Single piece Signed Dated Titled
Default
Year
2020
Medium
Paintings
Reference
b697c106
Technique: watercolour and ink on paper;
Year: 2020;
The works of San Francisco Bay Area-based abstract painter Irene Nelson are layered and atmospheric, offering dreamlike impressions of worlds seemingly in the process of becoming. Nelson’s lyrical, gestural marks feel organic and free, while her biomorphic forms and muted color relationships contribute to the sense that these are visions inspired by the subconscious. Whether painting, drawing, or working with monotypes, Nelson’s process is guided by a mix of intuition and experimentation. She considers her process a give and take between conscious decision making and spontaneity. She allows each preceding mark or layer to inform the next, so her compositions evolve as “acts of discovery” rather than being planned. Nelson also experiments with the medium of photography, which she employs to search out ephemeral, passing glimpses of daily life.
1951 , United States
Irene Nelson is an American abstract painter who approaches each work of art in a similar, intuitive manner, letting the moment guide her, transforming uncertainty into expressive mark-making. After a successful career in graphic design, she dedicated herself full time to her lifelong painting and photography practices. Working in various mediums, from paintings that mingle acrylic paint with collaged personal photographs to monoprints on paper, her pieces are layered and atmospheric, offering dreamlike impressions of worlds seemingly in the process of becoming. Her work is held in numerous private collections and has been exhibited extensively throughout California. Irene Nelson lives and works in Oakland, California.