Jan Nelson
The Best of the Best Juried Art Exhibition, 2017
Jan Nelson
Exhibiting Artist
Pepco Edison Place Gallery
702 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20068
August 11 - 30, 2017
Exhibiting Artist
Pepco Edison Place Gallery
702 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20068
August 11 - 30, 2017
Bio
Jan Anders Nelson examines thoughts and realities of the past, reflecting on them from a present viewpoint drawing on the wisdom and experience brought by time. His contemplative oil paintings and dramatic drawings and photographs portray yesteryear’s industrial endeavors upon which nature and the passage of time have left their visible mark. The earth tones and granular textures of eroded metals contrast sharply against unexpected areas of fresh color, suggesting human efforts to counteract the effects of time, nature, and neglect. While his subjects refer to photographs he’s taken over the years, Nelson’s brushwork and hand are evident in his painting and drawings.
Earning a Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin in 1977, Jan also spent time living in New York City attending New York University, working on a series of drawings under the mentorship of fellow artist and friend Don Eddy. Jan’s work has been exhibited at the Minnesota Museum of Art, Joslyn Museum of Art, Appleton Museum of Art, Knoxville Museum of Art and the New Hampshire Institute of Art as well as several invitational and juried shows internationally. |
Artist Statement
"I am drawn to the relationship between nature and man, the dance that plays out over time as the forces of nature exert themselves, bringing changes to things made by humans and vice versa. This manifests as a series of photographs of machines or structures in environments where the passage and effects of time are evident or implied. Other compositions might be comprised of imagery where juxtapositions of natural and man-made elements provide the desired contrasts I want to express. My drawings and paintings are based on and inspired by my photographs. In the context of the exhibit "Best Of the Best", the imagery in these photographs reflect on a Shuttered Salmon cannery on the British Columbia coast, where the activities of those who worked there echo in the places they labored, in the fantastic palette that they chose to surround themselves, color coding their factory and of the effects of time making their mark on those artifacts of the previous century."
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