Nathan James Addleyis an Atlanta, and Philadelphia-based artist, who received his BFA in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Nathan is best known for his large-scale figurative oil paintings focusing on the multifaceted life of Black Americans. Nathan’s work ushers in beautiful depictions of Black American identity and culture through their environment and contemporary fashion. Addley’s dissatisfaction with the fantastical and often offensive/damaging depictions of Black American life, sparked the focus of his artistic practice. He paint’s to drown out the spurious and imitative imagery of Black life that he grew up observing in art, media, and historic literature. Observing these portrayals confused and frustrated his own identity and what he thought being a Black American meant. Through his art, Nathan manifests his own Black American identity, documenting his authentic perspective of the Black life and culture. Nathan Addley paints in reverence to how he sees his own culture through the use of vibrant color and bold brush strokes. The bright colors come from the vibrant elements of black culture found in fashion, ancestral color palettes and art. The bold brush strokes and textured surface of his pieces communicate the very resilient nature of Black culture and add another element of realness by subtly attacking the third dimension. Another way he references his perspective is through his view on fashion. He loves the variety and innovation found in his culture’s dress and wishes to accurately depict such beauty. The subjects in his work mostly have a sense of cool. The reason for this display of serenity is because of its necessity in everyday Black life when navigating American society.