I learned the rudiments of oil painting as a teen from my mother, an art teacher and a talented artist, but I did not take painting seriously until my early twenties. At that time I had the opportunity to learn watercolor with a fine teacher, and I took to it with a passion. For a couple of years then, I spent time experimenting with a variety of subject matter and watercolor techniques.

I had a serious life change in the 70s that resulted in my being alone with a child and needing to earn a living. I then embarked on what would become a long, and still continuing, career in graphic design and illustration. I was fortunate in that I enjoyed this work, and my design clientele grew rapidly. The downside: for most of the 30 years I have worked in this field, I had little time to paint as a “fine” artist.

In 2010, I decided to cut back my design/illustration work so that I could go back to what I loved best - painting in watercolor. Since resuming painting, I have concentrated on plein air, a natural direction for me, considering that I am a lover of nature and an avid sportswoman.

This comes to me, no doubt, from my bloodlines. I have Swedish ancestry on both sides of my family, though most directly through my father. He was the last child of immigrants (father from Dalsland and mother from Skåne), and was born in the U.S. after their arrival. His family life followed that of most immigrants of his time. They desired passionately to become American, and thus Dad did not set foot on Swedish soil till in his late seventies. And he never did find out he had a whole family still back in the “old country”. I found these delightful people, though, not long after Dad passed away, and we have all been happily visiting back and forth ever since.

Karen Olsen

1065 Los Trancos Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028

web site: http://www.karenolsenfineart.com
e-mail: karen@karenolsenfineart.com or karenofpv@gmail.com
cell: 650-575-9411