Nathan “SLOKE” Nordstrom

This past weekend I had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend of mine, Nathan “SLOKE” Nordstrom.  Over the past couple of years, we would run into each other randomly or a quick comment or message on Facebook.  I decided that it was time to reach out to him and catch up…and photograph one of the most influential graffiti artists in Texas.

I met up with Nate at his house in South Austin and was immediately greeted with a big smile and a warm handshake.  As we walked through the house, I noticed how much of Nate’s life is centered around art…..paintings and drawings were scattered on the dining room table, a well used book about Alphonse Mucha laid open as well, stacks of canvases sat against the walls in the back room of the house that led to the backyard.  We made our way out to the backyard where I was greeted with a cinder block wall and milk crate upon milk crate of spray paint cans.

As Nathan started getting everything together to paint something a little different than his norm, I started snapping photos.  I wanted to document the process of what went in to creating these elaborate murals we encounter on walls and trains daily.  Over the course of 4 hours, I was blown away by the style and technique that went in to every line and stroke of the individual letters, the complexity of the lettering style, and the simple fact that Nate knew where the rough outline of every single letter was.  Our conversation drifted all over the place and I learned a lot more about Nate, both personally and about his love and drive to be an artist.  We talked about how he got introduced to graffiti, the creation of NBK (No Boundaries Krew), being arrested three times and how that influenced his decision to do his art form for a living and so much more.

Thank you again, Nate, for allowing me to come photograph you and your art form.

For more information about Nathan “SLOKE” Nordstrom, please go visit his site:  www.slokeone.com