A Few Questions Answered

Eye On Art | 10/25/2012 9:00 am

Artist Jefferson Nelson is no stranger to Toledo's art scene. In the past, he's exhibited at 20 North Gallery, Space 237, and even received Best In Show at the Salon exhibit. And, after eight years of traveling everywhere from New Mexico to Northern Ireland, the self-proclaimed "professional gypsy" has found a space where he can fully display many tricks of his trade. There are a couple of days left to view his solo exhibit, "All Questions No Answers" at Bozarts, which runs until Sunday, October 27th.

"What Jerry Gray and also Anthony McCarty do [at Bozarts] is unique, and I have never come in contact with anywhere else," Nelson said. "For two magical weeks in October, the gallery is mine to do with what I please, show what I want, whatever."

And that's saying a lot, considering all the people and places Nelson has met and worked throughout the years. His professional career didn't start too far away from Toledo, when he worked for a public art firm, Lepoworks, based in Lima. Here, he learned a number of fabrication techniques including welding, woodcarving, carving, working with fiberglass and auto painting among others. The experience gave Nelson a huge sense of accomplishment and a newfound confidence in his ability to do anything.

The past eight years have been unpredictable for Nelson. Whether it was carving a massive banana split in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York, or covering the majority of a room with a foot of neoprene foam for artist Carsten Nikolai, his work has evolved to fit his own life and the situations that were presented.

"As artists, and more specifically, sculptors, we require space, resources and time amongst other things," Nelson said. "As these things have become more or less available, the work has adapted and sometimes stagnated, but hopefully maintained my voice throughout."

There's still time to check out Nelson's solo exhibit, featuring everything from sculpture and painting to printmaking and installation. Bozarts is open Friday, October 26 from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday, October 27 from noon-5 p.m. You can view a taste of what he's been up to over the last decade, and even strike up a conversation with the artist, and maybe his daughter, Adaline.

"There is an honest dialog and energy about 'making' [at Bozarts] that seems unstoppable to me," Nelson said. "I don't feel so much like I am part of a gallery as much as I am part of a family."

For more information, visit the Bozarts Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bozarts-llc/111207106675?fref=ts