An iPad painting by Raheem Nelson
New Haven resident Raheem Nelson, who graduated in 2007 from New York’s School of Visual Arts, will release his second book, Through the Elm to the Big Apple, tomorrow. The book, like his first, a comics collection called Little Robots (Vol. 1), features paintings created on an iPad.
Using four applications — Brushes, SketchBook Pro, ArtRage, and Procreate — Nelson made 64 paintings that “look back on my commute from New Haven to New York …and what I love about each city.”
Through the Elm to the Big Apple also includes essays by The Grove co-founder Ken Janke and New York-based artist Jorge Colombo.
Nelson said that The Grove, whose website describes the nonprofit as “a work space and an incubator that fosters collaborative action,” has hosted exhibitions of his work and provided valuable marketing advice and feedback. It was important, Nelson said, to introduce people outside New Haven to The Grove, which is depicted in one of the paintings in his new book.
The essays by Janke and Colombo were included, in part, to convey their thoughts about Nelson’s work.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Nelson quoted Colombo as saying (about the paintings in Through the Elm to the Big Apple), “My first impression is, beautiful sparse colors. I appreciate the simplicity of your palette, and the fact that you can be expressive with no transparencies at all.”
In his press release, Nelson said his new book “consists of digital paintings that look traditional. … The featured illustrations give an intimate look at the two cities. There are iconic locations like Pepe’s Pizza, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central (Terminal) and Battell Chapel.”
To learn more about Raheem Nelson and his work, visit his website, about.me/raheemnelson. Starting on Friday, Nelson’s new book, Through the Elm to the Big Apple, will be available for purchase, in paperback and hardcover form, at lulu.com.