Scott Olson
27 May - 04 Aug 2012
SCOTT OLSON
27 May - 4 August 2012
Overduin and Kite is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by Scott Olson.
Olson’s abstract works come out of extensive material research and experimentation while also engaging various formal frameworks such as historical abstraction, and musical composition. Olson employs processes and techniques that work within a set of defined limits, such as a restricted scale or the function of hand-made tools, allowing chance and improvisation to determine the development of the painting within these closed systems.
Through a process of masking, glazing, scraping and layering of translucent and opaque washes, the painting’s surfaces are built up and slowly reveal a field of abstract forms within the multiple layers.
The surface becomes an index of Olson’s maneuvers. Many of his colors are achieved through naturally derived pigments such as chlorophyll (green), ground cochenille beetle extract (magenta), and cosmos pollen (orange). Often replacing the function of a brush or palette knife, Olson appropriates unconventional tools that he collects for their unique mark making potential. His involvement in the production and transformation of his materials comes out of his interest in science and alchemy and the questions these disciplines raise about the “literalness” of a work and the power of such material properties to dictate the final outcome of a painting.
Working with a variety of physical supports, from canvas or linen to fiberboard and marble dust panel, Olson’s new paintings continue his engagement with the idea of “framing” as a compositional and physical component. Often this is represented by horizontal and vertical bands, or by positioning the painting’s central composition within a larger unpainted field, calling special attention to its nature as an object as well as its relationship to the wall. Several of the new works also include stained wooden frames constructed by the artist. In these paintings, the frame acts as both a material and a compositional devicethat delineates the picture plane and places the artwork in the vernacular of image making and display.
Scott Olson lives and works in Ohio. Recent solo shows include Galerie Nordenhake in Stockholm, Sweden in 2011 and Taxter & Spengemann in New York in 2010.
27 May - 4 August 2012
Overduin and Kite is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by Scott Olson.
Olson’s abstract works come out of extensive material research and experimentation while also engaging various formal frameworks such as historical abstraction, and musical composition. Olson employs processes and techniques that work within a set of defined limits, such as a restricted scale or the function of hand-made tools, allowing chance and improvisation to determine the development of the painting within these closed systems.
Through a process of masking, glazing, scraping and layering of translucent and opaque washes, the painting’s surfaces are built up and slowly reveal a field of abstract forms within the multiple layers.
The surface becomes an index of Olson’s maneuvers. Many of his colors are achieved through naturally derived pigments such as chlorophyll (green), ground cochenille beetle extract (magenta), and cosmos pollen (orange). Often replacing the function of a brush or palette knife, Olson appropriates unconventional tools that he collects for their unique mark making potential. His involvement in the production and transformation of his materials comes out of his interest in science and alchemy and the questions these disciplines raise about the “literalness” of a work and the power of such material properties to dictate the final outcome of a painting.
Working with a variety of physical supports, from canvas or linen to fiberboard and marble dust panel, Olson’s new paintings continue his engagement with the idea of “framing” as a compositional and physical component. Often this is represented by horizontal and vertical bands, or by positioning the painting’s central composition within a larger unpainted field, calling special attention to its nature as an object as well as its relationship to the wall. Several of the new works also include stained wooden frames constructed by the artist. In these paintings, the frame acts as both a material and a compositional devicethat delineates the picture plane and places the artwork in the vernacular of image making and display.
Scott Olson lives and works in Ohio. Recent solo shows include Galerie Nordenhake in Stockholm, Sweden in 2011 and Taxter & Spengemann in New York in 2010.