Nick Osetek is a tattooer, illustrator, and printmaker currently working in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2016 from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina with a concentration in studio art and advanced printmaking. The 2 years following his degree, he taught woodshop foundations to incoming art students at Appalachian State, then completed a 6-month, sustainable printmaking internship at Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, Massachusetts.
Former helicopter mechanic and engineering technician, Osetek holds an appreciation for technique, process-involved mediums, and displays a meticulous sense of detail in his work. From illustration and film photography to wood and metal fabrication, the scope of his work covers an expanse of mediums but his focus lies in traditional works on paper; specifically graphite, ink, and print.
Mechanically-minded, Osetek has an affinity for the machines and equipment involved in the creative process. From simple tool repair to full tear-down restorations, his process feeds off of his ability to self-maintain his creative environment. By applying his DIY, fix-em-up attitude and skillset to his creative outlets, he creates a smooth-running, self-reliant workspace and breathes new life into old tools by transforming them into unique, functional works of art. Examples include “press-torations” of a 1949 Vandercook 4 letterpress for Zea Mays Printmaking, a 1960’s Dickerson Combination press mounted to an early 1900’s morgue cart, and most notably, a custom table-top press using the rotating assembly of a Subaru boxer engine, the Subaru Piston Press.
The subject of his visual work, on the other hand, draws inspiration from organic and mechanical compositions, contained chaos with moments of serendipity, and the darker elements of the world that exists within and without us. Through perspective and teetering compositions of turbulence and serenity, his work indulges complex emotions and relationships within nature; confronting humanity’s convoluted impact and identity with nature and with themselves.
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2013-16
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC - Bachelor of Fine Arts: Studio Art in Printmaking
2010-13
Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington, NC - Associate of Arts: Fine Arts
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2023
United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County Artist Support Grant, Raleigh, NC
2017
Suzanne Hill Scholarship Fund, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
2016
1st Place, Art Expo, Catherine Smith Gallery, Boone, NC
2015
Judy Humphrey Travel Award for Printmaking, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
2013
1st Place/Blue Ribbon, NC State Fair Fine Arts & Photography Competition, Raleigh, NC
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2019
BIG INK, Lyell Castonguay & Carand Burnet, Artspace, Raleigh, NC
2018
6-Month Research Internship in eco-friendly and sustainable printmaking, Zea Mays Printmaking, Florence, MA
2017
Chainsaws, Power Tools & Flames: Contemporary Wood Sculpture, Emmet Kane & Derek Weidman, Arrowmont, Gatlinburg, TN
Terminus: Arrivals & Departures, SGCI Conference, Atlanta, GA
Tiny Press Round Up, SGCI Conference, Atlanta, GA
2016
12 x 12: Bill Fick, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC
Flux: The Edge of Yesterday and Tomorrow, SGCI Conference, Portland, OR
2014
Cuban Culture In Print, Taller Experimental de Gráfica, La Habana, Cuba
Cuban Culture Through The Lens, Ramón del Valle, La Habana, Cuba
2013
Kick Over The Wall, Cause the Government to Fall, Dread Scott, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
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2023
So & So Books, Raleigh, NC
2020
William & Company, Raleigh, NC
Person Street Bar, Raleigh, NC
2018
HOWL, The Dirty Truth, Northampton, MA
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2019
North Carolina Annual Artists Exhibition, Raleigh Fine Arts Society, CAM Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh, NC
