FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE			August 18, 1997

Contact:	John Robinson  (831) 647-4237 or 4201

Renowned Marine Artist Hosts
 Sanctuary Signing Benefit 


Internationally acclaimed marine artist Robert Lyn Nelson will sign 
posters of his work in a special benefit at his Cannery Row studio 
Saturday, with all proceeds going to the Monterey Bay National 
Marine Sanctuary Foundation. 

ÒThe sea and its life is a source of endless inspiration, not just for 
artists like myself, but for everyone,Ó Nelson said. ÒWe must cherish 
the fragile beauty of our coastlines and protect the oceans, which is 
why I am happy to offer my time and work for the benefit of the 
Monterey Bay and National Marine Sanctuary programs.Ó

Nelson is considered the founder of the modern marine art 
movement, and is one of the most widely collected and critically 
acclaimed artists in the world. His stunning, multimedia paintings of 
the underwater and coastal world are exhibited in New YorkÕs 
Metropolitan Museum and Museum of Natural History, the 
Berkshire and Peabody Museums of Massachusetts and the Society 
for Wildlife Art in Great Britain. 

Nelson, who divides his time between galleries in Maui, Hawaii and 
Monterey, has long-standing commitment to protecting the ocean 
environment, including the magnificent kelp forests and marine life 
of the Monterey Bay, which are often depicted in his work. 

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Nelson has also been honored as the Official Artist for NOAAÕs 
International Year of the Reef Poster which will display his painting 
ÒPlanetary Choir.Ó

ÒIt is a wonderful and natural collaboration to have an artist of 
NelsonÕs caliber associated with Monterey Bay National Marine 
Sanctuary and Foundation,Ó said Michael DeLapa, foundation 
executive director. ÒThis signing offers a rare chance to obtain a 
signed work by Nelson and to support the Sanctuary and its 
programs.Ó

The event will be from 11:30 a.m.  to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at 
the Robert Lyn Nelson Studios, 660 Cannery Row, Suite 105. Nelson 
will be on hand to sign posters of his work, which will sell for $50.  

Additional contacts:
Michael DeLapa     649-5152, ext. 152
Carl Brzovich, Robert Lyn Nelson Studios Gallery Director.


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