About the artist
Mark Nelson, an American artist, was born in Oakland, California, raised overseas within a Navy family and began his studies and practice in the Arts in the Republic of Panama'. Nelson subsequently completed his formal arts education in Chicago where he has since remained in the Pilsen Barrio community.
Most of Nelson's public projects are cultural in nature and have been financed through grants and a professional career in arts education. These projects have included indoor/outdoor painting, installations, sculptural forms and video production. Additionally Nelson has been a resource to local artists in his community to promote their endeavors and professional goals through digital media services.
“Mark Nelson began his formal education in the arts in the Republic of Panama where he was mentored in painting and live theater. Nelson continued his studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago completing a BFA and an MFA at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Nelson created interdisciplinary public installations for several decades to physically and conceptually engage his audiences. His work is often described as socially conscious and satirical. Many of Nelson's project byproducts, constructions and paintings can be found in private and public collections, including a canvas mural at the US Embassy, Republic of Panama. Nelson has also participated in a variety of public projects such as the 1999 Cows on Parade, Lighthouses on the Mag Mile and the embellishment of sculptural forms in Chicago’s Greektown. Mark Nelson has been awarded numerous grants and fellowships as an artist and educator from the Chicago department of Cultural Affairs-Office of Fine Arts, Illinois Arts Council, the Golden Apple Foundation, and the Oppenheimer Family Foundation. Mark Nelson is a permanent resident of Chicago's historic Pilsen neighborhood and arts community where his Gringolandia Studio and home has been open annually to the public in participation with the 18th Street Pilsen Open Studios.”
My lifestyle
indoor studio
Indoor Studio2
Outdoors Studio
Painting on my outdoor easel
I built a large painting easel to accommodate works averaging 9 x 12 feet; a seasonal opportunity from April through October of each year.
Shop work
Working with construction materials, power tools and shop machines outdoors to build three dimensional forms from metal, wood and plastic.
Barewalls 2002
Watch a painting be created by Mark Nelson from beginning to end at the School of the Art Institute's former annual scholarship fundraiser titled Barewalls. (The "Bare Walls" fundraiser was an annual event hosted by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Alumni Association, where alumni and faculty artists created original works on canvas in front of an audience, which were then sold in a silent auction to raise money for student scholarships.) Nelson participated at 3 events bringing funding back to the school where he had completed his undergraduate studies and BFA. In this video the original footage was 45 minutes in length. This version was sped up and reduced to aproximately 6 minutes of viewing time.