Last dat to view the work @localcolorgallerymaine
Heart to Heart - Wall Sculpture, Pigment print on kozo paper, abaca, beeswax, kozo fibers, fire
#maineartgallery #maineartist #karenolsonphotography
Symphonia
The heart sense is not a metaphor, nor is it elusive or theoretical. We feel it tangibly in our bodies and understand it in our deepest core. It is music and rhythm—the very essence of existence. It is our capacity to feel, connect, learn from, and understand beings beyond ourselves.
Pigment print on kozo paper
#cultivatingtheheartsense #karenolsonphotography
Inter-being
Photo transfer on hanji paper, Akua ink, Himalayan Balsam lace paper, wheat paste, beeswax
Currently available @localcolorgallerymaine
Excited for my live interview with Jo Wright from Fibre Arts Take Two! Happening tonight at 7 pm EST on the Fibre Arts Take Two YouTube channel. Other time zones shown above. I will be talking about Focus and Flow, my latest work, and my Forest Therapy Guide certification.
If you can’t make it tonight, the interview will be available immediately afterward on the channel.
Live link in my story.
#fridayfeatureartist @fiberartstaketwo
#karenolsonphotography
Tomorrow evening, at about 5 pm, I will be giving a short artist talk about my Himalayan Balsam lace paper and how it connects with the concept of wild tending.
I am honored to be a guest artist at Local Color Gallery in Belfast, Maine again until May 18th.
Come on out and say hi! It’s finally feeling like spring in Maine!!
@localcolorgallerymaine #papersculpture #wildtending #photoasobject #karenolsonphotography
Popping in to show you these wonderful papers from Washi Arts.
I was delighted to receive several deliveries of sample washi papers from @washiarts this past week. Beautifully crafted papers from Japan for digital printing, calligraphy, all sorts of other types of printing, painting and paper sculpture were included for me to test and review.
Washi Arts is now offering a sample pack specifically for my online class with Fibre Arts Take Two, Focus and Flow. The pack includes samples of konnyaku and jin shofu. This is fabulous and I am so appreciative of the time and attention Linda has dedicated to this purpose.
Focus and Flow is open for enrollment until May 4th. Hope to see you in class!
https://www.fibreartstaketwo.com/courses/karenolson
#washiarts #washipaper #japanesepaper #papersculpture #fineartphotography
The artist proof for the book “Cultivating the Heart Sense” is complete. Needs a little tweaking but overall I am happy with it. I will definitely be changing the closure. The idea of a gift wrap aesthetic sounded good in theory but is not so fabulous in reality.
One of the artists in the Midcoast Maine Book Arts group suggested a magnetic flap closure. I plan to do that type of closure on the next iteration. I will come back to it in a bit. Time to take a breather.
Hand painted hanji paper, digital print on kozo blend paper, hanji ribbon
#bookart #cultivatingtheheartsense #karenolsonphotography #artistbook
Work in progress – update. After literally days of trial with some successes and some failures I came to the realization that an inkjet printer cannot print a double sided document with precision both horizontally and vertically. Thanks to Helga’s suggestion I was able to align the paper vertically consistently every time. But the horizontal alignment was inconsistent. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn’t. It was off by 1/8th to 1/4 inch. So I decided to leave the this type of project to the commercial professionals and change my design.
Note: I have tried this before with no success but I just had try again. Crazy me 😜
I actually like the new design even more. It’s coming out good and I’m almost finished. 😅
#bookarts #workinprogress #cultivatingtheheartsense #karenolsonphotography
Work in progress. Testing out accordion book structures for “Cultivating the Heart Sense.”
Hoping to be able to print double sided. What do you think? Will I be able to pull it off? Anyone have any suggestions??
#karenolsonphotography #cultivatingtheheartsense #artistbook
Cultivating the Heart Sense - Contiguity
Impressions, emotional
Information encoded in systems not yet understood
Open, interactions
Altered points of view
#cultivatingtheheartsense
#fineartphotography #foresttherapyguide #karenolsonphotography
Deep Awareness
The resulting sculpture using the photo transfer and Himalayan balsam lace paper.
