Robert Nelson Artworks Gallery

• Valley View

  Pastel, Paper, 19.75 x 13.25. View of the valley down to the reservoir.

• Maggie

  Pastel, Paper, 18 x 12

• Yellowstone River Lower Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12

• Superintendent's Residence Mammoth Hot Springs

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12

• Mudpots

  Pastel, Panel, 6 x 8

• Jackson Lake

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Sunset Over Electric Peak

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Enchantress Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 18 x 8

• Fairy Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 7 x 5

• McLaren at Mammoth

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Eye-catching color, rakish shape, impossible to miss.

• USPS Cabin Mammoth Yellowstone small

  Pastel, Paper, 14 x 11

• Orange Mound Hot Spring & Bunsen Peak

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. Orange Mound is found on the Upper Terrace road at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park. It's a strikingly colorful formation built up over many years. The blue of Bunsen Peak in the backgroun…

• Veteran - US Marines

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Nelson at Yellowstone Lake Feb 2020
• Stately in Yellowstone

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12. This is another view of one of the officers' quarters at Mammoth Hot Springs. Stately architecture like this never goes out of style, IMHO.

• Aspens On Howard Eaton Trail

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. Autumn this year has been exceptionally nice, too warm and too dry, but very nice! The aspens have been gorgeous so I've tried a couple attempts at capturing them.

• USPS YNP Office ca 1900

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. This is the second version I've done of this quaint cabin. It represented warm, comfortable shelter to the postman who had to ski 50 miles to Cooke City to deliver mail in the winter. If we stayed…

• High on Barronette

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12. Barronette (named for a man named Baronett - the misspelling is official with NPS) is a peak in the northeast corner of the Park well known for having Rocky Mountain goats visible on its cliffs.…

• Lodgepole Woods at Norris

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. I agreed to meet a friend at Norris to go explore the thermal features there and decided to early in case I saw something to paint. The place we agreed to meet presented this view of the woods. No…

• Aspens & Hoodoos

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12. Autumn has been especially beautiful this year, 2020. These orange aspens caught my eye because they were early changing color and they were not the usual yellow/gold. These were brilliant orange…

• View From Sepulcher Peak Above Gardiner MT

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. This is from the top of the exposed cliff on Sepulcher Mtn near Mammoth Hot Springs. It's about a 2-1/2 hour stiff hike up from Mammoth and about 4000 ft above the valley floor pictured. There was…

• View of Gibbon Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. Gibbon is a beautiful, accessible falls right next to the Grand Loop Road, well worth a stop. This view is from below the river's edge a scramble down from the viewing area at road level.

• View Near Cooke City MT

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. Cooke City MT is about 7500 ft above sea level and this sketch was done from about 1000 feet above Cooke City. The mountains shown are Index and Pilot peaks, but they're foreshortened and therefor…

• The Pagoda at Mammoth Hot Springs

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. This building, known locally as the "Pagoda", is actually the old US Engineering building for Yellowstone Park. It gets its name from the slightly off-vertical walls and its flattened peaked roof.…

• Golden Gate - View to the East

  Pastel, Paper, 14 x 11

• Volcanic Landscape

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Looking into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

• Gibbon Falls in Shade

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9

• Gibbon Falls In Sun

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12

• Mt Holmes From Norris Geyser Basin

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12

• Balsamroot Blossoming

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. Let's see... June in Yellowstone, balsamroot in bloom, bison closing in from my left hind quarter, a black bear attracting crowds at my right hindquarter...What's not to like?

• Above the Cascades

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Some distance above the Virginia Cascades, the Gibbon River is a modest stream, even in mid-June. I saw no fish this day.

• Threatening Ramparts

  Pastel, Paper, 18 x 12. This study was painted from a photo after a recent hike. The lovely spring day turned threatening with clouds and lightning but only a small amount of rain. Yes, the rocks really look like that -…

• Narrow Gauge Terrace

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 4. This work is a view of the Narrow Gauge terrace above Mammoth Hot Springs. It's only accessible by a trail that is lesser known. I was skiing up the trail early on a cold morning and came upon the…

• Runoff Creek at Old Faithful

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9

• Near Snow Pass

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. The climb to Snow Pass from Mammoth is a pretty good piece of work. I skied up, surprised a bull bison at the top (apologies!) then skied back around to the highway and back to Mammoth, about 8 mi…

• Morning - Tower Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. A striking view into the deep shadows surrounding the falls early morning in October.