2017
FALC 22nd Annual Juried Exhibition, Fine Arts League of Cary, Cary, NC
North Carolina Annual Artists Exhibition, Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Duke Energy Performing Arts Center, Raleigh, NC
Art Now: Printmaking, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Conroe Art League 2nd Invitational Show, Conroe Art League, Conroe, TX
Clemson National Print & Drawing Exhibition, Lee Gallery, Clemson, SC
2016
Art Expo, Catherine Smith Gallery, Boone, NC
2015
Art Expo, Catherine Smith Gallery, Boone, NC
2013
Anything Goes, Litmus Gallery & Studios, Raleigh, NC
North Carolina State Fair Fine Arts & Photography Competition, Raleigh, NC
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2023
HIGHLIGHTS: Selections from BRAHM’s Permanent Collection, BRAHM Cannon Gallery, Blowing Rock, NC
2022
Changsha International Youth Printmakers Invitational Exhibition, Changsha Normal University, Hunan, China
2021
Contrast & Parallels, Bouwput Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2020
Under Pressure: National Printmaking Exhibit, The Lincoln Center, Fort Collins, CO
BIG INK Exhibition, Toe River Arts, Spruce Pine, NC
The EX Exhibit, Imurj Artists Cafe, Raleigh, NC
2019
BIG INK Exhibition, Artspace, Raleigh, NC
2018
This Is Armada, evo Seattle Store, Seattle, WA
This Is Armada, evo Denver Store, Denver, CO
2017
Under Pressure: The Print Exhibition, VAE Creativity Incubator, Raleigh, NC
2016
BFA Senior Exhibition: 13, Catherine Smith Gallery, Boone, NC
2015
Origins, Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC
2014
La Cultura Cubana: Through the Eyes of Appalachia, Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC
Cuban Culture In Print, Taller Expiremental de Gráfica, La Habana, Cuba
2013
RVCA x 17th Street: The Experience, 17th Street Surf Shop, Wilmington, NC
NC Community Colleges 50th Anniversary Special Edition of the Art Exhibition, The Caswell Building, Raleigh, NC
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2021
Angela Borda, Silver Webb. “Propensity for Chaos (Birds of a Feather)”, Santa Barbara Literary Journal - Volume 6: Saturn’s Return, June 2021. 10, 106, 168, 190, 252.
2019
Ann Reed Dunn, Chad Alligood, Vicki Hare. "Tiger Lily Pipe Dreams", Raleigh Fine Arts Society, March 2019. 56.
2017
Georgia Walker. "Downtown Boone Art Fair: A Day for the Arts." The Appalachian. 4 Sept. 2017. www.theappalachianonline.com
Ann Reed Dunn, Michael Rooks. "Howl: Positive Variant" & "Howl: Negative Variant", Raleigh Fine Arts Society, March 2017. 52, 53.
Denise Woodward-Detrich, Sydney Cross. "Beacon Heights", Clemson National Print & Drawing Exhibition, February 2017. 26.
2016
Adam Finkelston, James Meara. "Howl (Positive Variant)", The HAND Magazine, April 2016. 25.
Dave Dykes, Kyle Hazard, Rachel Bowles, Doss Hill. "Broken Melody" & "Sticks and Stones", The Peel Literature & Arts Review, Spring 2016. 15, 73.
Dave Dykes, Kyle Hazard, Rachel Bowles, Doss Hill. The Peel Literature & Arts Review, Spring 2016. www.thepeelreview.com
Adam Finkelston, James Meara. "Beacon Heights", The HAND Magazine, April 2016. 57.
2015
Dave Dykes, Kyle Hazard, Rachel Bowles, Doss Hill. The Peel Literature & Arts Review, Fall 2015. www.thepeelreview.com
Frank Ruggiero. "'Convergence/Subsidence' at the Nth˚." Watauga Democrat. 2 July 2015. www.watuagademocrat.com
Jessica Isaacs. "ONE-OF-A-KIND: Appalachian State Students Team Up with Local Brewery for Art Project." High Country Press. 27 Apr. 2015. www.hcpress.com
2014
Jeff Eason. "Impressions of Cuba." Watauga Democrat, 16 Dec. 2014. www.watuagademocrat.com
Madison Lewis. "BRAHM Opens 'La Cultura Cubana: Through the Eyes of Appalachia' Exhibit; Runs Through Jan. 17." High Country Press, 12 Dec. 2014. www.hcpress.com
Daniel Brinkley. "Osetek Studio Art - Pilot Design Company." Pilot Design Company. 22 July 2014. www.pilotdesignco.com
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2023
Blowing Rock Art & History Museum Permanent Collection, BRAHM, Blowing Rock, NC
2016
Appalachian Artists Collection, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC