Self Portrait,
oil on canvas, 1997
Christopher M. Olsen, EdD. Chris paints in oil on canvas using a la prima and/or glazing techniques to achieve the full bloom of light and depth. He utilizes personal and found photographs as resource material or direct observations from life. He feels it is important to explore color and form as influenced by light. His sense of composition tends toward seeking out simplicity from complexity.
Figurative works are Chris’ perspective of ordinary life as it happens and are intimate glimpses of people acting in their everyday worlds. Some of those worlds are historical, taken from old photographs, or anthropological from his experiences and observations internationally and from locales near home. Commissioned portraits express an understanding of the subject’s daily life capturing an inherent sense of personality.
Chris has studied painting since 1995. For nine years, He studied painting privately with Stanley Goldstein in his studio. Prior, he studied painting at the San Francisco School of Art. The artist holds a Doctorate from the University of San Francisco in the Organization and Leadership Program. His research on the influences of hands-on philanthropy and volunteerism are advanced in his artwork. The ideas are translated into visual insights into our human realm communicated through implied narratives of time, space, and meaning.