• Lone Star Geyser February

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Skied into Lonestar on the groomed road with a group of folks and then skied over the Howard Eaton trail back to Old Faithful. The trail was untracked new snow into which the lead skier breaking t…

• Index & Pilot Peaks October

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. It was a beautiful October day and I was on my way out of the park. I love these peaks and could not resist turning around to say good bye to them.

• Gloomy May Day

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. This picturesque barn is just north of the Yellowstone River on the highway about 20 miles north of the Park. If it could talk, it probably would have many tales of the old ranching life.

• Confluence Obsidian Creek & Gardner River

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. These waterways come together about 8 miles south of Mammoth. The Gardner then flows north out of the Park and joins the Yellowstone. Fall colors were captivating.

• Bull at Bridge Bay After the Rut

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. September 2019 we were at Bridge Bay YNP in the rain/snow to hike to the natural bridge for which Bridge Bay is named. This big bull was right next to the parking lot (mostly empty) and solely con…

• Aspens Near Mammoth

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Aspen color was not particularly brilliant in fall 2019 but this view with the snow forced me to paint it.

• Amphitheater Peak

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. Amphitheater Peak is in the northeast corner of YNP and is very imposing. The October snow and cold didn't do anything but to enhance its majesty.

• Alice

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12

• Study of Alice

  Charcoal, Paper, 14 x 11

• Yellowstone River - Upper Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9

• Storm Point Yellowstone Lake

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. It was a chilly, blustery August day on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. I had to hide behind a copse of evergreens to get out of the wind and have a chance of keeping my easel upright.

• Quadrant Peak Thunderstorm

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Serial evening thunderstorms interrupted this look toward Gallatin bear management area.

• Mammoth Chapel

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. This lovely old chapel at Mammoth has, sadly, fallen into disuse.

• October Aspens at Mammoth

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. Early snow and wet limited color in the trees this year but afternoon light on their trunks was still beautiful.

• Fairy Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. This falls in the Old Faithful area is a popular attraction, being about 100 feet high and plunging off the overhanging cliff.

• Gardner Canyon From High Bridge

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. This fast sketch is of a scene I've driven by countless times going in and out of Mammoth. The end of summer had come and I couldn't let any more time pass. As it was, the light was fleeting.

• Mystic Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. Mystic Falls is a popular destination in the Old Faithful area. After passing it, the trail leads to a cliff with a scenic view of the geyser basin.

• Fireweed & Mt. Prospect

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. This work was done while on a long hike along a sunny ridge parallel to the Yellowstone River. The color in the foreground, the bright light and far horizons demanded an attempt to paint!

• Sacagawea Park Livingston MT

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Livingston, MT, is a pleasant, bustling town that serves as the northern gateway to Yellowstone off I-90. I was there one day running errands and ate my lunch in Sacagawea Park leading to this lat…

• White Dome Geyser

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. Fountain Lake Drive near Old Faithful is a magical place at sunset, made better by White Dome Geyser and other thermals erupting. I tried to catch the power of the water driven skyward and its cas…

• January Geyser Basin

  Pastel, Paper, 10 x 6. Winter at Old Faithful is profoundly different than winter elsewhere. I did a long hard ski trip in the hills with a group on Saturday and then an easy one on Sunday through the Basin near Old Fai…

• Moose Falls

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. The southwest corner of Yellowstone seems to be forgotten by many people. It doesn't have the big thermals, critters are less plentiful and visible and is generally less "spectacular." But it defi…

• Summer Solstice 6AM

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 18. A friend requested a painting of Emigrant Peak which is in view from the family home. The peak is in the valley of the Yellowstone River as it flows north from the Park and is a dominating format…

