TY NATHAN CLARK | ARTIST BIOGRAPHY AND ARTISTSTATEMENT
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Ty Nathan Clark is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, film, and literature. Inspired by his uncle, renowned sculptor and Raku artist Conway “Jiggs” Pierson, Clark developed a deep passion for the arts from an early age. His artistic journey has taken him across five continents, where he has lived, created, and learned from diverse cultures.
In 2021, he founded the Ty Nathan Clark Artist Mentorship Program, which has supported 80 artists from 21 countries. He has exhibited at institutions such as the Delaware Contemporary Museum, Art Center Waco Museum, D Contemporary London and the Goss Michael Gallery. In 2017 and 2019, Culture Trip acknowledged him as one of Austin, Texas top contemporary artists, and he also earned a spot at the prestigious Marfa Invitational 2025, curated by Sonia Borrell.
Beyond visual arts, Clark’s award-winning documentary film Jump Shot was an official selection at SXSW in 2019. He completed his first novel in 2020 and launched the Just Make Art podcast in 2023 alongside artist Nathan Terborg, which has gained a global following. He has studied under sculptor William Catling and painter Makoto Fujimura. Based in Waco, Texas, he continues to create, exhibit, and mentor artists, with work currently in major U.S. and international cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Miami and London.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a student of memory. As a multi-disciplinary expressionist, my work delves into the art of remembering. In the process of a body of work, I stimulate my senses through my memory and the necessity of reflection using personal journals, essays, poetry, and literature.
By exploring memory through different mediums like canvas and sculpture, my artwork transcends boundaries, capturing the complexity of remembering through a fusion of mediums. These mediums include ash, cement, sawdust, canvas, paint, thread, yarn, plaster, and found objects, constructing and deconstructing the very essence of memory’s texture.
Every creation resulting from these processes tells a story, in abstract form, reminiscent of a poem or book chapters, exploring themes such as healing, trauma, recovery, faith, and self-discovery. My artistic vision reflects these intricacies, inviting reflection on personal narratives and universal themes in scales that range up to 20 feet in size.
Each work involves constant physicality, using a range of motion from the floor to the wall, incorporating, jumping, sliding, and pressing with body weight, often using cardboard and non-traditional tools as a transfer mechanism.
As a full-time studio artist, my focus is on creating a body of work that continually develops and matures over the course of a lifetime, evoking emotions by accessing both remembered and forgotten memories.