Richard Christian Nelson (born 1961) is a portrait and gallery artist from

Tryon, North Carolina Tryon is a town in Polk County, on the southwestern border of North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,646. Located in the escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, today the area is affluent and a center ...

. He has won numerous national awards and honors, and created over 1000 commissioned

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

and charcoal

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

s. He is also known for

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

and

still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

painting. Nelson maintains a studio in Asheville's River Arts District; 362 Depot.

Background

Born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

in 1961, Nelson earned his BFA at Detroit's

College for Creative Studies College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a private art school in Detroit, Michigan. It enrolls more than 1,400 students and focuses on arts education. The college is also active in offering art education to children through its Community Arts Par ...

in 1988. He is recognized nationally for his portrait work, and is an established landscape artist and instructor. He has served on the faculty of the Portrait Society Of America, is an active member of PAPSE (Plein Air Painters of the South East) and the Oil Painters Of America. A part of the Detroit music scene in the 1980s, Nelson is an accomplished rock musician. He was a member of notable Detroit bands Bitter Sweet Alley (BSA) and The Purple Gang. He played with Carolina bands the Trophy Husbands, Casual Zealots, and 176, and started th
Rich Nelson Band
in 2018.

Life and work

The Portrait Society of America has recognized Nelson's portrait work with fourteen awards. Among his notable commissions are portraits of former General Motors Chairmen

John F. Smith, Jr. John Francis "Jack" Smith Jr. (born April 6, 1938) is an American businessman and executive who formerly served as COO in 1992, CEO from 1992 to 2000 and then chairman of the board of directors of General Motors from 1996 to 2000. He later serv ...

and

Edward Whitacre, Jr. Edward Earl Whitacre Jr. (born November 4, 1941) is the former Chairman and CEO of General Motors. He is also a former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of AT&T, previously Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC). He served as nat ...

, noted heart surgeon

Randolph Chitwood Walter Randolph "Ranny" Chitwood, Jr. is known for his work as a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University located in Greenville, North Carolina. Chitwood is recognized as the first heart surgeon to perform ...

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

recipient Bryant H. Womack, and

Federal Judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A US federal judge is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate in accordance with Article 3 of ...

Malcolm Jones Howard Malcolm Jones Howard (born June 24, 1939) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Education and career Born in Kinston, North Carolina, Howard received a Bachelor ...

Awards

*2019- 'Jim Jackson' Certificate Of Merit- Portrait Society Of America's International Portrait Competition *2017- 'Emelie' accepted into Oil Painters Of America Salon *2017- 'Jodie Karr' accepted into the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition*2017- ‘Emelie’ accepted into Oil Painters Of America Salon *2016- Granted signature status from the Portrait Society Of America *2016- 'Lily Outdoors' accepted into Oil Painters Of America National Juried Exhibition *2014 - Certificate Of Excellence - Portrait Society Of America's 2014 International Portrait Competition *2014- Certificate Of Excellence - Portrait Society Of America's 2014 International Portrait Competition *2013- Finalist - Portrait Society Of America's 2013 International Portrait Competition *2012- Certificate Of Excellence - Portrait Society Of America's 2012 International Portrait Competition *2012- 1st Place- Commissioned Portraits- Portrait Society Of America’s Member's Only Competition *2010- Finalist- Portrait/Figure Category of The Artist's Magazine 27th Annual Art Competition *2009- 1st Place- Oil and Honorable Mention-Drawing- Portrait Society Of America’s 'Choose Your Medium' Portrait Competition *2008 - 2nd Place- Portrait Society Of America’s ‘Outdoor’ Portrait Competition *2007 - Semifinalist In American Artist Magazine’s 70th Anniversary Competition *2007 - Honorable Mention - Portrait Society Of America’s Children’s Portrait Competition *2006 - Honorable Mention - Portrait Society Of America’s Self - Portrait Competition *2006 - 2nd Place and People’s Choice - Portrait Society Of America’s Tri - State Competition *2005 - Certificate Of Merit - Portrait Society Of America’s Annual Portrait Competition *2004 - Best Portfolio - Portrait Society Of America’s Annual Conference *2003 - Best Portfolio - Portrait Society Of America’s Annual Conference *2002 - Certificate of Merit - Portrait Society Of America’s Annual Portrait Competition *2001 - Certificate of Merit - Portrait Society Of America’s Annual Portrait Competition

References

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130520/LIVING/305200007/WNC-portrait-artist-Nelson-wins-awards?nclick_check=1 http://www.portraitsociety.org/#!__members-only-competition/albumphotos1=24 ^http://richardchristiannelson.com/ArticleDetail/1076 ^http://richardchristiannelson.com/ArticleDetail/1034 ^http://richardchristiannelson.com/ArticleDetail/1035 ^http://richardchristiannelson.com/ArticleDetail/1050

External links

Personal Website

Gallery

Rich Nelson Band
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Richard Christian 1961 births Living people Painters from Detroit 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists People from Tryon, North Carolina 20th-century American male artists