J. D. Nelson (Jim) was born in 1943. When he was fourteen he visited New York City and saw the Old Master Paintings. At that time he decided to be a painter.
He attended The Art Students League where he had a Ford Foundation Grant and was employed by Raymond Lowey to paint murals. He had a studio in New York on 5th Avenue when he was drafted into the Infantry in 1967. He served with the 25th Division in 1967-68 in Vietnam eventually becoming a Draftsman-Combat Artist with the Division (18th Military Historical Detachment).
Since that time he has painted many works: Portraits, Historical, Murals and Biographical. He is represented in many private collections and some museums in the U.S. and Canada.
He is a defender of the American Tradition of Realism in painting.