ABOUT NELSON • I am an artist, a writer and a biologist. My artwork usually has a strong advocacy component, because I am compelled to try and create work that inspires people to help change our world for the better. I give talks about the environment from the perspective of the science that explains it and the artist who tries to understand our connection to it. My artwork has been shown in the U.S. and abroad. As a biologist I worked for years in the lowland Pacific rainforest of Costa Rica.
I am currently working on a book about National Forest Inventoried Roadless Areas. You can read about my roadless project here.
THE NATURAL WORLD • Years ago I wrote this to explain my connection to the natural world. It still explains much about me and what I do.
"The natural world is to me a cathedral, a place of meditation, a source of strength and a supportive old friend. My perception of the natural world has been influenced by a diverse education in the arts and biology, and when I wander through it I am drawn to its inherent beauty as well as its awesome complexity. As an artist the visual complexity of the natural world provides me with a deep pool of inspiration, and as a biologist I am drawn to the immense interconnectedness that gives rise to this complexity.
Understanding the nature of interconnectedness in the natural world allows us to see an important contrast. Nature is at once incredibly resilient and extraordinarily delicate. It is a source of spiritual renewal that must be protected so that it can in turn renew itself. I believe that anyone who is moved by the beauty and complexity of the natural world is gaining an idea of the interconnectedness that underlies it. The goal of my work is to move people in this way and thus help them broaden their understanding of the world around them."
