Jenny Olsen American

Jenny Olsen

Artist Bio

Jenny Olsen is a Boston based visual artist. She received her MFA 2D Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2022. She is a recipient of the Saint Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist award and grant in 2022, Mass MoCA MassArt Alum Fellowship in 2022, and the “Best in Show'' winner of CAA’s National Prize Show in 2015. Jenny has shown her work in many solo, two person and group exhibitions. Her most recent solo is at Southern Vermont Arts Center in Spring 2024

Artist Statement

I am a painter. Oil is my main medium. A mostly abstract painter before, figures now dominate my work. I have fun painting people I know, including myself. My focus lies in conveying the presence of the person; therefore, the Identity of the person is not of central importance. I like to keep my lines and strokes loose. I keep traces of earlier marks there to convey the sense of time. I leave some areas unresolved for mystery and give viewers room for further thoughts. The exposed feet that signify intimacy and closeness are the focal points in many of my recent paintings. In addition to feet, birthday cakes, books, bathtubs, and ghosts are some of the recurring themes. Currently I am working on a series inspired by the Japanese woodblock prints, “One hundred beautiful women at famous places of Edo”. This new series allows me to explore the duality of time and space that I have always been interested in, and at the same time letting a hint of my Japanese heritage into my work.