Gallery of Eirich Olson

For as long as I can remember the surreal and imaginary have evoked an exciting sense of wonder for me. Painting and escapism are forms of pleasure, therapy, and personal growth. Inspirations, however, spark from the abstract. Most ideas for paintings develop from sound, music lyrics, color, or natural textures. It&rsquo s stimulating to integrate these elements with symbolic animals or mythical creatures to explore ideas such as metamorphosis, love, transitions, or simply the ethereal for the sheer joy of it. Composition, rhythm, eye flow, values, and balance are worked out through numerous small sketches. Reference material is gathered and a tight line drawing is done on an archival cold press board. Layers of clear gesso are then applied and sanded to a smooth finish. This allows the drawing to be visible as a guide for paint application while creating a barrier between board and paint. Multiple layers of oil paint are applied with a variety of brush sizes. Final details are rendered with the intent of making the unrealistic believable. Eirich Olson