Rashad Nelson @ Bodega

The latest installation at the shop features works from Boston's own, Rashad Nelson - in addition the pieces hanging throughout the space he hit our wall with something new.

Bio: Rashad Nelson was born August 17th, 1991 in Boston Massachusetts. He grew up in the Roslindale neighborhood where he lived with his grandparents who contributed greatly to his artistic development during his early years. Rashad first picked up drawing at the age of 8 and his passion, creativity, and his unique eye for design allowed others close to him to see his potential. At the age of 10 Rashad began building model cars, largely inspired by his grandfather’s collection. Meticulously, he would build them and paint them until they fit his standard of perfection; a standard which at his age could be seen as unrealistic. The small, minute details of these model cars, from the shiny chrome handles to the treads in the tiny tires, became his obsession. He would translate these ideas of how cars should look like into sketches with pencil and paper. During his early teenage years, Rashad's interest in art and his rebellious spirit drew him to the relatively underground and emerging graffiti and street art world. He moved around the city at night, writing his tag name in various hand styles on walls, street signs, utility poles, or any other visible surface he could access legally or illegally. By the age of 14 his name was featured prominently on the side streets and avenues of Hyde Park and Jamaica Plain. Around this time Rashad was introduced to the non-profit organization Artists for Humanity. It was here, where he began to learn more about painting and started to refine his raw artistic ability and technique. His experience graffiti bombing the streets played heavily into his unique abstract style, and now armed with a paint brush he was able to bring together both worlds. The resulting works were recognized by others immediately for their ability to grasp attention and evoke emotion. Rashad has continued to spend his free time on his original artistic outlet of sketching. His love for the arts also extends into music and fashion and is conveyed through his wardrobe.