Episode 24: How to Paint a Divorce with Nate Renner

Nate Renner is a Memphis-based pop artist who finds inspiration in Southern rituals and commercialism.

His work explores the repetitive traditions of the rural South—like the guy who throws beer cans in the same ditch every day after work—and how people prioritize vices over necessities. Growing up Church of Christ, Nate examines the connection between brands and memory, how families attach to specific products that stir up nostalgia. His recent solo show "Flowers Ain't Forever" at Ugly Art Co processed his divorce through black and white dying flower paintings, marking his first solo exhibition in seven years and representing a departure from his typical highly conceptual screenprinting work.

We talk about the story behind his Instagram handle, the tedious but beautiful process of screenprinting that led to happy accidents, how art school wasn't an option in his broken family household, seeking validation through drawing hunting dogs to impress his dad, the scarcity mentality plaguing Memphis's art scene, his 2017 show featuring elevated gas station food like Vienna sausages and chicken on a stick paired with Tallboy Busch beers, procrastination struggles with commission work, the discovery of honey bun flavored Donettes, his idea for a VR art project called "ChVRch," and his dream of working with massive screens on large-scale canvases.