Brad Nelson
I paint in my living room now. My daughters roam through to ask
questions or because they are hungry or because I am painting
an object they want back. My decision to seamlessly intertwine
my painting with my life emphasizes their interconnectedness.
I’m interested in exploring how a daily ritual or rhythm can bring
me things that are at times outside my sphere of control and
yet can also be the driving force behind what I choose to make. I
find my subject matter in what comes to me serendipitously: the
cardboard packaging from a yogurt maker, bed-linen packaging,
or an old clip-top storage container that used to store hand-medown
shoes for our youngest daughter. Still-life painting is a
perfect fit since its history is irrevocably tied to the portrayal of
the less important wares of domestic life. I choose to examine the
ubiquity, design elegance, and unintentionality of the ephemera
that deliver what’s important.