Glitter

“All that Glitters is not Gold.” —William Shakespeare

In this series Nelson questions—what are we trying to conceal or reveal when using this light bending magical dust? 

Nelson impresses the viewer with both her technical skill and her personal passion for glitter. Nelson’s obsession for working with the sparkly medium has resulted in a vast collection of glitter imagery unmatched by many. 

Modern glitter was invented in 1934. Once reserved for the stage, glitter rose to the forefront in the 1970’s with the disco movement. Since then, glitter has been limited to high fashion magazines and the runway. Only recently has glitter gained popularity amongst the public—notably from gender inclusive tv shows such as Europhia.

As a self-appointed glitter queen, Jamie Nelson is known for wearing glitter from head to toe.

Even Gwen Stefani took a page from Nelson’s book to inspire her makeup featured in their Paper Magazine editorial. Nelson has observed how the magical dust blurs the line across multiple genres and age groups. 

Glitter flakes can be seen on festival goers to the most bad-ass custom cars and motorcycles. “Love it or hate it—sparkly things have an innate ability to light up the room and steal the show,” Nelson claims. 

The artist reveals her secret beauty tip: “Splash glitter around your eyes to conceal tired eyes.” She claims that it distracts from flaws by bouncing light in darker areas, while also dazzling and entertaining people.

You can spot Nelson in the wild at the grocery store proudly wearing her glitter. She claims she’ll be the same at 85 years old. She continues … “If all else fails, throw some glitter on it.”