Donalee Nelson

February 13, 1945 - September 10, 2020

Our virtual memorial...

In celebration of her life

If friends or family wish to add a message or photograph, send to memories@DonaleeNelsonMemorial.net
B&W photographs by Kim Gottlieb-Walker

Sister, friend, artist and colleague

Donalee Nelson (née Johnson) was born in Long Beach, California, but her life and work led her from California to Michigan and New York, and she traveled widely in Europe, China and Japan. She majored in Latin American History and art history at California State University, Long Beach, and also studied art at the State University of New York at Albany, and at the University of Michigan. She had careers in both film and television, where during her television career she was Research Director for KHJ TV as well as working in research for KTTV TV, both in Los Angeles, and Research Director for KBHK TV in San Francisco. She also worked in independent film production. Her career as a painter flourished in California’s Central Coast, where she established the Nelson Fine Art Studio. Inspired by the beauty of the coastline, redwoods and wine country, as well as Moorish and Art Deco architecture, she created works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, aquamedia, pastels, collage, and silk dyes. Her paintings have been shown at more than three dozen galleries, wineries, and other venues in both Southern and Central California, ranging from sites in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo to Rons in Grover Beach, where her work continues to be on display. In southern California her shows include those at Caffe Latte gallery in Los Angeles and Bistango gallery in Irvine. Two of her paintings were featured in film and on television (Disney and TVOne), and four are on permanent display at the LA County/USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. In 2014 she created her bimonthly blog Nelson Fine Art Studio, highlighting museum shows from California, across the nation and around the world. It attracted a wide following and continued through alternate months until July of 2020.
Valentine's array
A few highlights from her life and art...
Please see individual pages for more photographs