@inkaid1
Using Inkaid’s photo transfer process.
#karenolsonphotography #papermaking #papersculpture
Work in progress. Photo transfers on hanji paper.
#karenolsonphotography @inkaid1
Cultivating the Heart Sense - Essence
Like the natural rhythm of our heartbeats, this form of communication flows with elegance. It allows for deep responsiveness and closeness, enabling us to love and form meaningful bonds. At its core lies an intelligence rooted in inner dialogue.
#cultivatingtheheartsense #karenolsonphotography#foresttherapyguide
Last spring and summer were spent close to home as I was healing from illness. Every day I explored and intimately came to know the plants and trees in my small yard, foraging for food and materials for making art. In deep shade or dappled sunlight, the balsam is happy to spread as far as it can. The pines planted many years ago no doubt encouraged the balsam, inviting them to thrive. Last year, they showed up in abundance, calling my attention and begging me to work with them.
As a papermaker, I am keen on this sort of wild tending, looking for ways to work directly with the land. In this world, there is no separation between me and the natural world. We are family, and we work very well together.
The Himalayan balsam proved to be a wonderful companion, its thick, bamboo-like stems providing material for the most beautiful, golden paper and paper lace. We worked together most of the summer in my outdoor studio. It was an imaginal time as I allowed the material to direct my heart and my hands, a period of feeling fully alive in sensory communication, an opening of the heart sense.
This collection of sculptures made from abaca, Himalayan balsam, hosta, walnut ink and had foraged yarn is called “Family Relations.”
Do you see me standing there among the other beings?
Cultivating the Heart Sense - Synchrony
Two hearts come together, entrain as one, synchronize in fluid exchange, harmonize perfectly. Beyond logic lies another form of cognition—familiar, yet elusive to describe or measure. Its nature defies understanding. Each encounter brings newness, alive with spontaneity, dynamic and deeply perceptive.
#cultivatingtheheartsense #photographicproject #karenolsonphotography
My days in San Miguel are coming to a close. It has been an exciting and fascinating stay with many highlights. Highly recommend a visit. A foodie paradise for sure but so many other sensory stoke the heart of this northern girl. Thank you San Miguel for the warm welcome and playful sunshine!
Scenes from El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden. I dare say I could have spent hours in the conservatory photographing everything from every perspective.
Next art centric stop is Galleria Atotonilco.
A gallery that also functions as a museum of works from all over Mexico. Basketry, copper, ceramics, and fiber art both contemporary and ancient. And lovely gardens to enjoy as well!
Travel continues with a visit to San Miguel de Allende. First stop is the Photographic Gallery, El Centro. Jo Anderson Brenzo was such a gracious host and shared the history of the gallery which was established in 1997. I got to see the work of so many of my favorite artists.
@franform was the featured artist for the current show.
Also loved seeing works by
@wendischneiderart
@elizabethopalenik
@sandra_klein_photography
@sal.taylorkydd
And so many more.
Thank you Jo @photographic_gallery_sma
for the wonderful guided tour of the gallery!
Two 3-hour guided walks with our trainers Ben @integralforestbathing and Manuela @forestbathing_costarica
One co-guided walk with fellow trainees, one 3-hour solo walk, many hours of training, community building, sharing, delightful conversation, and listening to the symphony of sounds from the forest.
Immersion complete. I am feeling very complete.
#anft #foresttgerapy #forestbathing #costaricarainforest
Sounds of the rainforest at night. The first clip is a view from my room. The cicadas are active all day but they really get loud around 5 pm. In the second part of the clip I was hoping to capture the sounds of the bull frogs and other amphibious creatures.The night before it was about 3 times louder. There was definitely a party happening in the pond that night. It is truly amazing to hear all the life around me. It’s quite a symphony.
I am finding the sound of the cicadas strangely calming. It feels like their sound resonates with my inner rhythms.
ANFT Forest Therapy Immersion at Macaw Lodge, Costa Rica.
