Meet Christy Olsen, Canvas Rebel (Interview Jan. 2024)

Published by Canvas Rebel on January 1, 2024.

Transcript

We were lucky to catch up with Christy Olsen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christy, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

On a hot summer’s day in 2015, a local artist’s guild in Tucson, Arizona, received an unexpected donation that changed everything. A non-profit organization called “Singles & Friends” decided to disband their organization after 43 years and donate their building and assets.

The Tucson Pastel Society (TPS), an existing 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, accepted the 1,832 sq. ft. open space building conveniently located at 1st and Grant. It was perfect for studio art classes and workshops. Soon after, TPS would call upon the community to help fund building maintenance and renovations to bring it up to city code.

A small group of artists with the determination and vision to cultivate the visual arts community of Southern Arizona stepped up to assist. They rented the building to teach adult art classes. Their program was well received, and more classes were requested.

In the spring of 2016, a mobile school was born called the Art Verve Academy with the mission to enable adults at any skill level to learn, create, or practice the 2D visual arts within a studio environment, community, or in-person setting.

It was the best investment I ever made regarding time, funding, and personal commitment! Starting into our 8th year, it’s been an enormous return on inspiration, creativity, and personal gratification.

Desert Mesquite, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen

Christy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a fine artist. My work has been shown in multiple juried exhibitions, galleries, and selected solo shows across the United States. I teach adult studio art classes at the Art Verve Academy. I am an active member of the local Tucson Arts Community and have also instructed multiple international art workshops abroad in Italy.

My most recent juried exhibition was at the Herberger Theater in Phoenix, AZ. My most notable juried exhibition was the Power of Pastels, exhibited in the Ironwood Gallery at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, where I received an honorable mention for my work. I have also shown in juried exhibitions at the Porter Hall Gallery in the Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Best and the Brightest juried exhibition at the Scottsdale Artist’s School Gallery.

I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, as a third-generation artist and grew up within a family of oil painters who encouraged me to be creative. My family took me to multiple museums and notable art exhibitions that I remember affectionately.

My visual art skills developed from formal education, drafting, self-directed practice, experimentation, and tutelage under several contemporary masters. When most university curriculums did not offer representational or figurative arts in the ’90s, she chose to study the Old Masters via the classroom instead. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in Art History & Anthropology.

I am also a member of the last generation of drafters formally trained to draw with pencil on vellum paper before computer-aided design software. My earliest professional drafting experience was architectural blueprints and technical drawings I meticulously drew by hand. I also successfully worked as a systems engineer and earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science from Arizona State University.

Saguaro on a Sunday, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are numerous aspects, but if I had to pick one, it would be the connections I create with others through art. Working alone in the studio can be solitary, but it doesn’t have to be. You can create with others or build an entire community around art with other artists or creatives, which enriches my life.

Saguaro on a Sunday, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, I always want to keep learning and growing. I’ve been a perfectionist for most of my life, but those days are over! I have since learned “how to fail” early and as often as possible. I have gotten used to working outside my comfort zone so I can take my work to the next level.

Reference
Wright, James (2024, January 18). Meet Christy Olsen. Canvas Rebel Magazine. Retrieved from canvasrebel.com/meet-christy-olsen-2 on January 18, 2018.

Read More

Check Out Christy Olsen's Artwork (Interview Jun. 2018)

Check Out Christy Olsen's Artwork.
Retrieved from voyagephoenix.com on June 6, 2018.

Article by Robert Williamson

Published by VoyagePhoenix Magazine on June 5, 2018.

Transcript

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Olsen.

Christy, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was inspired to create at an early age. I was born in Memphis, Tennessee as a third-generation painter. Growing up in a family of artists, I played under my mother’s easel where I acquired a colossal passion for drawing. My own artistic skills in drawing and painting were developed from a unique combination of formal education, self-directed practice, experimentation, and tutelage under several contemporary masters.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
At a time when representational art was not offered in the fine arts curriculum at most universities, I chose to earn a Bachelor’s of Art (B.A.) degree in Art History instead by studying the Old Masters via the classroom. I am heavily influenced by the Impressionists of the late 19th and early 20th century, especially the ones who studied in Florence, including Mary Cassatt, Dennis Bunker-Miller, Edmund Tarbell and Giovanni Boldini.

I paint in oil or use the pastel medium to capture mood, light & atmosphere. I work in the studio from life drawings, color studies, sketchbooks, my own observations or perceptions. I paint in any genre, whether it’s figure, animals, landscape or still life. My work is often referred to as ‘soft, soothing & serene.’

What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
The secret to outstanding artistic achievement is not talent, it’s perseverance. Just don’t quit. You have to enjoy the process not the end result. Once you realize it’s the process not the final piece, you’ve made it no matter what level you’re at.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I am currently showing my work in juried exhibitions with the Tucson Pastel Society. I also do a bi-annual open studio tour with the Heart of Tucson Art.

Reference
Williamson, R. (2018, June 5). Check Out Christy Olsen's Artwork. VoyagePhoenix Magazine. Retrieved from voyagephoenix.com on June 10, 2018.

Read More

The Drive Behind “Soft, Soothing & Serene Fine Art" (Interview Nov. 2013)

Published November 1, 2013 by Sonoran Arts Network Magazine.
Interviewer & article written by Diane C. Taylor.

