Jason Nelson’s fascination with color began at the age of five. Later, he pursued formal studies earning a degree in Animation Art and Design from the Art Institute of Seattle. The decision to go to art school would stir his creativity further still, there receiving his first formal training.
Jason reaped one of the many benefits of the smaller institution with more traditional professors who taught him how to illustrate using watercolor. It was not only the Art & Design degree with which he left, but a kinship with a community of like-minded fellows.
In 2003, he joined the San Diego Watercolor Society which meant spending his weekends armed with brushes and the rest of his artistic arsenal practicing plein aire painting around beautiful San Diego. The moderate climate of San Diego made it a perfect place to paint outside being surrounded by the beauty of nature without the extreme weather challenges.
Some new players arrived on the scene in 2014: oils. Having painted with watercolors since 2000, when he switched to oils he found them more forgiving and quickly rewarding. To push and pull pure color over a canvas with a brush or pallet knife defines his idea of relaxation. He starts the painting process with only a handful of primary colors eliminating black altogether, instead using deep blues and purples to characterize his shadows. He finds starting with a simpler color pallet then mixing them to get his secondary colors to be his preferred method for creating a fresh color pallet at the start of each painting.
For Commissions, he has worked closely with clients, listening carefully to their ideas, sharing his progress, and welcoming their feedback. The result is a stunning piece of art reflecting his clients’ true artistic tastes. Disciplined and focused, Jason’s ultimate satisfaction is in creating art that reflects God’s love and grace through nature.