High Country Landscapes

Roger Allen Nelson is bringing the outdoors indoors at Blowing Rock Frameworks and Gallery.

An accomplished artist trained in classical realism, Nelson will be showcasing an exhibit of landscape paintings throughout October at the Blowing Rock gallery.

These High Country landscapes will include local views from Bass Lake, Grandfather Mountain, Blowing Rock and surrounding areas. These paintings represent some of Nelson’s work on a smaller scale – literally. Previously, he’d worked on sprawling murals and sizable frescoes.

Nelson holds a degree in fine arts and art history from the University of Minnesota. Studying first in the French academic tradition under Richard Lach and Ives Gammel, he began developing a taste for larger work and public art when he was commissioned by the city of Minneapolis to design and paint murals.

After buying a home and land in the North Carolina mountains, he turned his skills toward carpentry and renovation. Soon, Nelson was being asked to draw plans, elevations and renderings for local architects. This led to an invitation to provide set designs and drawings for the movie, “The Winter People,” based on a story by John Ehle and filmed in nearby Cranberry.

Each step was leading to a turning point in Nelson’s life – his introduction in Charlotte in 1989 to world-renowned fresco master, Ben Long. Work was under way on a fresco at St. Peter’s Catholic Church when Nelson signed on as a volunteer assistant.

It soon became apparent that he was well suited for his assignments. He was ultimately named chief associate artist to Long, working with him on frescoes in North Carolina and in France. Nelson also joined his mentor as an instructor at The Fine Arts League of Asheville, where he teaches artistic anatomy and life and figure drawing.

Currently, Nelson is working on compiling an exhibit of smaller paintings that will be on display for October at Blowing Rock Frameworks and Gallery.

Blowing Rock Frameworks and Gallery is located at 7539 Valley Blvd. (next to Food Lion) and is open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on this exhibit, contact the gallery at (828) 295-0041 or visit http://www.brframegallery.com.

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Gallery Times

Gallery Times is a weekly news feature of The Mountain Times, featuring short news items submitted by local galleries.

For more information or to make a submission, contact editor Frank Ruggiero at (frank@mountaintimes.com) or (828) 264-6397.