Introduction
I began my photography career in Houston, Texas in 1967 applying my creative vision in the commercial industry. In 1979 I moved to New York City, continuing my commercial endeavors and where upon I begin my journey into the arts. While in New York, I begin experimenting with pastels and gesso on paper, placing flowers and fabric in front of the pastel backgrounds and photographing them. This eventually led into the Fleur I series, a portfolio of 10 dye transfer prints. Fleur I started in NY, worked on in Santa Fe, and was completed in Dallas, TX. Also while in NY I began my entry into B&W fine art photography.
In 1982 I moved to Santa Fe, searching for my unique visions into B&W photography, be it landscape or still life, combined with the development of the fine art image. An inward search of expression that one has to experience to be able to find the path to travel on. I also continued my visions of combining colored backgrounds and sculpture with the end result being the photograph.
In 1984 I moved to Dallas, TX., acquired a 6000 sq ft studio and continued my work both in the fine arts and again in commercial work. While in Dallas, I began experimenting with mixed medium painting, sculptured relief backgrounds, combined with photography. Also while in Dallas, I traveled to Australia for Neiman Marcus to photography for their last Fort Nights Exhibit. While in Australia, I absorbed the myths of the Aboriginal people. From this journey came forth "Dream Time", a portfolio of 9 dye transfer images. [(Reflection back to a small painting I saw in the Metropolitan Museum in NY, in 1980, of an artist painting his self portrait, the quote was "FROM THE WITHOUT, TO THE WITHIN AND BACK TO THE WITHOUT".) This quote has been a part of my life from that moment on, bringing forth all of my paintings and or photographs in color, other than "Ribbons Of Time" a photographic body of work for Midwestern State University.] Also while in Dallas I traveled to Baja Sur, Mexico, where I began to realize my unique vision in B&W photography, a wonderful feeling like a lotus coming into bloom.
In 1986 I moved to Abiquiu, NM, following in the footsteps of Georgia O’Keefe and Alfred Stieglitz, continuing my quest into the unknown in art. It was in Abiquiu that I began the series "Catholism From Baja Merging With Mayan Tradition From Chiapas" or the "White Series", a sculpture relief series of 8 paintings, with terracotta forms. (This series was worked on in Dallas, Texas, with the help of Martha Fain and photographed later in Lama Ceia, New Mexico where I shared a studio with Martha and Sara Harvey.) From my realization of vision coming from Baja, I continued my expressions in the B&W landscapes of Northern NM.
In 1987 I moved back to Dallas and continued working on the "White Series" plus completing several other paintings. During this period, Douglas J. Preston and I took on the task of retracing Coronado journey on horseback. Beginning on the Arizona-Mexico border, the San Pedro river, we traveled 1000 miles, out 70 days, existing on beans and rice with a few supplements. This journey was underwritten by the Smithsonian Magi., and Douglas wrote a book from our travels,” The Cities Of Gold" retracing Coronado.
Somewhere around 1990 I moved to Henrietta, TX. where I completed the series "Pathway Through The Sun Through Pedernal" a sculpture relief painting series of 4, composed of wood, clay, terracotta, and canvas, painted with encaustics and oil. This series was dedicated to my sister, Cynthia Nelson after her death, for this was her magical carpet to ride on into eternity. The inspiration came from the mystical Obesidum mountain overlooking, the Ghost Ranch Valley, Pedernal. Other paintings and photographs came from this period.
In 1992 I moved back to Santa Fe and Abiquiu, opened a gallery and lived on the plaza with my dog Darwin August Perth, a red healer, my companion in time. Upon his death, I decided to create two shrines for his memorial, where upon I created 12 in New Mexico, 1 in Texas and 5 in Europe. Walking into the landscape with hemp and ashes, nature gave me the elements to work with. Over a period of one day to two weeks these shrines were created, with ceremony and photographed. From this experience came terracotta sculptured relief paintings and oil paintings. During this period of time, I journeyed to Europe with a backpack and a new awareness. This was for a retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk at Plum Village, in Southern France. After two weeks at Plum Village, I traveled to Florence, Siena, Rome, Venice, Padua, the Chinque Terra, Arles, and Paris. During this journey I Photographed with a 35mm camera, creating a body of work "Pilgrimage Into Art"
I moved to Wichita Falls, Texas in 2002, where I now reside, excituting sculpture relief paintings from my experiences at the Dalquest Research Site, in the Chihuahan Desert, twenty miles north of the Rio Grande, owned by Midwestern State University. My latest major photographic project was from this canyon, with an exhibition of 70 photographs and book signing at The Museum of Fine Arts in Wichita Falls, Texas.
I am now working on a new body of work, “Nature Or Man Made Graffiti on Aspen Trees”, a “Cloud Series” and have just completed a body of work “Simplicity Of Form---Light and Shadow”, Homage To Donald Judd.
Images of my work can be viewed on the web @ walterwnelson.com
