For nearly four decades, Joan Nelson has made it her mission to upend the male-dominated tradition of landscape painting. Rather than commit herself to straightforward reproductions of the natural world, Nelson paints reality with a fabulist’s brush. Using such unconventional materials as mascara, nail polish, and burnt sugar on sheets of plexiglass, she merges landscapes real and imagined to present scenes that can be encountered only within the infinite expanse of art. “New Works,” Nelson’s third exhibition with the gallery Adams and Ollman, will be on view through December 19. A selection of images from the show appears below.
Joan Nelson, Untitled, 2019, spray enamel and acrylic ink on acrylic sheet, 24 x 24″.
Joan Nelson, Untitled, 2020, spray enamel, oil, and acrylic ink on acrylic sheet, 24 x 24″.
Joan Nelson, Untitled, 2020, spray enamel and acrylic ink on acrylic sheet, 20 x 20″.
Joan Nelson, Untitled, 2020, spray enamel, acrylic ink, marker on acrylic sheet, 24 x 24″.
Joan Nelson, Untitled, 2018, spray enamel, acrylic ink, and mascara on acrylic sheet, 12 x 12″.
Joan Nelson, Untitled, 2019, spray enamel and acrylic ink on acrylic sheet, 24 x 24″.
Joan Nelson, Untitled, 2020, spray enamel and acrylic ink on acrylic sheet, 24 x 24″.
Joan Nelson, Untitled, 2020, spray enamel, acrylic ink, marker, and burnt sugar on acrylic sheet, 20 x 20″.
“New Works” will be on view through December 19 at Adams and Ollman in Portland, Oregon.
