Oil About the Artist
As a child growing up in rural California and now as an artist roaming the mountains and high desert of Central Oregon, observing the life around her has always been a passion for Vivian Olsen.These quiet explorations inspire her to paint the wild animals and birds that inhabitant these places. Sketching, viewing, and photographing her subjects gives her the important references she later uses in her studio.
Her wildlife paintings are not copies of photos, but creations distilled from keen observations and a spirited imagination. Her detailed portraits express an animal's lively personality and individual behavior which she has studied throughout the years. At times it is not just the animal, but its habitat which is her focus - mountains, lakes, and rivers. She captures all these subjects with oil or acrylic paints, pastels, or watercolor in paintings that glow with vibrancy and light.
With a Master's in Science-biology, and an Art Degree she has been a professional wildlife artist for 30 years, has worked as a wildlife illustrator, as an Art Educator for 18 years in New Mexico, and as an artist exhibiting paintings in galleries and juried exhibits. Now retired, she exhibits her paintings frequently in solo shows, and in exhibits with the High Desert Art League, as well as in juried exhibits and in art galleries throughout the region.
Vivian is Vice President of the High Desert Art League, an active member of the Plein Air Painters of Oregon, Oil Painters of America, and is a Signature Member of New Mexico Watercolor Society. Her recent paintings can be viewed at Eagle Crest, Oregon and at Ambiance Gallery, in Redmond, Oregon.
Wildlife and Landscape Artist