Nationally known, award-winning artist Rich Nelson announces the opening of his Asheville studio in the River Arts District.

Join Nelson for an open house welcoming him to the District on Saturday, March 9, from 4-7 p.m. during the popular “Second Saturday” open studio tours. Light refreshments will be served. Nelson is thrilled to join the RAD family, and looks forward to being energized by the palpable creativity that exudes from this exciting area.

Although Nelson is widely known as a portrait artist, he also paints landscape, still life and figurative gallery pieces. He also teaches landscape, still life and portraiture workshops. Recently a DVD still life tutorial by Nelson has been made available for download at his website. His portraits and gallery pieces have been commissioned by federal and state judges, universities, hospitals and major corporations as well as families who commission him to paint or draw their children.

“I am endlessly fascinated by people, places, and things and consider it a privilege and a challenge to capture some aspect of their essence on canvas,” Nelson said.

Nelson hails from Detroit, where he attended and eventually taught at what is now known as The College for Creative Studies. It was at CCS where he developed his love of painting, drawing, figurative art and art history.

“I work towards ‘painterly realism’; good drawing and composition, rendered with strong natural color, in such a way that you can still sense or ‘feel’ the paint. The effect of this process is that the subject begins to artfully reveal itself to me and hopefully, the viewer,” Nelson said.

Most recently, Nelson won first place in the Member’s Only Competition-Commissioned Portraits, a certificate of excellence and an honorable mention from the Portrait Society of America. He has also served on their faculty. Nelson continually participates in invitational paint-outs, resulting in his wide range of plein air landscapes. His workshops are taught throughout the year and you can find a schedule of them at his website.

Nelson’s studio is located at 352 Depot St. Suite 110 in Asheville, N.C.. Stop in anytime from 11-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call him at 828-817-3784, or visit RichardChristianNelson.com.

– article submitted by Kim Nelson