Bio

Andy Carlson is the artist and storyteller behind Moderately Fine Art, a body of work where moody realism and ancient myth converge. For Andy, art has always been a companion—first discovered in the excitement of a high school art class, then carried quietly through years of service as a Navy SWCC and SOCM. After nearly a decade in the military, painting became more than a pastime; it became a lifeline, an outlet, and eventually, a calling.

Though largely self-taught, Andy’s creative journey was shaped in part by Judi Moreo’s wildlife painting class at UNLV, where he honed his ability to render creatures with haunting presence. His style is at once realistic and theatrical, blurring the natural and the fantastical. A house cat becomes a lynx; a dog becomes a wolf. Birds—ravens, falcons, and crows most often—fill his canvases, their dark wings a recurring symbol of mystery and transformation.

At the heart of his work lies mythology. To Andy, ancient myths are more than stories—they are the spiritual threads of humanity, carrying echoes of truth across centuries. Through his paintings, he reimagines these tales for modern eyes, reviving both well-known and obscure legends. His current Norse Mythology series brings to life Odin, Jormungandr, Freyja, and valkyries, framed with the same complexity and intensity that mark all his work.

Yet, for all its grandeur, Moderately Fine Art carries a wink of humility. The name itself was born from an offhand remark: “I do moderately fine art.” It captures Andy’s ethos perfectly—work that is ambitious, authentic, and unapologetically human. His paintings are refined enough for galleries but gritty enough to resonate with his old sailor buddies.

Today, Andy paints not only as an artist but as a husband, a father to four sons, and a dreamer with visions bigger than the canvas. His goal in the coming years is to expand his myth-inspired series, secure installations in major galleries, and, above all, make his children proud.

Through Moderately Fine Art, Andy Carlson invites viewers to step into a world where the past is alive, the myths breathe again, and every raven’s wing whispers a story worth remembering.