Distinctly Montana Magazine

www.DistinctlyMontana.com 13 E rik Ole Nelson, Ole to his friends, creates one-of-a- kind sculptures and signs all over Montana. And if you've been to Bozeman or Missoula recently, chances are you've seen and admired his work. There's "Daydreamer," the steel sculpture that adorns Boze- man's City Hall, and "Fish Face," in Soroptomist Park. And vis- itors to Missoula College's River Campus will be awestruck by "Emergence," nearly twice as large as his other sculptures and his first commissioned public art piece. His recreation of the his- toric Rialto Theater in downtown Bozeman is one of his most am- bitious projects, painstakingly reconstructed from old black and white photos, an instantly iconic neon-red beacon over Main Street. He also has a beautiful art nouveau piece in the Kimp- ton-Armory Hotel entitled Summer Etha. But how did it all start? "I have always been into the arts, drawing, and building as a kid, doing woodworking and electronics as I got older," he says. "In high school, I was taking classes in computer art, then graph- ic design, and finally CNC plasma and routing machines that would turn the digital art into cut objects and shapes that would later become signs and sculptures." Since then, he's developed his own process for the sculptures. He starts "with a black and white drawing, and then it's convert- ed to a digital version for cutting out of steel sheets." "After that," he tells us, "the steel sheets are welded to a frame- work of angle iron and attached to a support tube that secures it to the ground. The weight can vary from a few hundred pounds to several thousand, depending on the size." Despite being steel, Nelson's sculptures feel organic, evoking nature's gentle forms. He describes them as "abstract expres- sions of movement and gestures, with human related shapes filled with the energy of motion... The human form and how we interact with nature drives most of the inspiration for my work and its content." Well, most of his work. "Montana is also endlessly inspiring for my work, from the in- credible four seasons, the rugged terrain, and the vastness of the open spaces." Jackie Wickens, Erik Nelson, and Trecie Wheat Hughes with the sculpture Daydreamer TOM RATH ERIK NELSON IS 'OLE' TO HIS FRIENDS. IF YOU'RE A MEMBER OF THE MONTANA COMMUNITY, THAT MAKES YOU A FRIEND. Juneshot

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