• Sylvan Lake YNP

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. After climbing Avalanche Peak near the east entrance of YNP ( a short but strenuous excursion), I felt the need to paint. Sylvan Lake was nearby and called me to itself. The mid-day light was a ch…

• Pippa

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 12

• Rockin' the Firehole

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12

• Spring on the Yellowstone

  Pastel, Paper, 6 x 8

• Yellowstone Park 82190

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Snow, a classically styled Post Office, old Fort Yellowstone barracks and Mt. Everts in the background made for what I think is a nice composition with a variety of line. Only the small figure in…

• Mists of Norris

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 10. The world's largest geyser, Steamboat, was in its window for a possible eruption so I decided to take a snowcoach to Norris Basin and be present should it do so. I got there about 8am and 8 deg F.…

• Riverside Geyser

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Riverside is a smaller, but spectacular and easily accessible geyser. Its cone is part of the riverbank, making a lovely scene on a September evening.

• Boysen Dam and Wind River Canyon

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 12. This view is the entrance past Boysen dam and into the start of Wind River Canyon just south of Thermopolis, Wyoming. Late day sun reflected off the water made for difficult painting.

• Working at Warm Creek 2018-05-13
• Glimpse of the Mummy Range

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Aspen Glade - Autumn

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. October snow and aspen.

• Dalahast Guards Sugar Tins

  Pastel, Paper, 10 x 10. The Dala horse, or Dalahast, is one of the national symbols of Sweden. They're hand carved and painted wood, the most common color is a slightly dulled orange. Here a Dala has discovered two suga…

• Bull Elk Mammoth Hot Springs

  Pastel, Paper, 6 x 8. A dirt road runs one-way downhill from Mammoth to Gardiner and for fun, I decided to take it. It's actually the original road used by the Army and NPS when the Park was first established. It's pret…

• Natural Bridge

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12

• Canyon Wall - Evening

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12. Setting sun in March on a high crag.

• Dalahast Finds Sugar Tins

  Pastel, Paper, 10 x 10. The Dala horse, or Dalahast, is one of the national symbols of Sweden. They're hand carved and painted wood, the most common color is a slightly dulled orange. Horses like sugar so this Dala is p…

• Hillside at Elk Creek YNP

  Pastel, Paper, 10 x 10. This was commission from one of my good friends here in Mammoth who has fond memories of the scene.

• Wondering

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 8. The outstanding graduate of 2018 ponders what's next for her.

• Dalas Share Sugar Cubes

  Pastel, Paper, 10 x 10. The Dala horse, or Dalahast, is one of the national symbols of Sweden. They're hand carved and painted, the most common color is a slightly dulled orange. Here, two Dalas have found two sugar con…

• It's Not As Warm As It Looks

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Returning from an aborted road trip on Christmas Day, I saw this view of a juniper with Electric Peak and Yellowstone Country in the distance. Frosty, cold, and not very colorful, but it was reali…

• Poised

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 6

• Notch Butte2 Plein Air

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Touron Toss 2

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 12. An incautious visitor to Yellowstone gets a lesson.

• Spectrum I

  Pastel, Paper, 6 x 8. This is an abstract based on a concept I learned about years ago combined with a more recent addition. Can you decipher it?

• December Ice on the Gardner

  Pastel, Paper, 10 x 10. A friend and I were hiking along the Gardner River just outside of Mammoth. The sun was out and warm. As we returned and rounded a bend in the trail, we encountered these brilliant willows in the…

• Notch Butte Plein Air

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12

• Touron Toss

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 12. A certain infamous celebrity gets a Wyoming send off.

• Drifting Nor' by Nor'east

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. Bison drifting in their twos and threes, north by northeast across Lamar Valley into Soda Butte Creek after the 2018 rut.

• April on Lodgepole Creek

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Petzl, Cam and Carabiner

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. Rock climbing gear - carabiners on a sling clipped to a Black Diamond Camalot (for protecting the climber in wide cracks) and a bright red Petzl climbing helmet. Ever been hit in the head with a…

• Arrowleaf Balsam

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12

• Fishin' the Gibbon

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. Early morning, a fly fisherman and the Gibbon River presented themselves to me resulting in this piece. It was begun plein-air and finished in the studio. A fisherman friend who was out every day…

• Pensive

  Pastel, Paper, 14 x 11

• Kettle & Fruit

  Pastel, Paper, 6 x 8

• High Plains Basin Country

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. High plains basin country from an elevated vantage point. Wide open space.

