Poignant Pics no. 50 - On Two Works from Karen Olson
Welcome to no. 50 in our series Poignant Pics where our editor, Diana Nicholette Jeon, writes about two works from Karen Olson.
“When trees converse, the air is charged with chemical substances, fragrances, hormones, and electrical connections. Placing myself in the middle of the conversation, I am illuminated by it.”
Seeing the Forest for the Trees…
One look at the work in this series by Karen Olson, and you can see she loves trees. She told me, “I visit the same trees day after day. Today I will visit them in the early morning sunlight, and tomorrow, it will be the dull white light of an overcast afternoon.”
One of the things that Karen is interested in is the connection between humans and nature and how that fosters mental health. From information gleaned from her website, it appears she also loves shinrin yoku (literally meaning “forest bath.”) Unlike what comes to mind upon hearing bathing, there is no tub, no swimsuit, nor water involved. Instead, it is the Japanese practice of “bathing” oneself in nature to receive therapeutic benefits. The word itself was coined in 1982 by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tomohide Akiyama. And while you may or may not have called it by this name, you probably practice it already. Every time you leave your worries, phone, and responsibilities behind and seek out a tree-filled parcel of land to immerse yourself fully in the surroundings using all five of your senses, you are forest bathing. Forest bathing has a therapeutic effect on mental health (and there is also some research showing it impacts our physiology positively.)
Many tree-loving photographers manifest their adoration by making photographs of trees. I’m not someone who is quickly captivated by images of trees. I mean, sure, I like them. They are often pretty, and in their way, can be comforting as a substitute for actually being out in the world of nature. If climate makes communing with a tree challenging - due to weather or simply scarcity, as in a desert or a city of skyscrapers - then the image has even greater importance. Then there are images of trees that seek to cause us to take action urgently or we will leave our children and grandchildren an unliveable planet without trees or natural vegetation.
But Olson’s work doesn’t fit neatly into either of these boxes. She uses her photographs of trees to create 3-d, sculptural objects. They are not simply a clever manner of displaying the imagery; they are part and parcel of the conceptual underpinning of this work. Now, that hugely gets my attention!
Her photographic sculptures convey the sense of being a tree - because they are sculpted and molded to be tree-like themselves. These sensations of “treeness” are due to how she processes her materials. Of the two I have featured today, one, Wildest Hope, exudes a “leafiness.” I see this as speaking to new growth, to emerging from a season of slumber–as if it is exuberantly bursting forth with life. And the other, Interior Room, gives the sense of delicate finger-like twigs at the end of a barren branch. More laced with plant materials and crisply burnt-edged, it whispers to me of trees at the end of the season as winter emerges. In effect, Olson has brought a small piece of her forest bathing practice indoors via these objects.
(click the thumbnails for the full-sized images)
Karen forms these objects through repetitive processes consisting of folding, crumpling, sculpting, and burning. Her materials consist of Washi papers, pigment prints, and natural fibers. In her conceptual thinking, this work imitates the natural cycles of growth and decay and connects her to the environment. “I seek an open dialog with the materials and the subject, encouraging collaboration and interchange,” stated Olson. “Season after season, the delicate beauty (of the trees) supports me and holds me in truth. I find both strength and fragility there, a holding fast and a surrendering that connects me to my environment in a powerful way.”
I don’t believe I’ve ever gotten such a sense of a tree from any other photographic artwork. I would love to be able to see and interact with these objects in person. For now, I will need to settle for gazing at their beauty from afar, imagining myself in her town of Hope, ME. After viewing these works, I am anxious to see what Olson does next. Bravo, Karen!
Artist Bio
Karen Olson is a lens-based artist working at the intersection of human emotion and the natural world. In her figurative and nature-inspired work, she explores the human-nature connection and its role in fostering communication and mental health. Karen’s work has been featured by the Griffin Museum, Maine Museum of Photographic Arts, Creative Maine, and Art New England Magazine. She has been included in online and gallery shows such as LA Photo Curator, NY Photo Curator, Torpedo Art Center, the Rhode Island Center for Photography, The Hand, Overexposed Magazine, and Don't Take Pictures, and Sweet Haven Gallery.
More of Karen’s work can be seen here: KarenOlsonPhotography.com
Author Bio
Diana Nicholette Jeon is an award-winning artist based in Honolulu, HI, who works primarily with lens-based media. Her work has been seen both internationally and nationally in solo and group exhibitions. Jeon holds an MFA from UMBC.