Nelson Ziegler, of Sevierville, Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains, is a graduate of The Art Institute of Boston and Northwestern Academy of Watercolor.

A member of the Oil Painters of America, National Watercolor Society, New England Watercolor Society, Tennessee Watercolor Society, Northshore Art Association, and the American Association of Woodturners.

He has participated in numerous juried exhibitions in New York, including Allied Artists, American Artists Professional League, Salmagundi Club, Knickerbocker Artists, National Arts Club, Hudson Valley Arts Association, as well as Adirondack National Watercolor Exhibition, Faces of America (a national watercolor portrait show), Academic Artists Association, Springfield Arts League, Springfield, MA, Guild of Boston Artists, Copley Society, Boston, MA, North Shore Arts Association, Gloucester, MA, Tennessee Watercolor Society, and Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts.

He has won the Gold Medal for watercolor at the American Artists Professional League, Honorable Mention-The Artist's Magazine annual competition as well as many national and regional awards Nelson's works are in many private and corporate collections throughout the country.