Encountering Ashley

Nathan Florence has always loved to draw. When he was a kid, he would save his sketchbooks for doing drawings that were really good. As a result they didnʼt get used, but Nathan drew on everything else; his shoes, his pants, the door of his bedroom, and the walls. For Nathan, this wasnʼt that important as his career aspirations at the time went from being a rock star to being a reconstructive surgeon and an architect.

Florence grew up in Denver and then Salt Lake City, leaving for the east to go to college and thinking he would never be back; moving on and up. He studied engineering thinking he would be an industrial designer and loved the projects, but when Nathan found out he didnʼt need the degree to be a designer he switched his focus to a premedical track, taking art classes on the side. The design and surgery directions appeared to be roundabout ways to do art in a more practical way.

With some sage advice and a great professor and mentor, Nathan dropped the premedical studies -well into his study of organic chemistry and physics -and switched to studying art full-time. In spite of finding his inspiration in music, films and pictures for Nathan, being an artist somehow did not seem like it was a valid career choice. Nathan currently lives and works in Salt Lake City, Utah.