Spokane-born muralist grows with his art

Nate O’Neill’s past reads like a novel; one filled with twists and turns, life lessons, growth and redemption.

His story includes living for years in a religious cult, performing all over Eastern Europe in a show called “Toy Makers Dream,” and robbing a bank, which landed him in a prison in Fort Worth, Texas, for 8 ½ years.

He is not ashamed of his past. Rather, he embraces his experiences, even appreciates them.

“There was a lot of fear-based control in the religious environment I grew up in,” he said. “But there was also a lot of encouragement and exposure to the arts and, in prison, they had an abundance of art supplies.”

O’Neill grew up in Spokane. Initially, he thought he’d be a minister. Now, instead of expressing himself on a pulpit, he picks up a paint brush and gets busy.

“For me, creating art is more of a need than a desire. When I see people being moved by my work, viscerally, I too am moved. I too can heal. I too can celebrate,” he said, “It’s a work in progress. My life, my work, and my views change and grow daily. I’m simply trying to show viewers my interpretation of that progress.”

While in prison, O’Neill drew and painted daily without instruction, learning how to use materials and represent his thoughts. When he was released in 2009, he had dozens of paintings with him that were sold or given away. Shortly after, he made the decision to dedicate himself to art. “The response I’ve gotten from my work has been inspiring,” he said.

His work, done in acrylic and mixed-media on canvas or wood, is a mix of chaos and quiet contemplation, abstract, realism, and contemporary expressionism; cities, faces, figures or less concrete shapes layered under and over splashes, swirls, and blocks of color.

“In my work, I share my digressions, my fantasies, my dreams and my fears,” he said. “I want to dive as deep as I can, be productive and conscious, and raise awareness; we are all in this together regardless of where we come from.”

His most recent piece hangs on a chain link fence at the corner of Third Avenue and Division Street alongside other large murals. It includes geometrical shapes, an eye, his own silhouette, a cityscape, and a koi fish in a wave.

He has shown his work at Left Bank Wine Bar, nYne Bistro and Bar, and at exhibits in private homes. Currently, his work hangs at the Liberty Building and Rambling Road Craft Brewing. He is a board member of Abstract Underground and is gearing up for a show with them Nov. 14 in the Loveland Building at 145 S. Cannon St. in Brown’s Addition.

Until then, he will keep painting. His goals are to be a great father to his two girls, to be genuine, and to go big. “I will not settle for anything else.”