On February, 6, 2026, Long View Gallery hosted a special opening of the CONTINUUM exhibition by two exceptional artists Nathan Brown and Chris Zidek. The artists exquisitely captured the fluidity of constant transition through sculpture and painting. Nathan and Chris discuss with NY Elite Magazine their creative process, artistic journey, and upcoming projects for 2026.

NY Elite Magazine Exclusive Interview with Extraordinary Artists Nathan Brown and Chris Zidek

NY Elite: Nathan and Chris, congrats on your recent successful collaboration, “Continuum”. The turn out was great at the Long View Gallery in Washington DC, and the showcase received amazingly positive feedback. What inspired this project? How did the collaboration come about? 

Nathan Brown: Thank you so much! It was really great to work on ideas I had floating around in my head for awhile and since most of my work are large scale murals, it was nice to scale down and spend some time in my studio. The whole project was launched from the curator Caeser McGann who asked if we wanted to show new work in a beautiful space in a city that I had not visited in 20 years. Zidek and I had collaborated in the past and our work definitely compliments each other, so it was a no brainer for me.  

Chris Zidek: Nathan and I have known each other for years — I think we actually met in 2011. My close friend and incredible artist Caesar McGann had reached out to me a few months earlier about Long View Gallery. He was curating some shows and wanted to see if I was interested.

As many things do, plans shifted. Eventually he reached back out and asked if I wanted to show in February, and he thought Nathan would be the perfect partner for it. I immediately said yes. We’ve been close friends for about 15 years and have collaborated on murals, gallery shows, and even painted for a fine dining experience together.

I can’t imagine a better person or artist to share that gallery with. Nathan is an incredible man, friend, and artist. I can’t say enough good things about him — or Caesar, for that matter. And I’m deeply grateful to Vicky and the team at Long View for trusting us and making it such a great experience.

NY Elite: What highlights would reflect on as you look back at your artistic journey? Where has your art taken you? 

Nathan Brown: I still can’t believe that I have been able to be a full time artist for over 10 years. Art has taken me around the world. Getting to paint in cities and places that I wouldn’t have had a reason to go to otherwise, meeting the people that make the arts happen in different cities and working alongside students and people in different communities, has been a dream come true.  Getting to truly leave my mark and make an impact in a community has been very fulfilling to say the least. Looking forward to all the places and people I will meet in the future.

NY Elite: Can you tell us about the process of making your work?

Nathan Brown: I primarily paint large scale mural work, which is wonderful as every project is completely different, different environments, shapes of buildings, textures, the vibe of the neighborhood or city, I take that all into consideration when designing for a project. There’s a great freedom in painting outdoors and I like to work with spray paint a lot, depending on the surface of the walls. I freehand most of my large scale work and honestly go with the flow of the structure that I’m painting, even with a mockup design, I kind of let the wall tell me what to do, haha. 

Chris Zidek: I actually made a small book about this — I’m pretty obsessed with process. I’m a formalist at heart. I’m always looking at how something is made rather than focusing first on what it means. I’ve been using computers to assist with design work since high school in 2002. I’ve used various software platforms across multiple disciplines: set design for music videos and commercials, logo design, large-scale mural layouts, packaging design, and fine art.

Design and illustration software — primarily Procreate and Adobe Illustrator — is always my first step.

All of the designs for this show were sketched, refined, and finalized in Adobe Illustrator. There are seven sculptures in the show, with MC-26 (Metrocryophile) serving as the shape-language template for the remaining six. In other words, all the shapes and forms in the other works were either directly taken from or modified from MC-26.

I knew I wanted sleek, curvilinear surfaces with soft edges and some form of reflection — whether through the finish itself or inserted cut glass.

Material choice was critical. Hardwood can be unpredictable due to grain, knots, and natural irregularities, which can create unintended flaws during machining. MDF and composite materials are far more predictable, making them better suited to the precision I was after.

I chose automotive paint for the finish. At the time, I had only a cursory knowledge of the materials and processes, but house paint or pure acrylic didn’t feel like they would complement the forms the way I envisioned. Learning automotive finishing became the logical next step.

The final component is the mirror work. Since everything was designed in Illustrator, I used a laser cutter to ensure the mirrored elements fit precisely into the reliefs in the back of each piece.

I’m sure I’ve bored everyone to tears at this point — but I really geek out on process.

NY Elite: How has your art changed over time? 

Nathan Brown: I started out doing graffiti when I was a teenager, painting trains and walls in various cities and over time that work evolved from typical graffiti lettering to more abstract shapes and about 10 years ago I went full time as an artist where I shaped my current work as gradient landscapes.

Chris Zidek: I touched on this earlier. I started out illustrating in a comic book style, which later carried into my geometric paintings and murals — bold colors, dark outlines, drop shadows.

Over time, that evolved into more sculptural, dimensional work. When I feel like I’ve hit a wall with a style or medium, I tend to pivot and carry those ideas into a new realm. It may not make for lifelong stylistic consistency, but I do believe there’s a common thread throughout the work. Others can be the judge.

NY Elite: What do you think about the influence of modern technology and AI in the creative process? Is it a welcome change in your world or do you prefer a more authentic creative approach?

Nathan Brown: I approach all new technology as a possible tool to use, to maybe help with my process but I feel that keeping the majority of my approach to art is human, that is very important to me. Churning out AI only art to make money is really boring and pointless to me, it lacks connection.

Chris Zidek: I think it’s fine as a tool — not the tool. It can help get ideas flowing. But I’m not a fan of typing in a string of prompt words, hitting enter, and declaring that the output is your art. Call me old school.

NY Elite: What are some social causes/themes that you care about that you like to incorporate in your artwork? Have you made any custom pieces for nonprofit, charity or unique projects?

Nathan Brown: The environment, animals and community are huge for me. I recently did a special print release with ocean advocates Pangeaseed and I also recently painted a 300ft mural for a school and got a lot of the students and faculty involved in the entire process this past year. I try to at least once a year, donate a mural for a non profit, a neighborhood or a school.

Chris Zidek: I tend to shy away from activism in my work. I’m more interested in form, surface, interaction, and the esoteric.

NY Elite: What does art mean to you?

Nathan Brown: Everything. It continues to be an escape and therapy since my early days painting graffiti and a way for me to help transform spaces, communities and give back. That is why I love primarily doing public facing work and doing public art, you never know who you’re going to meet. It’s an adventure!

NY Elite: What are you currently working on?

Chris Zidek: Mostly furniture at the moment. After this show, though, I’m feeling the itch to return more fully to fine art.

I think artists naturally ebb and flow between mediums and interests. Right now, mine is fine woodworking. But I’ve already been sketching new ideas for wall sculptures that build on and evolve from Continuum.

NY Elite: Any plans for 2026 for any upcoming projects?

Nathan Brown: Yes many, more gallery shows, working on sculptures, lots of mural projects around the country and taking classes on other forms of art.

Chris Zidek: Well, I’m currently in the middle of my most important piece to date — my daughter. My incredible wife, Lauren, is creating a beautiful life as I type this.

Beyond that, I plan to continue designing and building furniture while developing more complex wall sculptures.

NY Elite: Where can we find your work?

Nathan Brown: You can find my work all over the U.S. and Europe.

Portfolio of work: https://www.19ss.net

Instagram: @nathanbrown77

Chris Zidek:  Website: www.chriszidek.com
Instagram: @Zidekahedron

CONTINUUM feat. Nathan Brown and Chris Zidek is open until March 29, 2026. For a private viewing by appointment of CONTINUUM with champaign and macaroons, please reserve through Long View Gallery in Washington DC.