Artistic Style

Emotion, memory, and sense of place, depicted by color and line, are the dominant components of her work. Mary Jo often uses the human figure in its setting to express the powerful passion and excitement of life. Her paintings are bold, vivid yet muted, simple yet complex; they come from the soul. She works in various mediums – monotype, oil pastel, watercolor, and acrylic.

About the Artist

Mary Jo Olsen is a native of California. Her home and studio are now located in San Diego. She attended UCLA and has studied art at the Brentwood Art Center in Los Angeles and at the Glassel School of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. Mary Jo has also studied with Carl Molno, Fritz Scholder, Peter Kahn, Ricci Stephenson, and Polly Hammett.

Mary Jo has exhibited extensively in Los Angeles and Houston, Texas. Her work has appeared in numerous local and national juried exhibitions, and can be found in private collections here in the United States and also in Japan. She was recently awarded “Best of Show” in an exhibition held at the Northwind Gallery in Port Townsend, WA, juried by Michael McCollum, emeritus Chairman of the Department of Art, University of Nevada / Las Vegas.