Irene Nelson, Antidote #16, Watercolor & Ink, 2022

Antidote #16 (Abstract painting) Watercolor/ ink on paper The works of San Francisco Bay Area-based abstract painter Irene Nelson are layered and atmospheric, offering dreamlike impressions of worlds seemingly in the process of becoming. Nelson’s lyrical, gestural marks feel organic and free, while her biomorphic forms and muted color relationships contribute to the sense that these are visions inspired by the subconscious. Whether painting, drawing or working with monotypes, Nelson’s process is guided by a mix of intuition and experimentation. She considers her process a give and take between conscious decision-making and spontaneity. She allows each preceding mark or layer to inform the next, so her compositions evolve as “acts of discovery” rather than planned. Nelson also experiments with the medium of photography, which she employs to search out ephemeral, passing glimpses of daily life. Her work is held in numerous private collections and has been exhibited extensively throughout California, including recent exhibitions at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco and Kala Art Institute, Berkeley.