Nelson was born in Ilopango, El Salvador. He first arrived in Los Angeles in 1978. He is a draftsman, painter, and engraver who has exhibited his work in the United States and El Salvador. Nelson graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of California Los Angeles in 1994, and in 1997, he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. For a time, he was an interim art professor at Los Angeles City College.

 

He states that three essential sources nourish his artwork. "Firstly, the twenty years of civil war in El Salvador have had an impact on the subconscious like an incurable wound." Furthermore, the experiences and adventures shared by more than 40% of Salvadoran emigrants, widely dispersed around the world, have shaped a significant portion of my life. Secondly, the technique in my work. This is not limited to the use of traditional materials; it also includes the use of recycled materials. On the other hand, the use of text is always recurring in my work and serves the purpose of symbolizing things, ideas, or subjects. Additionally, the text helps complement the images, or what I am trying to symbolize. Text frequently provides shape and structure to themes that emerge from memory or experiences.”

 

And, thirdly, “the effort to achieve a capacity for political and intellectual interpretation is constant—to be able to question the world around us. In my paintings and drawings, social and political themes are unavoidable. Without fear of being wrong, I can affirm that, without the relationship between art and politics, my work would not have the urgency of drama, the force of irony, or the satire to be able to question absolutely anything about the space and historical moment that we live in. It only remains to say that the purpose of my work is to make the most of ideas and concepts to be able to visually interpret and question the historical moment in which we have lived.”