, visible brush marks and small imperfections remain, so the surface feels physical and present.
Influenced by the Kitchen Sink painters and shaped by concerns around class and social politics, the work reflects life as I see it. Ultimately, my aim is simple: to recognise value and meaning in overlooked parts of everyday experience”
Medium & Specialty: Oil Painter
Sun Pier Resident Since: 2021
Exhibitions and Projects:
- 2026 The Weight of Being: Vulnerability, Resilience and Mental Health in Art, Two Temple Place, London, UK (Group)
- 2026 Amici × Gertrude: Fall Apart | Come Together, Amici Studio, Hastings, East Sussex, UK (Group)
- 2024 Slow Painting (by CBP) The Plough Arts Centre, North Devon, UK (Group)
- 2024 Assembly (by CBP) The Old Gym, Rye Creative Centre, Kent, UK (Group)
- 2017 My England, Sid Motion Gallery, London (solo)
- 2016 Laptop and Chips, SE9 Container Gallery, London (solo)
- 2014 Work/Recreation/Freedom, Nunnery Gallery, London (solo)
- 2014 Domestic Realism, (CBP) Crypt St Marylebone Church, London (solo)
Education and Training:
-
2009 MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martin’s School of Fine Art, (formally known as Byam Shaw), London, UK
- 2005 First Class BA Hons, Fine Art, Kent Institute of Art and Design, Canterbury, Kent
Awards and Recognition:
- 2021 Priseman Seabrook Prize – Inaugural winner
- 2014 East London Painting Prize – inaugural winner
- 2013 The Threadneedle Prize – shortlisted
- 2012 John Moores Painting Prize – shortlisted
“After relocating back to the Medway Towns after living and working in East London for a decade I was in need of a decent studio to continue with my painting practice. Sun Pier not only offed me a decent space but a sanctuary to find peace of mind and reorganise.”
Gallery
Our Artists & Creative Community
Sun Pier House is home to 28 working studios shared by 33 professional artists and makers. Undoubtedly forming one of the most diverse and vibrant creative communities on the riverside.
Our residents represent a wide range of contemporary art and craft practices. Within our building you’ll find a tattooist, stop-motion animator, silversmith, performance artist, milliner, illustrator, graphic designer, painter, photographer and many more creative professionals working across disciplines.
Together, our residents reflect the strength and diversity of contemporary creative practice today. With every visit to Sun Pier House, you are not just stepping into a gallery, you are entering a working community of artists and makers shaping the cultural life of our area every day.
