In the early 1990's I came to realize that my paintings and drawings of birds were like the bird images of many contemporary atists, stiff and lifeless.  From that point forward I embarked on an education process dedicated to improving the life qualities of the birds I rendered.

The first step was to learn to compose my paintings without the use of photographs as a compositional tool.  Most bird paintings you see today are copied, all or in part, from published photos and the artists are overly influenced by the compression from large focal length lenses and generic compositions approved by magazine editors. After several years of patience, and trial and error, I was consistently able to render birds in a lifelike manor that demonstrated the proper weight and balance and attitude of birds as they appear in nature.

Next, I began borrowing taxidermy mounts and study skins of birds from the University of Nevada, in Reno where I live.  I also volunteered banding birds on several research projects which gave me access to live birds in the hand.  This proved invaluable to understanding the shape and movement of my subject.

My search for all things avian has lead to total immersion in the birding community in northern Nevada.  I have been a trustee, past president, past treasurer, and current education chairperson for Lahontan Audubon Society. 

I have developed many of my own techniques.  I vary techniques, sometimes alternating  many layers of wet-over-dry opaque brush strokes with glazes or scratches from various grits of sandpaper and sharp knives.  I frequently leave coarse scratches and crosshatching that barely show through subsequent layers of paint but add complexity and a random affect that suits the beauty of my subject as I see it. 

"Ray Rembrandt" - self portrait by Ray Nelson

"Ray Painting Ray Rembrandt 1"                           "Ray Painting Ray Rembrandt 2"