Nick Gorham
Sun Turn

April 25 - May 31, 2025
Reception Friday, April 25, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

For a list of work from the exhibition, message aaron@etaletc.com

Nick Gorham’s paintings exist in the space between perception and memory, drawing on both the seen and the felt to create compositions that are grounded yet elusive. Titled Sun Turn, the exhibition is inspired by the natural phenomenon of heliotropism, the directional movement of plants or animals in response to sunlight. Derived from the Greek words for "sun" and "to turn," it suggests a quiet orientation toward light, motion, and color. 

Working in oil, Gorham moves fluidly between observation and abstraction. While traces of landscapes and structures may emerge, the work resists fixed representation. Instead, color relationships take center stage, shaping the illusion of space and shifting moods.

Gorham’s process balances impulse and restraint. Within the same composition, certain regions are reworked and layered, while others preserve an initial clarity or freshness. Often beginning without a defined subject, Gorham allows the painting to unfold intuitively, letting the process of making to guide him to each piece's specific emotional resonance. Many of the paintings recall the atmosphere of a particular time of day or season, not through direct depiction, but through the accumulation of color, form, and gesture.

This body of work explores the transience of time, capturing the fleeting qualities of light and atmosphere alongside the movement of thought, memory, and emotion. Attuned to introspection and the physical environment alike, the paintings reflect shifts both internal and external. In doing so, they offer a subtle record of light, attention, and impermanence.

-Asha Kilgallen McGee

Nick Gorham (b.1999 San Francisco) is a California-based artist who focuses on landscape and abstract painting. Often searching to merge these two modes of expression, he allows observational study and intuitive non-representation to inform one another. Through linking these processes, commonalities are found between being in nature and searching within himself. He received a BFA in Painting from Pratt Institute in 2023.