Robert Lyn Nelson

Robert Lyn Nelson

Robert Lyn Nelson in his studio
Born 1955
San Bernardino County, California
Occupation Artist
Known for Marine wildlife paintings

Robert Lyn Nelson (born 1955) is an American artist known for his paintings of marine wildlife, particularly those in his "Two Worlds" style, which simultaneously shows life above and below the surface of the sea.[1][2]

Early life

A native of San Bernardino County, California Nelson began early creating murals, sculptures, landscapes, seascapes, and experimenting with still life. He attended Chaffey High School in Ontario, California[3] and won a scholarship to attend classes at Chaffey College[4] at age thirteen. As a teenager he began exhibiting his paintings (his first show sold out)[4] at a series of one-man shows and group shows in Southern California.

Artistic career

Nelson moved to Hawaii when he was eighteen years old.[4] According to Nelson, the turning point in his life and his career occurred when he encountered a group of whales while surfing off Lahaina, Hawaii. Inspired by this "overwhelming experience", he came up with the idea of painting above- and below-water scenes on the same canvas.[5] It was there that he began painting Hawaiian landscapes and seascapes. When he was twenty-two years old, he moved from Oahu to Maui. He spent a great deal of time surfing, kayaking and scuba diving in Maui, while continuing to paint and study the landscape of Hawaiian Islands.

Nelson grew a business around his art, Robert Lyn Nelson Studios, which was worth $5 million by the mid-1990s. He used aggressive commercial advertising in print, on radio and television to promote his paintings.[5]

Nelson's painting From Sea to Shining Sea was exhibited at the U.S. Pavilion at the 1998 World Expo in Lisbon, Portugal.[1] From March to October 2001, the work was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in a solo exhibition along with several of his other paintings.[1] A nationwide tour sponsored by the National Marine Sanctuary System took place following this exhibition.[1]

Following an exhibition in March 2006 at Chaffey Community Art Association Museum of Art, a truck was broken into and over 25 of Nelson's paintings were stolen, claimed to be worth $1.5 million.[6]

The United Nations has also reproduced his paintings for its International Year of the Reef and International Year of the Ocean.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Natalia Martin Cantero (March 31, 2001). "Painter Dives into `Two Worlds' of the Oceans". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2014-09-09 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  2. ↑ Perrin, William F.; Wursig, Bernd; Thewissen, J. G.M. (eds.) (2009). "Popular Culture and Literature", p. 907. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, 2nd edition. Academic Press. ISBN 0080919936
  3. ↑ Marquez, Liset (11 November 2011). "Ontario council honors artist, performer for their achievements". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, California). Retrieved 2014-09-11 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required).
  4. 1 2 3 Christina Guerrero (March 9, 2006). "Rancho winery to exhibit Robert Lyn Nelson's marine art". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Ontario, California. Retrieved 2014-09-09 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  5. 1 2 "Success by 40. (successful small business entrepreneurs in Hawaii)". Hawaii Business. February 1, 1994. Retrieved 2014-09-09 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ Melissa Pinion-Whitt (March 25, 2006). "$1.5 million in paintings taken in Rancho Cucamonga heist". San Bernardino County Sun. Retrieved 2014-09-09 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (26 April 1997). ["NOAA Recognizes Local Environmental Heroes as Part of Earth Day Celebrations". publicaffairs.noaa.gov. April 26, 1997. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
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