Living The Dream Abstract

Painter Jeff Olson gets paid to travel and paint. He’s traveled to New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Toronto, Amsterdam and beyond. Now he’s in Phoenix, teaching a sold-out clinic on the abstract artform.

“It has been a privilege to meet so many talented artists and see some of the most influential and iconic art in museums and galleries in the many cities I have visited,” Olson says. “I am often there to teach, but the learning I have experienced has had a profound impact on my own work.”

One of Olson’s most memorable trips occurred last fall. “I joined a group of artists exhibiting work at the legendary Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,” he said. The visiting artists enjoyed a reception and a grand dinner, surrounded by the work of Rembrandt, Vermeer and other greats of Dutch art history.

“I found myself alone in one of the rooms, typically crowded with tourists,” he says, “able to linger and enjoy the work in blissful solitude.”

In the days that followed, Olson toured the Royal Talens manufacturing facility in the Netherlands. Royal Talens has produced premium art supplies for more than a century—products most artisans choose to create.

“For an artist, it was like being Charlie in the Chocolate Factory--winning the Golden Ticket!,” Olson said. “The passion and artisanship of the people responsible for creating the products leaves a lasting impression.”

Much of Olson’s travel is sponsored by Royal Talens, in large part due to a new artistic endeaver—the use of their watermixable oil paints. His workshop is called, “Infinite Freedom: Traditional and Water Mixable Oils.” These oil paints capture the same high-quality pigments and viscosity artists know, without the fumes of harmful solvents.

Dutch painters have left an undeniable mark on the world of fine art. Royal Talens aims to keep that talented lineage in tack for generations to come. They market top- quality products including Van Gogh Oils and Amsterdam Acrylics.

Olson has used many of the Royal Talens mediums to great effect in his abstracts. “My paintings offer a unique vision of the landscape and the inspirational forces of nature that shape them,” he says. “The canvases are boldly colored and the brushwork is energetic, reflective of the land.”

His primary medium is acrylic pain on canvas applied in a direct and rapid technique. “Genuine painting involves risk-taking,” Olson explains. “I rely on spontaneity and embrace the unplanned. I accept that painting, like nature, is a continuous chain. The process is one of discovery.”

That philosophy feeds Olson’s ambitions and makes creation exciting. “Meaning and form can be translated in the mind’s eye far beyond the intrinsic makeup of that which is seen,” he says. “I try to capture that moment of becoming, when the paint on the canvas floats between what it is and what might be. The process of painting becomes an echo of the traces left from a story of living imprinted on the land.”

Spokane Valley may have been Olson’s earliest landscape of inspiration. He grew up there, attending University High School before he headed to Washington State University in Pullman to complete his BA and MFA in painting and drawing.

“One of the great benefits of growing up in Spokane is the abundance of outdoor activities,” he says. “We spent our summers camping throughout Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and West- ern Montana.”

Olson’s memories shaped his identity and his work as an artist. His lectures and workshops pass that passion forward to the next generation of fine artists.

Purchasing one of his paintings will help guarantee his work will continue. If you’re considering adding one to your collection, text (509) 270-5804 for a special surprise. Or attend Olson’s showing at the Marmot Art Space at 1202 W. Summit Parkway in Kendall Yards on April 7— doors open at 5:00 pm.

If you hope to follow in Olson’s footsteps, attend his clinic on Saturday, April 8 (information is available on the Marmot Art Space Facebook page (https://www. facebook.com/marmotartspace/) or you can contact the gallery for details (https:// marmotartspace.com).

Marshall Peterson is the owner and curator of Marmot Art Space, back to back winners of Spokane Couer d’Alene Living magazine’s Best Of The City - 2021 & 2022!