Nelson received world acclaim for pioneering the Modern Marine Art Movement with his 1979 painting, “Two Worlds”. This original painting played a significant role in inspiring marine conservation efforts world-wide. – The distortions of the world around him has led to increasing surrealistic elements that have added a complex dream-like dimension to Nelson’s visionary art and ignited existing and new admirers.

Pablo Picasso, Gerhard Richtor, and David Hockney, known for their versatility and considerable artistic range, inspire Nelson to continue creating works in various styles from realism to cubism to impressionism to non-objective abstractions. He believes creativity is boundless and artists shouldn’t be limited in any way when it comes to expressing themselves through art.

Moved by the intense mystical sensation his paintings and drawings evoke, Robert Lyn Nelson’s art is widely admired and acquired by collectors around the world.

His artistic talent continued to win awards and recognition, including environmental and conservation art awards. By the age of twelve he was selling his paintings, funding his passion. At the age of 13, Nelson was awarded a scholarship to study art history, painting and drawing at Chaffey College in California. He was awarded another scholarship and continued his art studies at Mount San Antonio College, Pomona, CA. In 1973.

At the age of 18, Nelson traveled to Hawaii for a one month vacation. After experiencing life in the islands, he decided to forgo pursuing education at the San Francisco Academy of Art where he had been accepted. He couldn’t imagine leaving Hawaii, which has remained his home to this day.

In 1975 he attended University of Hawaii, Honolulu with studies in both philosophy and fine art. Dedicated to inspiring future generations committed to wildlife and habitat conservation, biodiversity, sustainability and environmental education through art, Robert has taught classes to up-and-coming artists at UH, Maui.

Living in Hawaii for more than 45 years, Robert’s vibrant and soothing images are equally true to life and inspiring. Diving and surfing around the Hawaiian Islands inspired Robert’s monumental “Two Worlds” painting, and continues to significantly inspire him. However, his body of work undermines the concept of an artist’s obligation to maintain a single cohesive style.

Nelson is tirelessly devoted and dedicated to perfecting new techniques – his expansive body of work contains more than 10,000 paintings, drawings and sculpture – distinguishing him as one of the most prolific artists in the modern world.

“Painting is like breathing to me, it transcends anything and everything going on in my life.” Facing his addiction to create from a place of strength, he channels the energy and passion to merge dreams and reality applying color to canvas, bringing his visions to life so they’ll no longer haunt his thoughts. Yet for each one he completes, there are hundreds more in line waiting to be set free.

Devoted collectors of his works consider him somewhere between a national treasure and natural resource – a truly visual poet expressing with color what can’t be expressed in words because the words don’t yet exist! No artist of his generation has awakened the world to such visual complexity and beauty. Many say art is hope, each completed work by Robert Lyn Nelson is hope for a better world. It is the intimate way Robert’s work moves his viewers that make him so desirable by collectors, in all categories.

A passionate conservationist, and considered a visual activist, he has dedicated his life’s efforts on building concern, and more importantly inspiring a call-to-action to protect nature & animals through his art. Co-founding the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation with Jean-Michael Cousteau and receiving the NOAA Environmental Hero Award by then Vice President Al Gore for his efforts to protect the environment, Nelson is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring artists of his generation.