Bio

Sarah Nelson is a visual artist living and working in New Orleans, LA. Born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, she later went on to receive a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Printmaking, from the University of New Hampshire. Her work focuses on the abstract and emotive qualities of the sky, and how the visual quality of atmosphere works in conjunction with the landscape.

She has developed a technique in her painting practice that combines the physical grain of the wood panel surface with the composition of her images. First painting her image using a translucent mixture of oil paint, she then partially sands the paint away. This ingrains the paint into the lower valley of each individual wood grain. Upon close inspection, the wood grain switches back and forth, from light sanded wood at the grain’s peak, to a dark pigmented wood at the grain’s valley.

Her work is shown in galleries, private residences, and public collections throughout the nation, recently gaining a permanent display at the new Louisiana State University Hospital.  She has participated each year since 2015 in the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Contemporary Crafts Exhibition and was a regional semi finalist the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series. She is currently represented by Ariodante Gallery, on Julia St and is a member of the Where Y’Art artist collective.