by Maggie Bozkoba
Naturalism with a North Star FOR HIS ENTIRE LIFE, artist Chase Mullen has been driven by two passions: art and nature. Romanticizing explorers like Lewis and Clark and naturalists like Audubon, Mullen found himself most at ease in the natural world. “I spent a lot of my childhood outside,” he explains, “I didn’t have many hobbies so when I wasn’t drawing, I would pass time exploring the southern creeks and ponds where I grew up.” His innate abilities with a brush kept him always coming back to art. “I was never a very good student, but when it 12
Inside Northside
came to art things really clicked for me.” However, he did not originally consider becoming a professional artist. “I spent a few years juggling majors in college and not feeling very good about any of it,” he explained of his school years. Back then, working as a full-time artist just didn’t seem like a viable career path. It wasn’t until an opportunity presented itself to move abroad with his wife that he decided to make a shift. This was the first time in his life where he was actively painting 12 hours a day, approaching it as a
profession rather than a hobby. Eight years have passed since making the move, and he hasn’t looked back. Though their travels took them far and wide, Mullen’s art has always been centered on the South. “I left Louisiana in 2014. We moved all around the >>
photos courtesy: CHASE MULLEN
Cover Artist Chase Mullen
