Olson-Larsen Galleries

06/06/2026

06/05/2026

Come and see all of the landscapes tonight, 4-7pm!

“Fleeting Days of Fall”
12”x16”, Oil on Linen
Available
I painted this a few falls back along a quiet road tucked in a valley I would struggle to find again on the first try. The cool of the evening would come early to this particular bend between the bluffs. Afternoon shadows crawled across the scene and me, leaving me to feel the cool absence of sunshine. There were no do-overs or second chances for this outing. There is only the light and shadow. Mix the color -relative to every other color - put it down as carefully and poetically as possible so that a brush stroke can express the light in the trees, while another a field in shadow. And the whole time it is changing. It is challenging to be sure, but really it is great fun. The focus required fosters a viceral connection to the world while I am painting. “Fleeting Days of Fall” is one of about 20 paintings that have made their way to the wonderful Olson Larsen Galleries in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Olson Larsen Galleries
Annual Landscape Show 2026
Opening Reception:
Friday, June 5th, 2026
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Join us for the opening reception of our Annual Landscape Show! Come by starting at 4pm to kick off your First Friday festivities.
Featured artists:
Audrey Brown -
Joshua Cunningham - .l.cunningham Barbara Fedeler
Allison & Jonathan Metzger - John P. Moench -
Joseph Theroux -
ANNUAL LANDSCAPE SHOW 2026
JUNE 5 - JULY 25, 2026
Olson Larsen Galleries
542 5th Street
West Des Moines, IA 50265
515-277-6734

05/20/2026

Had a lovely studio visit with last week! Joe’s studio is in his home, just north of Minneapolis, surrounded by all things nature. We chose paintings from his new series, “The Structure of Air” for our upcoming Annual Landscape Show. Be sure to check out Joe’s and the other artist’s work during the opening reception on June 5th, 4-7pm. Be sure to come by early, before the other First Friday festivities begin!

05/06/2026

Night Bear 1 & 2 by Paula Schuette Kraemer are whimsical, yet grounded. They are great on their own and even better as a pair in a peaceful bedroom or communal space! Keep reading for some thoughts from Paula about these celestial bears.

"Originally I just wanted to do something about bears and a print with some size to it. I started out with both bears on a 36 x 48" piece of copper and after a week or so, decided that the plate was too unwieldy; and, I wasn't coming up with much of a theme either so I cut the plate in half. The original drawings for the print were done on Mylar in white Oil Stick. The Mylar was taped over a blue black piece of paper so that I could see the drawings and they reminded me of the vastness of the Colorado sky on a clear night. I often go out at night to look up and clear my head of life's details and worries. It's an opportunity to calm my mind. The majesty of nature puts our problems into perspective. It's a reset.

The dark Paynes Grey/Blue monoprint background is full of Cobalt line drawings of objects. There is a hand throwing dice (life's a crap shoot), a hammer with pounded nails (getting stuff done), a sled (nostalgia for the past), a teacup (conversations with friends), a weigh scale ( judgement), a bird (nature), etc. Many of the images are symbols which I have used in works throughout my artistic career (the pretzel, the apple, the running dog, the hopscotch game, acorn and little trees).

The big white bears represent the majesty and grandeur of nature. They are apparitions in the sky above and they have their respective identifying constellations, Ursa Minor ("Night Bear I") and Ursa Major ("Night Bear II") drawn in with oil pastel in a very pale yellow. They are in that order (Minor on the left and Major on the right) merely because of the bears' poses which turn in towards each other."

Paula Schuette Kraemer
Night Bear 1 & 2 (5/15), 2026
Monotype, intaglio and oil pastel
35.5 x 23.5 in
$2,000 each

https://olsonlarsen.com/artist/paula-schuette-kraemer

04/30/2026

Sorry we will be closed tomorrow, May 1st. Good thing you can browse artwork online any time! https://olsonlarsen.com

04/30/2026

Our team is framing these right now!!! 🤗

04/29/2026

Six Gothic Churches by Amy Worthen is in the exhibition Independence and Identity: Selections from the Department of Drawings and Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York now through September 29th! Click the link and scroll down a bit to read more about Amy's print. Others in the edition of this print are available for purchase at Olson-Larsen Galleries.

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/independence-and-identity-selections-from-the-department-of-drawings-and-prints

04/28/2026

Our framers, Mark and Brett get to spend some time at the Sioux City Art Center this week framing these Grant Wood murals! Stay tuned to see the process and results.