Biography (1917 - 2002)

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 Born in Denver, Colorado, at an early age his family moved to Southern California. Nate and his family, for many years while he was growing up, spent weekends taking photographs of interesting subjects and making prints in their family darkroom. Nate had two long marriages. Nate met Judy Tannen while they were both students at U.C. Berkeley. Nate and Judy were married in 1940, were together for 30 years and lived in Northern California, first in Berkeley, then El Cerrito and finally in Lafayette.  Nate and Judy had 4 children, Donald, Debora, Richard and Gary.  Nate met Maria Buchs as they both worked in the packaging industry. In 1970, Nate married Maria, who had a daughter, Karen, by a previous marriage.  Nate and Maria  lived for 32 years in Walnut Creek in Northern California. Judy Stillman passed away in 1992. Maria and Nate both passed away in 2002 just 4 months apart.  George Stillman, who became an award winning artist and art professor, was Nate's only sibling and his younger brother. 

Education:

Nate graduated with honors from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. degree in Chemistry. Nate's first experience with art came from a serious study and practice of photography during which many awards were won. 

While Nate was attending the University of California at Berkeley, he, along with his father, brother, mother and wife started and operated for many years the Stillman Studio in Berkeley, California. This photographic studio did primarily weddings and portraits. 

After he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, Nate worked for 5 years as a research chemist for the Shell Development Company in the S.F. Bay Area. During this time Nate was involved in the discovery of a compound named V.P.I, vapor phase inhibitor, which inhibited rust from forming on metals. Nate also developed the process for coating the compound on paper which then allowed metal parts, being shipped by the U.S. Military during World War II, to be protected from rust. An award was presented by the U.S. Navy for his work on this discovery. While developing the coating process for V.P.I., Nate met an owner of a flexible packaging materials company. Nate was eventually hired by this company, J.T. Raisin Company. Nate worked there for 3 years as the Plant Manager. Subsequently, Nate started his own flexible packaging materials business, Western Foil Converters. After selling his business, Nate continued to work in the packaging business as a Director of Research and Product Development. 

Fine art studies were at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA., Diablo Valley College and in private schools of Thomas Leighton and Arthur Palmer in San Francisco, and with Jade Fon Woo.

Further fine art studies were taken in workshops with Rex Brandt, Robert Wood, Ted Goerschner, E. John Robinson, Anita Wolf, Ann Templeton, Charles Movalli, David Millard, Sergei Bongart, Tom Nicholas, Doug Dawson, and many others at the Jade Fon Workshops at Asilomar, California. 

Travels:

In addition to many trips through many of the United States, travels have been made to Canada, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Yugoslavia, and Mexico. 

During a month-long stay in Paris, France and another month in the Provence, many sketches and paintings were completed. Attended sessions at L'Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris and also visited Monet's Giverny. The many sketches and photographs made during these numerous trips served as inspiration for many paintings. 

Nate neither wanted nor tried to support himself as an artist. He had told family members that he didn't want to ruin his hobby of art. He had ruined his hobby of photography, by being in the family business, the Stillman Studio and taking wedding photographs.

 Below are a few quotes that Nate liked very much.

Michelangelo: "If people knew how hard I have had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem wonderful at all."

Leonardo da Vinci: "A painter who has no doubts about his own ability will attain very little. When his work exceeds his judgment, the artist learns nothing. But when his judgment is superior to his work, he will never cease to improve, unless his love of money interfers or retards his progress." 

Movalli:"If all you want to do is to make money, just go to the local mall and see what sells. I could paint that kind of picture and so could any of my artist friends. But, what's the pleasure ? If painting is going to end up being labor - real work - you might just as well go to work for the City. At least you have stability - and you get a pension.

Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting: "Were it not for a goodly amount of pure conceit inherent in each of us, we might be disturbed by the knowledge that our own work is bound to be judged by many as pure waste of time."

Unknown: "Talent is the desire to do something. If you want it badly enough - you''ll do it. What counts is the stuff in your head. After a while painting feeds on itself, like yeast; it keeps on growing. An artist is just a damn good student who no longer needs a teacher."