Showing posts with label Press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Press. Show all posts

June 5, 2018

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

Check Out Christy Olsen's Artwork
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.

September 16, 2016

Ten Year Anniversary Collector's Voice
(Sep. 2016)

Jade Ginger Jar with Red Roses by Christy Olsen
Jade Ginger Jar with Red Roses Original Painting by Christy Olsen

Published By UGallery, September 16, 2016

Honorable Mention, featured as number 9 out of 10 on the collector's voice review list during the the ten year anniversary celebration of the Ugallery. Quote from Catherine B. on Jade Ginger Jar with Red Roses was included.

Reference
Ten Year Anniversary Collectors' Voices by Ugallery
Open Studios Blog, published September 16, 2016.
Retreived from Ugallery.com



April 1, 2016

Heart of Tucson Artists Open Their Studios (Apr. 2016)

Zocalo Magazine
Heart of Tucson Artists Open Their Studios,
Zocalo Magazine. April 2016. Issue No. 5. p. 8 & 9.

Article by Diane C. Taylor, published by Zocalo Magazine, April 2016.

Excerpt from Article

Listen closely in central Tucson and you may hear the hammering of metal or the whir of a potter's wheel. Some 49 artists in 19 locations are preparing for the Heart of Tucson Art Spring Open Studio Tour April 9-10. The artists will open their studios and share their art from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

The Heart of Tucson Art is in the mid-town Tucson Arts District. Defined by the current group, it’s bounded by Roger on the north, Craycroft on the east, 17th Street on the south, and Euclid on the west.

Art media include painting in all its forms (oil, acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, dye on silk, pastel, gouache, ink, charcoal, etc.), sculpture, metal work, wood, ceramics, fused glass, paper, photography, needlework and jewelry.

Zocalo Magazine
Heart of Tucson Artists Open Their Studios,
Zocalo Magazine. April 2016. Issue No. 5. p. 13 & 14.

The group held its first tour in October 2015, in response to the initial cancellation of last year’s Tucson Pima Arts Council citywide fall tour. A survey after the tour provided really positive feedback, Linda Chappel, an artist with the Heart of Tucson Art, said. Visitors were excited about being able to see most, if not all, of the artists on the tour over the weekend. Artists were happy they could finally visit the studios of colleagues not on the same tour.

The activities of the group are all volunteer-driven, Chappel explained, with artists coming together and using their special knowledge and abilities to make things happen and get things done. She takes care of the social media (Facebook and Twitter). Painter and writer C.J. Shane is the driving force behind the effort and responsible for the press releases. Painter Christy Olsen has put together the website with an interactive map. Lynne East-Itkin, a multi-talented artist and graphic artist, the organizer of Many Hands Artist Cooperative and heavily involved in the Blue Raven Art School, created the ads and flyers.

“With a view to the future, we’re looking into Arizona nonprofit status, to be able to apply for grants. We’re planning a couple of pop-up events each year, as well. We’ve already set October 29-30 for our fall tour,” Chappel said. “And the best is, as an artist-centered group, we are having fun working together and bouncing off new ideas for promoting our art.”

The artists in the group are amazingly talented, Chappel said. “You’d be surprised at how many creative people and spaces are hidden in the neighborhoods of Tucson. It’s important to note that not all professional artists are downtown,” she continued. “Many of us have our own individual spaces in the midtown neighborhoods. Artists’ studios are located in all sorts of spaces -- from historic adobes, including Many Hands Artist Cooperative, in a repurposed motor court, to the modern industrial loft-style studios at Metal Arts Village. It’s fun to see all the unique spaces artists have carved out of the central Tucson residential areas to work in.”

“For me personally,” she continued, “participating in the tour lets me show my art work to the community and engage directly with people who are buying my art work. I am very excited to see more recognition of the smaller, regional tours.”

“This is a great opportunity to stop by and meet the artists, learn more about how they work and talk about their work with them,” Chappel said. “Many artists are happy to show you the materials they use, explain their techniques and talk about what inspires their art work. Being able to see ‘behind the scenes’ is fun, and it gives you greater appreciation for the art you see and perhaps buy. The tour offers unique, affordable art and an experience you won’t get at any chain store!”

Reference
Taylor. D. C. (2016, April) Heart of Tucson Artists Open Their Studios. Zocalo Magazine. published April 2016. p. 9-13.


This promotional video, published by Heart of Tucson Art (HoTA), was featured on their website in April 2016 with the flyer below.



Reference

Promotional Video by Heart of Tucson Art (HoTA),
Retrieved from HeartofTucsonArt.info on April 1, 2016.

November 1, 2013

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
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.