Painting Below the Belt

Paintings by Nelson Boren grab viewers by the scruff of the neck, demanding they complete the scenes to which the artist provides only a glimpse.

Boren’s distinctive style focuses the viewer’s eye on the subject, rarely distracting it with extraneous background. He says he wants “the viewer to participate with the painting by completing the vignette anyway he or she can imagine.” As viewers finish his paintings in their own minds, Boren hopes they will conjure up “nostalgic memories of grandpa’s time on the farm” or “even a self-portrait.”

A native son of Tempe, Arizona, Boren now makes his home in Sandpoint, Idaho. His work has appeared at numerous museums, including the Whitney Gallery of Western Art in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (Cody, WY), the Desert Caballeros Western Museum (Wickenburg, AZ) and at New York’s Javitts Center as part of the traveling exhibition “Art of the Southwest.” In addition, his art is in many private collections. Boren has also been featured in Art of the West and Southwest Art magazines.

Visit www.nelsonborenart.com to view more of Nelson Boren’s work.