• Black Tail Deer Creek

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This scene is from the trailhead on highway 212. It's a popular trail for getting up to the black canyon of the Yellowstone river along the northern border of the Park. Black-tail deer are more c…

• Pronghorn Solitary

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Lion Geyser YNP

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Left Hand Creek - Autumn

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 12. Left Hand Creek near Boulder, Colorado, in September was the inspiration for this piece. The water was low and the light shining the length of the stream, making for some striking depths and refle…

• Zeus

  Pastel, Paper, 5 x 7

• Castle Geyser YNP

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12

• Approach to Old Faithful

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 10. I was in Yellowstone National Park last summer, arriving at Old Faithful late in the afternoon - just in time to see the geyser, surrounded by people and families, erupt! It's a fond memory.

• Dairy Barn

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Castle Geyser v2

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• I Think It Still Runs

  Pastel, Paper

• Smoky Sunset at Cistern Spring YNP

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• The Pastelist

  Pastel, Paper, 24 x 18. The Pastelist is a portrait of a friend out with his pastel box out on a pleasant June day. It has been accepted into the Colorado Pastel Society 11th Annual Mile High Exhibition.

• Yellowstone River Narrows

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This is near the entrance to the narrows of the Yellowstone downstream from the Grand Canyon and near where Tower Creek enters the Yellowstone (via Tower Falls). Here Ospreys cruise over the wate…

• Vixen Geyser

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 6. Vixen is a wonderful, modest geyser in Norris Basin. It erupts frequently, is close to the boardwalk and is just plain fun to watch. It's like a squirt gun shooting vertically. Recommended!

• Yellowstone Beach & Bison

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This was sketched in from a photo shot while I wandered around the Tower area of YNP. A set of stairs/trails lead down to the Yellowstone River. Busy watching the harlequin ducks (uncommon in YNP…

• Summer, Bunsen Peak

  Pastel, Paper, 6 x 8. After painting the hoodoos of Bunsen, I had lunch (and a nap) near this tree.

• Steamboat

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 8. This is from the trail opposite Steamboat's runoff channel. Little did I know Steamboat would erupt the next day.

• Palette Spring Mammoth

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This is a part of the aptly named Mammoth Hot Springs terraces. The colors change as does the sky. Beautiful and interesting.

• Emerald Spring Norris

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. Yet another work in progress. On Friday, the color in the pool was obscured by mist, overcast skies and murk. On the day I painted, they were brilliant. I wish I had the skill to capture it. Mayb…

• Willow

  Pastel, Paper, 14 x 11

• Bunsen Peak Hoodoos

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. The hiking trail up Bunsen goes right past this point. It's a spectacular view and especially so looking into the morning sun. This is one of the many, many places in Yellowstone where you must b…

• Dunraven Yarrow

  Pastel, Paper, 16 x 12. Late afternoon on the flanks of Mt. Washburn's foot hills revealed this niche in the trees with a hint of sun illuminating a patch of yarrow and other flowers. I'd never tried to paint a scene li…

• Cheyenne Ranch

  Pastel, Paper, 14 x 11

• Black Bear at Blacktail Butte

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 6. Saw this bear early on a Saturday morning en route to the Yellowstone River. Traffic was stopped and I was forced to take a photo. Fun little sketch.

• Pelicans & Ducks at Pelican Bay

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. A visit to Pelican Bay with naturalist Katy Duffy, the well-known YNP naturalist, inspired me to come back the subsequent day to take a stab at painting it plein air in early morning. Suitably na…

• Yellowstone Geyser Basin

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Norris Geyser Basin

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 12. I tired of waiting for Steamboat (again) and chose this viewpoint at Norris because 1) it's stunning and 2) I didn't block the many tourists on the boardwalk. I enjoyed the view, but the constant…

• Gardner River Canyon

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This view is from just south of Mammoth Hot Springs, about 1/2 mile off the highway. The sunset coming through the canyon every evening is beautiful.