The Drive Behind “Soft, Soothing & Serene Fine Art.
Retrieved from Sonoran Arts Network Magazine on December 1, 2013.

Transcript

Bright, energetic, upbeat – Christy Olsen is a contrast to her art (oils and pastels), which is calming, quiet, even peaceful. Born in 1970 and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Christy arrived in Tucson in 2000 from San Diego, relocating here because of her job.

Diane C. Taylor (DCT): How did you come to art?

Christy Olsen (COlsen): My mother was a portrait painter, my aunt painted huge landscapes, and my grandmother painted porcelain in the 1940s, back when china patterns were designed and painted by hand when dishes were ordered. I painted with them when I was young and loved to draw. When I went to college, most of the fine art curriculum was all about conceptual art, and I wanted to do representational so I majored in art history instead.

For a while I worked in museums and then ended up working in San Diego as a drafter. The company offered me a job in Tucson, so I moved and went back to school. I took classes in chemistry and physics to improve my knowledge and eventually got a second degree in engineering. At the same time, I started taking drawing classes at The Drawing Studio. They brought back the excitement of drawing that I had as a child.

DCT: I see on your website, christyolsen.com, that your site is entitled “Soft, Soothing & Serene Fine Art.”

COlsen: I think our society, in general, is plugged into technology from morning till night. We are constantly bombarded with images from the media through cell phones, computers, televisions and social media, etc. My art offers a peaceful moment, a place to meditate or even daydream, where people can slow down and unwind. Technology is great and all, but I don’t think we should be plugged in all of the time. I think it’s healthy to daydream every once in a while.

DCT: Exactly what mediums do you work in?

COlsen: Pastels and oils, and I draw. Art history gave me a great background in composition and design since we analyzed so many pieces of art. I carry a sketchbook with me at all times. When I’m waiting somewhere, I pull it out and sketch. I use the drawings and designs for larger paintings later on. I like to have most of the problems worked out before I begin to paint, then the piece can take off in a direction of its own if it needs to.

DCT: What do you do to improve your skills?

COlsen: I always want to keep learning and growing. Engineering has given me an entire career of getting used to working outside of my comfort zone and learning “how to fail” in order to build something solid. Now I’m constantly trying to work outside of my comfort zone with my artwork, too, so I can take it to the next level. I take workshops at the Scottsdale Artists’ School a couple of times a year, and I still take classes at The Drawing Studio, even though I’m a teacher there. I enjoy teaching because I learn from the students.

I started teaching at The Drawing Studio through the OATS (Outreach Art Tutoring for Seniors) program. I am currently teaching a drawing class at an assisted living facility, and I really enjoy it. One student, a former artist now in his nineties, had a stroke prior to the class and was working through the after-effects. He didn’t talk very much, but then other students told me that he didn’t talk at all before my class. Wow, now he talks, and he gets really excited about the class? That is totally gratifying to make a difference in people’s lives like that!

DCT: Where are you showing your work?

COlsen: I was thrilled to have a piece juried into a recent show in the Porter Hall Gallery at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. I’ve also been showing work through The Drawing Studio and other local galleries, including the Tucson Jewish Community Center for the Open Studio Tour preview show. I was also a finalist in the International Richeson 75 Small Works 2013 show in Kimberly, Wisconsin, and was just recently asked to enter a piece into the Gala Master’s Circle at The Drawing Studio, a huge fundraising event that will be held in January 2014.

DCT: And where are you teaching now? I see you have a workshop on October 19 on Composition Secrets from the Masters at The Drawing Studio.

COlsen: Yes, and I’m going to give a half-day workshop on marketing for artists in January 2014 at The Drawing Studio. I recently taught a similar class at the Tucson Pastel Society since I have been working on the board and serving as the Vice President. The reason they asked me is because I’ve only been selling art for about four years, but I have more sales than some other artists. The art market is changing. The internet is changing how art is bought and sold. It’s all about using social media to be more interactive with collectors. For example, I have a Facebook page that drives traffic back to my website and increases the chance of a sale.

DCT: I see on your website that you write two blogs (TheArtAppreciationBlog.com and TheArtVerve.com). So, you work in engineering, you paint, you teach, you blog. When do you sleep?

COlsen (laughing): Well, I don’t have children or a TV, and sometimes I do have insomnia. Also, my father was an attorney and he always worked very hard to get things done, so I probably got that from him.

DCT: You seem to be quite busy. What’s in your future? Anything else you plan for your art?

COlsen: I will be doing more pieces that are a lot larger in scale. I recently had a commission piece for an oil painting on a 24x36 panel of an urban landscape of Rome, and it got me really excited and back into the swing of doing landscapes, plus working on a larger canvas. I think larger paintings really make a statement, and it’s just plain fun to use bigger brushes. I will continue to teach at The Drawing Studio, serve as the Vice President of the Tucson Pastel Society, and throw in a blog or two.

Reference
Taylor, D. C. (2013, November). The Drive Behind “Soft, Soothing & Serene Fine Art." Sonoran Arts Network Magazine. Retrieved from Sonoran Arts Network Magazine on December 1, 2013.

Read More