Mark Nystrom, Wind Every Hour of Every Day in 2025, Asheville, North Carolina, Thomas, West Virginia, Berea, Kentucky, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Process.2022.01, 2026. Inkjet on print paper. Courtesy of Mark Nystrom. Photo: Josh White

The wind is Mark Nystrom’s muse, and the play of light on swiftly moving water fascinates him. The ebbs and flows of natural forces have inspired works of art and design since he attended graduate school in the mid-2000s. After more than a decade of professional practice as a graphic designer, Nystrom went to graduate school to explore ways of using art and design to foster stronger connections between people and nature. He is now an artist, designer, and educator living in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Broadly speaking, his work explores visualizations of complex information and includes generative drawings and objects, installations, projections, and screen-based projects. In his talk at BRAHM, Nystrom will tell the story of how he became interested in working with the wind and share some of his wind drawing processes, including the one that generated the drawings included in Field Studies.

Nystrom received a BS in Psychology from Virginia Tech and an MFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is currently a Professor of Graphic Design in the Department of Art at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.