Nathan Reidt's Grotesque and Beautiful Creature Drawings

Nathan Reidt, a Philadelphia-based artist born in 1976, creates graphite drawings of grotesque, multi-limbed creatures that explore the intersection of repulsion and beauty. Influenced by 1970s and 1980s films like Return of the Jedi and a childhood encounter with hairless baby mice, his work features drooping faces, multiple heads, and bulbous masses. After years as a CG artist in video games, film, and television, he taught himself to paint and now focuses on fine art. His reputation grew with group shows at Arch Enemy (Philadelphia), Last Rites (New York), and La Luz de Jesus (Los Angeles), a 2018 solo exhibition at The Convent Philly, and participation in the 2019 Semiotics group show at La Luz de Jesus. For Semiotics, he created nine pieces simultaneously, including 'The Queen,' 'The Host,' 'The Twins,' and 'Soothsayer.' Reidt also works in sculpture and painting, using glazing techniques to mimic graphite's haziness. He contributed four pieces to the Dark Art 2019 group show at Beinart in Australia. Despite the dark themes, he does not consider himself a dark artist, describing his work as 'strangely cute' and emerging naturally.