• Bemused

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12

• Waiting For Steamboat

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 8. Yet another wait for Steamboat Geyser to erupt ended in disappointment. It's recent pattern has been to erupt every 6-8 days and I hoped I could either do a nice painting or see the eruption (but…

• Electric Peak from Swan Flat

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 12

• Yellowstone River Lower Falls and Canyon

  Pastel, Paper, 18 x 12

• The Promise

  Pastel, Paper, 6 x 8

• View From Chief Joseph Highway

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This scene is near the east end of the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway between Cody, WY and YNP. The fierce red butte and the greens were irresistible. If you don't like heights, you won't like the des…

• Coyote Pond

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. Returning to Mammoth after dinner at Roosevelt Lodge, I stopped at this pond because of the reflection of the trees. While I was painting it, a coyote sauntered by, took a drink from the pond and…

• Upper Abiathar Peak

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 8. Painted on a hike up Baronette Peak toward Upper Pebble Creek. It was a very stiff climb with a lot of snow on the pass, so I did not continue into Pebble Creek, but paused for this view instead.…

• Index & Pilot Peaks

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This work was started on location near Hunter Peak looking west toward Yellowstone. It was mid-day so the light was straight overhead and not favorable, but the peaks were so stunning I had to tr…

• Secluded Meadow

  Pastel, Paper, 5 x 7

• Slough Creek YNP - Grizzly Heaven

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. Slough Creek is in the northeast corner of the park north of the Lamar area. There have been many grizzly sightings there this spring. There is also a wolf den (with pups) visible (with a powerfu…

• Victoria

  Pastel, Paper, 14 x 11. A lovelly young woman with a detached, faraway look in her eyes.

• Scene at Warm Creek

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This work was done at Warm Creek on Soda Butte Creek near Silver Gate, MT in YNP. Ran out of time as afternoon showers closed in.

• Steamboat Geyser YNP

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 8. Steamboat, world's largest geyser, has been unusually active this year after several years of dormancy. A friend tipped me off that it was building again late last week so I raced down there early…

• Church and Highway to Tower

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16

• Bunsen Peak from Swan Lake Flat

  Pastel, Paper, 5 x 7. This is a quick study of late afternoon thunderstorms moving in from the west and overshadowing Bunsen Peak. The view is from Swan Lake Flats.

• September Elk Country

  Pastel, Paper

• Mammoth Upper Terrace

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. Plein aire study of the upper terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs through some junipers and firs. The stump in the foreground was a struggle and I gave up when the sun moved too much and changed all t…

• A Study From Artist's Point Yellowstone Canyon

  Pastel, Paper, 7 x 5. This is a prep study for the larger 18x12 that was done the same day. It was about 35 deg F and my fingers were numb.

• Midway Geyser Basin

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 12. Midway geyser basin at evening. Again, had to work fast, not so much because the light was fading, but because there were bear warnings posted on the opposite side of the road behind me. I'm sure…

• Justice Bldg & Mt Everts Sunset

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 8. Mammoth Hot Springs Justice Building and Mt Everts at sunset. Everts is only about 8500 feet high, but the west side is quite steep with several cliff bands and lots of unstable scree.

• The Dying Poplar

  Pastel, Paper. A quick study late on a hot, summer morning.

• Lower Falls Yellowstone River

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 9. This is from the North Rim of the canyon. There is a ton of snow in Yellowstone this year and while it's melting quickly it prevents the opening of most trails and scenic overlooks. This was paint…

• Soda Butte

  Pastel, Paper, 12 x 16. This is my first plein-air painting from Yellowstone. It's looking east past Soda Butte, Mt. Abiathar and Amphitheater Peak. Beyond them is Cooke City, MT. While not particularly high mountains a…

• How Did They Get That Up There

  Pastel, Paper, 9 x 11

• August Afternoon

  Pastel, Paper, 8 x 10