ONTARIO -- As a curious pod of whales watched Robert Lyn Nelson surf
off the Hawaiian coast in 1976, the artist said hew was inspired for life.
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"Noticing 48 tons of animal coming up and watching me just inspired me
to portray whales in my paintings, so I did and have been ever since,"
Nelson said.
Nelson, 41, a marine artist with galleries in Monterey and Maui, became
interested in painting while growing up in Ontario. He started painting when he
was 3 years old and took evening art classes at Chaffey Community College and
Mr. San Antonio College while he was in high school. Nelson moved to Maui after
graduating from Chaffey High School in 1973.
The turning point in Nelson's life came when celebrities, such as former
President Ronald Reagan, Clint Eastwood, Jacques Cousteau and the heavy metal
band AD/DC, discovered and started collecting his paintings. |
"It's amazing how many heavy metal groups but my work," Nelson said
when visiting his mother in Ontario this week. "It's probably because of
the serenity the paintings portray after the crazy life they lead."
"I'm awed because Robert's only 41 and his career has just taken
off," his mother, Irma Nelson said. "The best part is he's still a
nice man and hasn't let his success go to his head and is very humble about his
art."
Availability is another key to Nelson's success. He said he makes sure his
art is available to everyone with an interest in marine life and sells his work
for as low as $12.95 for a calendar to $200,000 for an original painting.
"My art is not just for the elite, but for everyone to gain awareness
about the oceans and the need for better understanding from everyone about its
importance," Nelson said.
Azure blues, verdant greens and colorful marine life make up much of Nelson's
art, ranging from abstract and cubism to surrealism and impressionism.
"Robert tries to capture all the different aspects of sea life,"
said his wife, Uilani Nelson, 34. "There's jut so much to see in his art
because of the different fish and different parts of oceans and seas he
paints." A busy schedule keeps Nelson immersed in his work. He works on up
to 70 paintings at any given time and donates much of his time to wildlife
preservation organizations. Nelson is also working on his first children's book,
to be released in spring 1997. The book is about a turtle that saves the ocean
and teaches the importance of marine life.
Nelson has been married to his wife for 10 years. They have two daughters,
Margaux, 6 and Sienna, 3. |
