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Anna Olsson Artworks

Anna is a Bangkok-based artist who has lived in Thailand since 2011.

14/11/2022

"Red Geisha on Wood"
The Geisha series consists of 3 canvas paintings (though there may be more in the future), “Red Geisha”, “Blue Geisha”, and “Yellow Geisha”. These paintings are inspired by my visit to Kyoto, Japan in the summer of 2018. When the evening darkness blanketed the city and the Gion District was lit by the soft glow of neon, I was fascinated by these immaculately presented women hustling about to get to their entertainment venues. Their wooden Geta footwear made a distinctive sound against the cobblestone streets and their reverberations from the surrounding wooden structures that have stood in place for hundreds of years seared the scene in my memory.
For this reason, I felt a need to capture this image and feeling on a wooden medium. I specifically chose the “Red Geisha” because to me she represents the most powerful of the series…not a dainty feminine flower for your amusement…she’s a samurai on wooden heels who owns the night.
To find out more about this painting please visit:
https://olssonartworks.com

14/11/2022

"Jippon"
Most people have heard of “Feng Shui”, the Chinese practice of harmonizing a living space with the natural world. The Japanese equivalency of this practice is called “Katso” which also strives to harmonize people with their surrounding environments. Maybe it’s a Swedish thing, but I am really attracted to this philosophy of creating spacial harmony and simplifying the complex. In fact, it was during my visit to Kyoto and soaking in the everyday simplistic design concepts of decor and fashion, that I began to wonder, “Is Japan the Sweden of Asia?”.
This question inspired me to create this abstract painting merging the two cultures together using a palette knife to create different lines with simple colors and a variety of techniques to produce some elements of chaos that are controlled through spacial harmonization and light shading. The black and gray are representative of the shared color palette of both Japan and Sweden. The deep red color is uniquely Japanese in this painting as they represent the 1,000-tall vermilion torii gates winding like a millipede through Kyoto’s most popular tourist attraction, the shrine Fushimi Inari Taisha. The hints of yellow, blue, and white are weaved into the painting to stabilizing effect. I feel the muted tones of black and gray really makes the red pop and bring passion to this piece.
To find out more about this painting please visit:
https://olssonartworks.com

14/11/2022

The Japanese word “koi” is a homophone for the word that means “affection” or “love”. For this reason, koi fish have symbolized friendship and love in Japan and have become a universal symbol of peace throughout the world. I’ve always been fascinated that though many of them share the same colors, each fish is uniquely patterned with subtle distinction. I really enjoyed making these playful swimmers unique in their coloring and scaling with my paintbrush and paint palette.
Watching koi has always been meditative for me. Their lives seem so simple. Yet I suspect a whole world of complexity exists within their lazy circling that I could never comprehend. The water background these two exist upon is a deep blue that symbolizes serenity and stability. I found myself in a meditative state texturizing its surface. It gives the piece a sense of motion and when I look upon it I feel centered and calm…without the costs of having to maintain an actual koi pond to achieve that effect.
To find out more about this painting, please visit :
https://olssonartworks.com

14/11/2022

“Blue Geisha” is the third installment of what I like to call the “The Geisha Series”. Inspired by my fascination with these lovely women who’ve committed themselves to a life of keeping Japan’s traditional forms of arts and entertainment alive. The historical city of Kyoto is the well from which the geisha tradition sprung forth and continues to flow from. The previous paintings I’d created in the series had a seasonal theme. It seemed appropriate to put a winter lens over my painter’s eye with this piece.
In the winter the temperatures drop and snow blankets Kyoto’s shrines and streets. With few tourists, it is a quiet time where a walk can be a quiet meditative experience where the sheets of white cast a bluish hue juxtaposed against the many reddish/orange torii gates and lamp posts. I imagined this slender-necked beauty bathed in this blue radiance as she braved the chilly cobblestone streets.
To find out more about this painting please visit :
https://olssonartworks.com

14/11/2022

“Yellow Geisha”
I enjoyed myself so much painting the “Red Geisha” that I decided to make a series of geisha themed paintings. This is the second piece in that series. Though it was July when I visited Kyoto, arguably the most beautiful time to visit the city is in the autumn season. This is when the foliage colors dramatically change, painting the countryside scenes with wide swaths of deep red and golden yellow leaves.
In my minds eye I tried to picture what that burst of colors would look like reflecting off the shining walls of the famous Golden Temple, Kinkau-Ji. The beauty of that mental image inspired to me create to this “Yellow Geisha”.
To find out more about this painting please visit :
https://olssonartworks.com

14/11/2022

“Red Geisha on canvas”
After reading “Memoirs of a Geisha”, I became absolutely fascinated with Japan’s subculture of women highly skilled permoring artists and consummate entertainers. To be able to see them scurrying about the cobblestone streets of Kyoto’s famous Gion District was a thrill of a lifetime for me. “Red Geisha” was the first painting I made from my memories of these immaculately presented ladies, and as it was a sweltering July evening when the first geisha caught my eye, I chose red to capture the excitement and passion of those steamy nights.
To find out more about this painint please visit:
https://olssonartworks.com

14/11/2022

"Fusion"
Working with different media and tools one can create an imaginative painting that makes you find a unique meaning with thein the art.
I never imagined I’d make a home in Bangkok for over a decade. The first year was incredibly chaotic both personally and professionally with new challenges faced daily. But after awhile I grew accustomed to it…and eventually I leaned to thrive in the environment. This mixed media painting was one of the first that I created and in it I challenged myself outside of my normal artistic comfort zone with new techniques and material. I guess I’d grown accustomed to forcing myself to try new things…
The colors of blue and yellow signify the colors from the Swedish flag with a red band along the middle to denote a drastic change where things get turned upside down. Underlying this piece are clippings from newspapers and magazines that illustrate my personal cultural crossover. I think everyone has had an event that has turned their whole world on its head. I put my event on this canvas. As proud as I am at the success I’ve had adjusting to this new country, I am just as proud with myself for this creation. The many compliments I’ve received on this piece is also what encouraged me to begin to market my art.
To find out more about this painting please visit
https://olssonartworks.com

14/11/2022

Utilizing modeling paste and broad strokes with a palette knife, “Ridges” is aptly named for the bold intersecting lines and texturized colors that draw the gaze into the piece with kaleidoscope effect. The beauty of this abstract piece is that its meaning is so personally defined by the emotions evoked by the individual observer.
Are you comforted by the order corralling the chaos of shapes and colors within? Or does the texture and colors haunt you with a perceived sense of decadence and decay?
This is one of the smaller paintings I have on offer. Yet, every time I see it I feel something new. It’s like an emotional mirror, reflecting my mood, and forcing me to confront my thoughts. It transports me to a ridge where I can meditate without interruption. Art is therapy.
To find out more about this painting, please visit
https://olssonartworks.com