About Nelson...

Nelson Guda studied fine art first in the U.S. and then in Japan where he focused on traditional Japanese arts. After returning to the U.S, Nelson went on to earn a PhD in biology – doing research in the lowland Pacific rainforest of Costa Rica and using that time to photograph that world and establish himself as a documentary photographer. In 2001 Nelson helped establish an interdisciplinary institute at the University of Texas, which he helped run until 2007 when he left to pursue his art full-time.

Nelson's work has taken him through Latin America and across most of the United States. His works have been shown across the U.S. and abroad, and in 2009 Nelson's photographs were featured in a show he organized for the United States Senate Building. Nelson's works have also been recognized in a show that celebrated the influence of Ansel Adams on contemporary photography.

Nelson frequently works on projects that have a social purpose in line with his world view. In addition to photography Nelson works in a variety of other media and has collaborated with musicians on music videos that have been shown in art museums. Nelson has also created works under several anonymous pseudonyms.

Selected Recent Exhibits

  • 2011, Earth Through A Lens, Juried exhibit, Palm Springs, CA
  • 2011, Roadless – One Man's Search for America's Least Known Public Lands, Carbondale, CO
  • 2010, Fall of Man, Installation Exhibit, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
  • 2010, Love's Writ, Juried exhibit, Austin, TX
  • 2009, Open Shutter Gallery, Durango, Colorado
  • 2009, Colorado Roadless Tour, Durango, Grand Junction, Golden
  • 2009, Roadless – In Search of America's Least Known Public Lands, Russell Senate Building Rotunda, Washington DC; Curator and main exhibitor
  • 2009, Love's Writ, juried exhibit, Austin, TX
  • 2008, Under The Influence: juried exhibit. A Retrospective of the Influence of Ansel Adams on Contemporary Photography, Chico CA

Recent ROADLESS Tour Exhibits

  • May 2011, American Mountaineering Museum, Golden, CO
  • June 2011, Shilling Studio Gallery, Telluride, CO
  • June 2011, Open Shutter Gallery, Durango, CO
  • June 2011, Boulder Public library Canyon Theater, Boulder, CO
  • June 2011, Around the Corner Art Gallery, Montrose, CO
  • June 2011, KAFM Art Gallery, Grand Junction, CO


Nelson Guda