America's Marine Life Artist

In 1979 Robert Lyn Nelson created his landmark painting "Two Worlds", and a new type of art was born. "I wanted to paint the precise sensation of being in two universes at once. I could see it when I went diving. I wanted to share it with the world" and indeed he has. Today this view of life above and below the surface of the ocean has become one of the world's most successful and widely imitated genres.'

Born in California in 1955, Robert's talent surfaced quickly. At three he began creating remarkably detailed drawings and by age four it was clear that a true child prodigy was at work. His skills continued to grow to such a degree that at age fifteen every painting displayed at his first one-man show was sold. Taking note of the local phenomenon, two nearby colleges invited the young artist to study art while still attending high school.

The ocean and its mysteries have long been an inspiration for Robert. His unbreakable bond with the sea dates from his first surfing experiences at age eight and continues to grow today. Moving to Oahu in 1973 Robert began SCUBA diving and it was there that he began in earnest to explore the underwater world first revealed to him through the early films of dive pioneer Jacques Cousteau. Today his remarkable paintings have become powerful symbols of the struggle to preserve that world and the life within it.

Like so many others of his generation, the young artist's environmental awareness was ignited by Rachel Carson's groundbreaking book "Silent Spring" which he read at age sixteen. With "Two Worlds" Robert Lyn Nelson found the perfect vehicle with which to unite that awareness with his artistic talents. Now as a successful artist he recognizes that, like Cousteau and Carson before him, he too has been given a powerful voice with which to educate and inspire people everywhere to save the world's natural treasures.

The success of his marine work has been so significant that many may be unaware of his beautiful abstract, impressionist, landscape, floral and portrait works. His achievement in any of these styles would, in itself, make him a painter of note. Whichever style he chooses, however, the common thread in all his painting is a shining life-like quality. Filled with minute detail, his paintings often take months to produce.

Today, Robert continues to reside in Hawaii with his wife and two children. Surrounded by some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth he continues to pursue his mission to spread a message of compassion for the plight of the earth and all living things. Perhaps the motto which he has adopted for his work says it best - "Cherish our Land and Sea."

Environmental Causes

In 1976 while surfing in Hawaii Robert had what was literally an eye-to-eye encounter with a humpback whale. This incredible experience provided an epiphany, which has inspired Robert for life. A dedicated conservationist, Robert has donated his time and work to a host of environmental groups, which include (among many others) Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society, The National Geographic Society, the Pacific Whale Foundation and the World Wildlife Federation. He is deeply devoted to the National Marine Sanctuary Program and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation.

Still a young man, Robert Lyn Nelson has achieved recognition usually reserved for an artist whose life's work has been completed. His images have appeared in such widely diverse places as the cover of a Beach Boys album to official currency for the Republic of Palau. His paintings have been reproduced for the U.N. sponsored International Year of the Reef and International Year of the Ocean. He is among the first group of Americans to be named White House "Environmental Hero" and the Director of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has called his work "A National Treasure". His work on behalf of the NOAA has been displayed in such highly visible places as the lobby of the U.N. building in New York. His monumental painting "From Sea to Shining Sea" was honored as Official Painting for the American Pavilion at the '98 World's Fair in Lisbon and then became part of a larger display of his work in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Throughout the 1980's, as Nelson's fame increased, his art found its way into a great many celebrity collections, including those of actors Clint Eastwood, Tom Selleck, Lloyd Bridges, the late John Candy, and singers Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, and Brian Wilson.  The late President Ronald Reagan, Senators Daniel Inouye, and Daniel Akaka, and Governors George Ariyoshi and John Waihee of Hawaii have all honored his work. Paloma Picasso and the late Clare Boothe Luce have both collected Nelson, as have sports figures Jack Nicklaus and David Robinson. The highly diverse musical range of Nelson's collectors stretches from the late John Denver to Motley Crue's Vince Neil.

BACK