Nate Gamble has been tattooing, painting walls and drawing for many yeas, and his illustrative skills are second to none. Every time we walk past one of his pieces on the street here in Melbourne, we stop for a second to admire its meticulous line work – notably, his lettering work on the wall of Street Machine in Chapel st, one of our favourite pieces of signage in the city.

When we saw the announcement late last week that he was having a show at Sydneys China Heights gallery, we wished, for the millionth time (you guessed it), that teleporters were amongst us.

“China Heights is proud to present Kalakukko, the debut solo exhibition by Nate Gamble, which explores the illustrative themes of scales and feathers through an involved transformation of iconic tattoo imagery.

With a tattooing history, Gamble’s works are a logical mix of tattoo art and illustration, approached with pen and marker on paper. With no lack of group show experience, Gamble’s progression in illustration is continually being built upon. Together, an ambition to redevelop tattoo flash artwork, and a fondness of drawing feathers and scales has inspired a school of imagined varmints. Fish with wings and clawed feet strut across the paper while shark heads slither atop snake bodies in a place where angels and mermaids exist.

Showing mostly black line drawings, with occasional blooming hues, the illustrations in Kalakukko don’t immediately appear fictional. When the strangeness becomes obvious, the fused beings come to wondrous life.”

Feathers and scales are remarkably complimentary objects of investigation, and one of our favourite – as lovers of the fantastical, and hugely drawn to black line drawings as much of this show will be, we have no doubt that Gamble is going to absolutely kill it.

Once again, China Heights brings it!

Who: Nate Gamble
What: Kalakukko solo show
Where: China Heights Gallery, L3, 16-28 Foster St, Surry Hills, Sydney
When: Show opens Friday 6th April from 6pm til late, and continues until April the 8th.

Check out more of Nate Gamble at his website, the China Heights Facebook group, and the Facebook event.