Opening Reception - Drawn to Paint: Paintings of Arboretum Trees by Paul Olson

Opening Reception Saturday, May 18, 1:00-3:00pm

Exhibit runs May 10 – July 21, 2019

Location: Hunnewell Building

Artist, Paul Olson, has been discovering the nuances of the Arnold Arboretum’s collections since he first passed through its gates in 2011. A landscape painter for decades, Olson explores the grounds with sketchbook in hand, typically in the early morning hours. His goal is to be unencumbered by any agenda and open to what the light of the day presents. In 2012, he had an exhibition at the Arnold Arboretum titled “Drawn to Woods.” The expressive ink drawings in that show were all completed en plein air – on-site in the open air. In this new show, Olson brings his on-site observations into the painting studio to work in color, reflecting on his real-world experience, but searching for that delightful sense of childlike discovery found in nature. These works on paper and canvas also feature paintings of bonsai from the Bonsai and Penjing collection here at the Arboretum.

Paul Olson is an instructor at his Alma Mater, Rhode Island School of Design, and also teaches in the Illustration Department at Massachusetts College of Art. He has exhibited in various group and solo shows in the US. Olson also makes pottery for bonsai and is an avid bonsai cultivator.

Free, public invited