Brad Nelson

Even Mountains Cast Shadows #11  48x60 in  oil on canvas  2011

Even Mountains Cast Shadows #3 26x34"  oil on canvas  2010

Even Mountains Cast Shadows #10  48 x 60 in.  oil on canvas  2011

I Breathe Your Breath (Title Piece) - Detail

I Breathe Your Breath (Title Piece)  18x24"  oil on canvas  2009

Bed Blown Bare  30x84"  oil on canvas  2007

Brad Nelson's work bridges an interesting divide between realist representational painting and more modernist conceptual approaches to art. He has on his website (brad-nelson.net) five distinct bodies of work represented. The most recent is entitled "Even Mountains Cast Shadows" in which he deals with the deceptive nature of space in relative terms of scale. It is difficult to say if these represent strange mountain ranges or crumbling bits of plaster. Using incongruous color schemes and no reference for size we are left in doubt. His stated intention is that these images also operate as metaphors for scales in time as well, in which we might question the influence of historical belief systems on our own lives. Whether or not such ideas can be evoked in this manner, the images are intriguing enough for us to at least ask questions concerning their intent, providing the opportunity for the artist to make his case. Take the time to look through it all and make up your own mind. For my part I'm sold enough to want to see where he takes it next.