Biography
Chad Michael Olsen is an artist of abstract minimalism that explore textures and color palettes as a way to communicate emotions. When painting, he often finds himself working to capture the atmospheres of nature and the emotions from being in these places. For him, being in nature is a solitary experience—one he can only truly share with others through his paintings.
Influenced by artists such as Josef Albers, Agnes Martin, Joan Mitchell, Mark Rothko, Robert Ryman, J.M.W. Turner, and the artists of the Hudson River School, Olsen has drawn from minimalism and the sublime as a way of communicating through painting. His paintings are a balance of both the serenity and harshness of nature; areas of dramatic contrast are often tempered with a wash-like textural effect that creates a dream-like atmosphere. The overall effect is marriage of intensity and calm.
His professional art career began in Nebraska in 2010 after studying painting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln under Aaron Holz and Keith Jacobshagen, followed by several years of living and working in New York City. While there, he sought solace in the natural world, psychologically returning to the Nebraska grasslands as a form of meditation and as a prevalent theme in his work. In 2017, he returned to Nebraska where he currently resides and maintains a studio in Lincoln.
Olsen's work demonstrates a range as a romantic, yet abstract, landscape artist and a minimalist. Each painting reveals a new approach to textures, an evolving color palette, or compositional design.
Most recently, Olsen has expanded his use of transparency film materials to include acetate and Dura-Lar. These new materials have allowed Olsen to experiment with scale and composition—the culmination of these efforts reflected in his most recent work and solo exhibitions.
-Karissa Johnson, Curator
Education
2010
Bachelor of Fine Art , University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Exhibitions
Solo
2022
2020
2018
2016
2015
2013
2012
2011
Can we speak in flowers, Kiechel Fine Art, Lincoln, NE
Never Really Gone , Kiechel Fine Art, Lincoln, NE
What's Nebraska like, babe? , Kiechel Fine Art, Lincoln, NE
Homeland - over the edge of the world , Assurity Life Insurance presented by Kiechel Fine Art, Lincoln, NE
Transparency + Nostalgia , Spativm Gallery, Lincoln, NE
Transparency + Landscapes , Spativm Gallery, Lincoln, NE
Yellow , Spativm Gallery, Lincoln, NE
Tulip Series , Almanac Gallery, Hoboken, NJ
Tunnel , Spativm Gallery, Lincoln, NE
Group
2023
Benefit Art Auction Exhibition, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE
Post Facade - a series of short films, Maple St. Construct, Omaha, NE
2022
2021
2019
2015
2014
2013
2010
Improvise - a series of short films, Maple St. Construct, Omaha, NE
2021 Nebraska Artists Biennial , Gallery 1516, Omaha, NE
Best of Nebraska , Kiechel Fine Art, Lincoln, NE
25th Annual Miniatures Show , Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
Ballet X Benefit Exhibition , Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Ballet X Benefit Exhibition , Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
BFA Capstone Exhibition , Eisentrager-Howard Gallery, Lincoln, NE
24th Annual Juried Undergraduate Art Exhibition , Eisentrager-Howard Gallery, Lincoln, NE
Awards
2010
Jean R. Faulkner Memorial Award