Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
An exhibit of watercolors by North Florida artist Nathaniel Pye will be featured at Jefferson Arts Gallery during the month of February. The opening reception for the exhibit, entitled “The North Florida Dream of a Native Son: This is My Place, These are My People,” begins at noon and lasts until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. His paintings of animals, plants, rivers, forests, canopy roads, and lighthouses capture aspects of life in the rural South where he grew up.
Pye's family came to Leon County more than 150 years ago. He was born at the homestead into a loving, talented family, the second youngest of 18 siblings. As he grew up there, the bounty and natural beauty of rural North Florida surrounded him, eventually inspiring much of his artistic expression.
He remembers many happy hours spent drawing pictures at his mother's kitchen table, dreaming of being an artist someday. Pye was especially encouraged in his love of art by his elder brother Jerome, also an artist. Jerome believed in his little brother's dream of becoming an artist and gave him drawings, books, art supplies and guidance to help him to grow and achieve that dream.
In addition to his elder brother's influence, which continues to the present, Pye has developed his talents by observing nature and studying the techniques of other artists. He began working with watercolors, his favorite painting medium, in elementary school, and today is a member of the Tallahassee Watercolor Society. In addition, he has achieved Signature Membership at the Florida State University Museum of Fine Art.
Pye's body of work also includes drawings of notable African-American achievers, such as Dr. William Foster, Dr. Sybil Mobley and Dr. LaSalle Leffall. These portraits are part of the permanent collection on display at the Meek-Eaton Black Archives of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
Artwork by Pye has been exhibited in juried shows at the Gadsden Art Center in Quincy, City Hall Gallery in Tallahassee, FSU Museum of Fine Art and LeMoyne Art Gallery in Tallahassee. His awards include First Place in Watercolor at the Utrecht First Annual Halloween Show in Tallahassee (2014) as well as First Place in Watercolor three times and Best of Show once at the North Florida Fair between 2012 and 2021.
Nathaniel expresses gratitude to God for his loving parents, Isiah and Ida Mae; his devoted wife, Debbie; his talented son, Kevon; his wonderful brothers and sisters and their families; and his many supportive friends. He is also grateful to God for fulfilling his dream of becoming an artist.
Jefferson Arts Gallery, located at 575 W. Washington St. in Monticello, is pleased to show the work of this accomplished artist beginning Saturday, Feb. 4, through the end of the month. Regular gallery hours after the opening are Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or by appointment. For more information, call (850) 997-3311 or email jeffersonartsgallery@gmail.com.