In this episode, Eric sits down with talented and celebrated artist, illustrator and author… Kadir Nelson! They discuss how he first discovered his artistic inclination and how it had been fostered from an early age; having been mentored by artist and art teacher Michael Morris; his uncle. His educational journey in art — having received a scholarship to study art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and upon graduating with highest honors, how he was summoned by DreamWorks Pictures to create conceptual artwork for Steven Spielberg’s Oscar® nominated feature, “Amistad” and the animated feature “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”. They explore his artistic style and how it evolved through the years. From creating paintings and portraits, to illustration and sculpture! His distinct style of urban realism and how it’s reminiscent of turn of the century American painters and historical subjects, often telling a story with his art and emphasizing the heroic. They discuss Nelson’s process — what moves him and where he draws inspiration from. How he’s displayed his works at notable exhibitions and in the permanent collections of several esteemed institutions… including the United States House of Representatives, The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the World Trade Center, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and most recently, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. They delve into exciting stories about how Nelson was commissioned by a host of distinguished clients including music legend John McClain; creating works in honor of Marvin Gaye... painting the cover artwork for Michael Jackson’s posthumously released album, “Michael” and recording artist Drake’s multi-platinum selling album, “Nothing Was the Same”. His experience of creating cover artwork for the New Yorker magazine; that pay tribute to historical and contemporary American figures in New York City and abroad. How Nelson has authored and illustrated several award-winning New York Times Best Selling picture books including, “WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball” and the great honor he had of becoming the recipient of the prestigious Caldecott Medal for illustration..!

Guest Bio: Kadir Nelson (b. 1974) is an award-winning American author and artist based in Los Angeles, California. He is the recipient of multiple awards from the Society of Illustrators in New York, including the prestigious Hamilton King Award as well the 2020 recipient of the Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award for illustration. He adds this to multiple Caldecott Honors, Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Awards, New York Times Best Illustrated Book Awards, several NAACP Image Awards and an Olympic Art Bronze medal, among others. Mr. Nelson has also created artwork for a host of distinguished clients, including but not limited to National Geographic, HBO, Nike, Disney, Hennessy, and Sony Music, for whom he painted the cover artwork for Michael Jackson’s posthumously released album, “Michael,” which was listed in the Guinness Book of Records® for the largest poster in the world. Nelson’s artwork was also featured on the cover of recording artist Drake’s multi-platinum selling album, “Nothing Was the Same”; over a dozen commemorative US postage stamps honoring American legends, such as Major League All-Stars Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio, NBA great Wilt Chamberlain, and most recently Motown’s Prince of Soul Marvin Gaye, which altogether have sold several million stamps. Nelson’s primarily figurative paintings and sculptures focus on historical narratives and heroic subjects in American culture and are often informed by the Old Masters like Ingres, Michelangelo, Hopper, and Tanner. His sumptuous settings and characters, rich palette, and realistic, yet painterly technique speaks to both modern urban realism and masterly works of turn-of-the century American painters.