Kristin Nelson ’s work expresses a simplicity and innocence which touches the deepest of emotions. As an American Primitive artist, Kristin has been collected and exhibited since the age of 17 when, inspired by the death of President John F. Kennedy, she was moved to express her feelings through her painting. A self taught artist, she has continued to paint all of her life, coming into national prominence when Jacqueline Kennedy purchased her painting of the White House from her first one woman show. 

Unschooled in art technique, Kristin Nelson was frustrated by her attempts to create realistic canvases, considering her paintings to be failures. It was when she saw a collection of the work of another American Primitive artist, that she felt an instant kinship with their style. It was an enormous revelation for her to discover there was no right or wrong way to paint.

In 1997 Kristin’s first book, “Out of my Mind” was published. It is an art autobiography portraying thirty years of American dreaming in its postwar years. The book also tells the story of Kristin’s life, her great (and not so great) moments, her struggle as a single parent, dealing with an intense emotional crisis, and an increasingly strong belief in herself as an artist. 

Today, Kristin Nelson resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she continues her love of painting. She lives and works in a refurbished barn built in the 1930’s along the banks of the Santa Fe River with her eight dogs.