About
I create a visual language that is dramatic and seductive. The elements of light, shadow, color, and composition are applied to my observations and interpretations of the human form. My subjects are the varied landscape of South Dakota and human figures at many stages of life. My drawings and paintings speak for all humanity. As a child growing up in rural South Dakota; I was aware that art was an integral part of my life; it was a way for me to express myself and a motivation for me to learn.
My first works came from my training in Japan where I studied woodblock printing and ceramics as a traditional apprentice. After returning to the United States I continued my formal training at public universities in Minnesota and South Dakota.
My renewed interest in impressionist landscape paintings came from my work with talented Plein Air artists of South Dakota. My art work has always expressed the love I have for the great changing landscape of South Dakota. The human figures have evolved from my work with a very gifted group of artists in the Sioux Falls, SD area. The group inspires each other to see and experiment with the human figure to express emotions of life.
- John Nelson